Prior to joining P&E Law, John was a Special Counsel in the Native Title and Resources Team at Queensland Crown Law.  John has also worked in the private legal sector in top and mid-tier firms. Previous to his career as a lawyer, John was a geologist/geophysicist working in mining and exploration projects throughout Australia and overseas, and as a result has first-hand knowledge of the workings of the resources sector.

John is highly experienced in the negotiation and delivery of projects which have complex native title and cultural heritage requirements.  This has included major infrastructure developments such as motorways, railways, schools, hospitals, stadiums and housing subdivisions.  John has been involved in several complex commercial and corporate matters relating to large-scale mining ventures and has had responsibility for the day to day legal requirements of smaller mining and exploration ventures.

John has negotiated and drafted several native title consent determinations, including the Jinibara, Bularnu Waluwarra & Wangkayujuru and Djuru determinations.

John has extensive experience in drafting Indigenous Land Use Agreements (ILUAs) and cultural heritage management plans and agreements across all of the Torres Strait, Cape York and other areas of Queensland. John drafted the whole of township community development ILUAs for Mapoon and Pormpuraaw townships.  He has been involved in negotiating land transfers, for example, he negotiated the transfers of Mer and Badu under the Torres Strait Islander Land Act 1991, and the first ever successful transfer and joint management negotiations with the Waanyi People under s 284 of the Aboriginal Land Act 1991 for Boodjamulla (Lawn Hill) National Park.  John has vast experience in advising on the future acts’ regime under the Native Title Act 1993, on tenure and extinguishment issues, and the cultural heritage regime in Queensland.

When not at work John likes time outdoors cycling and bushwalking, cricket, travelling and spending time with his family.