Local Government Law
Local Government Law
The provision of legal advice, court representation and all other legal services to local governments throughout Queensland, and to the Local Government Association of Queensland (LGAQ), is one of the core elements of our practice. And we’re very good at it - we should be given our 130 years in the business.
The added advantage, of course, is all this expertise developed servicing local governments has a far wider application, so our many other institutional and corporate clients also reap the rewards of our accumulated knowledge and experience. Almost daily, we receive instructions to provide specialist local government or town planning advice work, directly from many Councils, or as part of our retainer to provide the legal opinions service to the LGAQ, to which every Queensland local government has access.
We hold appointments to many Queensland Council legal service provider panels and we’re Local Buy Pty Ltd-approved.
We’re a principal adviser to the Queensland Local Government Mutual Liability Pool on corporate and insurance matters and we’re one of only three firms defending claim-related litigation on behalf of member Councils.
We review and advise the LGAQ on the legal and practical effects of proposed State legislation that may impact the operations of local governments. That benefits all our local government clients who get a heads up on the effects of new laws in the pipeline.
The provision of legal services to a local government requires broad-based knowledge of and experience in all aspects of local government administration and related law and practice that we possess, to ensure there’s no failure to take account of any legal consideration peculiar to a dealing that may affect the outcome of a matter. The fact is, all King & Company’s professional staff have expertise in local government law generally, as well as possessing high levels of proficiency in areas in which they specialise.
Q: Expertise
Queensland Council’s we’ve got you covered. Our services span:
- Corporate Governance, including financial planning and management
- Commercial arrangements, agreements, contracts, procurements and tenders
- Dispute Resolution
- Industrial Relations and Human Resources
- Right to Information and Information Privacy
- Public Liability and Professional Negligence
And much more. Click on the links to the left of this page for a deep dive into our know-how. Or click on the links to our expertise as grouped in the areas of COMMERCIAL, ADVISORY & PROPERTY LAW; PLANNING & ENVIRONMENT; and INSURANCE & DISPUTE RESOLUTION. Either way you’ll get the full range of what we do for our local government and other institutional and corporate clients.
Q: How We Work
We’re professional but personable. We’re expert but amicable. We care about our clients and our clients know this. We’re here to help and our clients know this too.
We’re proud of the management strategies we’ve developed and assiduously apply to ensure maximum satisfaction for our clients.
For instance, our Executive Partner, Tim Fynes-Clinton is the first point of contact for all new matters (unless you’re an existing client who already has a relationship with another of our staff) and Tim is always available to discuss the status of any continuing matter with all of our clients. But all our staff are “on call” to our clients.
The location of our office at Quay Central on Brisbane’s North Quay is by design. We’re placed within a few minutes’ walk from the Supreme, District, Planning & Environment and Magistrates Courts and just a one-minute stroll from the Federal and High Courts. And most of the leading Counsel and Senior Counsel in Queensland have their chambers in either our building, the adjoining Inns of Court or nearby Santos Place. All this means is that, in litigation matters, we’re perfectly placed for conferences with counsel, even urgent, short-notice ones, and court appearances and hearings.
We may be Brisbane-based but we travel – all the time and all over Queensland. Or, if our clients don’t need us for face-to-face, on-site meetings, we’ll be there virtually via Zoom, Skype, Teams or whatever platform suits the situation.
- We’ve drafted and reviewed dozens of planning instruments for Councils all over the State from the Gold Coast to Mt Isa, along with hundreds of agreements, tenders and contracts for all sorts of services and infrastructure from waste collection and water and sewage, to the upgrading of Council-owned airport runways and terminals and the management of swimming pools, caravan parks and cemeteries.
- We annually review the revenue policies, revenue statements and rating resolutions of Councils all over Queensland.
- In 2017 we appeared on behalf of the LGAQ at the Crime & Corruption Commission’s Operation Belcarra public hearings.
- In June 2018 we participated with the LGAQ in a State-wide broadcast to all Queensland local governments to explain the Local Government Act 2009 amendments changing the way Councillors deal with declaring conflicts of interest.
- In 2021 we successfully acted for the Gold Coast City Council in Island Resorts (Apartments) Pty Ltd v Gold Coast City Council in an appeal challenging the Council’s rating decision.
- Between 2017 and 2021 we successfully acted for Logan City Council in Kelsey v Logan City Council & Ors where the QIRC cleared the Council of unlawfully dismissing its former CEO.
