MacDonnells Law has served Queensland local governments for over 125 years and is the oldest specialist local government law firm in Queensland.
Our local government specialist lawyers rarely come across an area of law in which they have not previously given advice. Within the Queensland-wide Local Government team, we have lawyers who practise in specialist categories of local government law including planning & environment, infrastructure and indigenous law as well as employment, insurance and workplace health & safety.
With offices in Brisbane, Cairns and Townsville, MacDonnells Law offers clients wide on the ground coverage to provide legal services to any local government. At MacDonnells Law, we have the capacity to have people at any location on short notice and regularly travel to meet our local government clients.
The MacDonnells Law Local Government Team works closely with our local government clients to establish compliance systems, solve legal problems and improve the governance process. In addition to legal advice, MacDonnells Law provides a wide range of value-added legal, training and skills transfer services, tailor made for local governments.
MacDonnells Law currently provides legal services to most Queensland local governments in the following fields:
Projects and Property
Sales and purchases of land, reserve land dealings, trustee leases, easements, compulsory acquisitions and Land Act applications. MacDonnells Law can complete the job from beginning to end within commercial timeframes and budgets. Our infrastructure practice assists local governments with the particular tenure and property needs for water, waste management, transport and community infrastructure projects.
Procurement and Tendering
MacDonnells Law has an extensive practice in local government procurement. We have implemented many in-house procurement systems. We prepare contracts for the purchase of goods and services as well as individual clauses on complex issues such as GST. MacDonnells Law understand the rules and protocols involved in local government tendering and is familiar with the full range of contracts used in the industry.
Commercial and Corporate Services
Specialist legal support for all aspects of the commercial and corporate activities of local governments. From policy development to delegations, from rates and revenue advice to election issues, MacDonnells Law offers both expertise and the ability to think outside the square.
Litigation and Dispute Resolution
At MacDonnells Law, we understand litigation can divert valuable resources. Our professionally trained and accredited mediators can explore all options of alternative dispute resolution. We can help achieve mutually satisfactory and innovative resolutions before going to court. Where litigation does arise, we fight hard in the local government corner.
Local Laws
At MacDonnells Law, our lawyers are leaders in innovative approaches to the drafting of local laws. We have developed new and streamlined administration local laws for a number of local governments. We have particular expertise in liaising and negotiating with the Department of Local Government and Planning. We have successfully made submissions to the Department on behalf of local governments, which have resulted in improved local government powers, for example, the power to recover costs for certain actions taken under the Local Government Act. Our expertise also includes prosecutions and enforcement.
Risk Management and Insurance
Managing legal risks is an essential task for every local government. Whether it be duty of care and public liability, statutory compliance, workplace health and safety, project work or in-house systems and procedures, MacDonnells Law has the experience and expertise to help avoid problems before they arise.
We can assist with everything from project specific legal compliance audits to the preparation of full risk management plans across the whole organisation. Our lawyers play an active role in the Association for Compliance Professionals Australia.
Local Government Advisory
Advice on governance and other advisory areas specific to local governments is one of our discrete specialisations. Through our significant local government client base, we have developed knowledge of both the legal and practical implications of all legislation impacting Queensland local governments.
