Government

Norton Rose Fulbright has long-established relationships with Commonwealth, state and local government departments, agencies and councils and is recognised as being a preferred legal adviser through its multiple panel appointments.

“Established team, noted both for its regular representation of Commonwealth government bodies and for its prominence on numerous state government panels.”   Chambers Asia-Pacific, 2020

We regularly advise government across a full range of legal and regulatory areas. Our government team is experienced in operating within the government environment, and understand this is shaped by factors such as complex policy and legal frameworks and a culture of consultation, accountability, public scrutiny and high visibility.

Our lawyers are experienced in assisting clients in complex matters including the procurement and maintenance of key infrastructure and materiel, acting in sensitive and high-profile investigations, inquiries and disputes, commercial negotiations and contracting, issues arising from land acquisition, disposal and ownership, employment and safety-related issues and the delivery of technology programs to allow our government clients to deliver their services.

We are also uniquely placed to provide culturally sensitive advice to government departments and agencies through our joint venture with Mailman Law to form a majority-owned commercial law firm known as Jaramer Legal, announced in October 2018. Jaramer Legal works with government and Indigenous businesses and communities in response to initiatives such as the federal government's 'Closing the Gap Policy' and Indigenous Procurement Policies across federal, state and territory governments.

Our broad public and private sector experience enables us to provide strategic legal advice fully tailored to the needs of Government. We provide:

• Understanding of government and its objectives: Through our longstanding relationships and work across government, we assist government at all stages, from policy and project development through to effective delivery.
• Value through innovative approaches: With government comes a priority to deliver new policies and projects in an efficient manner. A key part of our role is adding value through thought leadership and assisting government in developing innovative approaches and finding strategic solutions.
• High quality, cost conscious advice: We understand it is important for the Commonwealth government to manage costs through its suppliers. We ensure there are no surprises for government, providing predictable fees and staying within realistic estimates.
• Combined Norton Rose Fulbright and Henry Davis York experience: Norton Rose Fulbright and Henry Davis York combined in December 2017 to form a powerful new force for the Australian legal market. This combination brings an expanded high-quality team whose focus is supporting the government, combining specialist knowledge with decades of experience working within the government sector. 
• Full panel coverage: Through their day-to-day operations, Commonwealth, state  and local governments encounter a range of legal issues. We sit on government legal panels of the New South Wales, Queensland and Victorian governments. We have also been appointed to all six panel areas of the new Whole of Australian Government Legal Services Panel. Our dedicated government team is drawn from leading lawyers in these fields.

Our areas of work include

• Construction and engineering
• Coronial inquiries
• Corporate, M&A and securities
• Data protection, privacy and cybersecurity
• Dispute resolution and litigation
• Employment and labour, including equal opportunity, industrial relations and WHS
• Infrastructure
• Intellectual property
• Planning and environment 
• Procurement
• Professional negligence, including personal injuries
• Projects
• Public and administrative law
• Public and government finance
• Regulation and investigations

Awards and accolades

• Chambers Asia-Pacific, Australia: Government, Chambers and Partners, 2020