Expertise

Banking & Finance | Building Law & Construction Law | Commercial Law | Common Law | Criminal Law | Defamation | Environmental Law & Planning Law | Government Law | Inquests, Inquiries, Tribunals & Commissions | Public Law & Administrative Law |

Profile

Andrew advises and appears throughout Australia in commercial, administrative and other disputes including:

Administrative law/ Public law

• representing decision-makers and appellants in judicial review and merits review; advising government and corporations;

Building regulation, engineering and technology

• including domestic and international arbitration and litigated delay and defect claims, security of payment;

Contract and negligence 

• advising and appearing, including class actions;
• advising and appearing in civil proceedings relating to historical child sexual abuse, including within institutions;

Royal Commissions and Boards of Inquiry

• between 2013 and 2018 advising and appearing throughout Australia on behalf of institutions in the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse;
• in 2017 acting as counsel assisting in the Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory;
• in 2018 advising and appearing in the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry;
• in 2018 and 2019 advising parties in the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety;
• in 2019 and 2020 acting as counsel assisting in the Royal Commission into the Management of Police Informants;
• in 2020 advising and appearing in the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements;
• in 2020 advising and appearing in the COVID-19 Hotel Quarantine Inquiry;
• in 2021 advising and appearing in the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability;

Town planning and environment (including land development)

• advising and appearing in VCAT, Planning Panels and Courts in permit applications, scheme amendment, enforcement and prosecutions for permit applicants, objectors, Councils and authorities;
• advising and appearing in matters arising from the operation of the Land Acquisition and Compensation Act 1986;

Energy and natural resources

• in particular oil and gas, including domestic and international arbitration and disputes before the courts;

AFL Tribunal and sports law

• since 2011 appointed by the Australian Football League to act as counsel assisting the AFL Tribunal
• in other codes and sports, representing players, clubs and coaches and trainers in investigations, conduct inquiries, merits review and litigation; 

Coronial inquests

• representing various corporations in a number of coronial inquests in New South Wales and Victoria regarding medical negligence, truck roll-overs, building collapses and other events; representing senior next of kin in various inquests, including aboriginal deaths in custody;

Banking, finance, financial services and insurance

• including relating to mortgages, security, share trading, financial advice, superannuation, professional indemnity, D&O, life, TPD, income protection; 

Indigenous legal issues

• Andrew previously lived in a remote indigenous island community in North East Arnhem Land, where he taught in outstations and represented individuals and groups in the local indigenous community deal with a range of legal issues;
• he continues to represent indigenous people and groups in matters arising from the operation of the Aboriginal Land Rights (Northern Territory) Act 1976, the Native Title Act 1993, and in relation to criminal, civil and coronial matters (including aboriginal deaths in custody) and inquiries;

Mediation

• nationally accredited mediator and regularly appointed to mediate construction, commercial, negligence and other disputes;

Parliamentary inquiries

• including between June 2012 and November 2013 acting for a number individuals and institutions called before the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry into the Handling of Child Sex Abuse by Religious and Other Organisations and in 2015 and 2016 in relation to the Inquiry into the CFA Training College at Fiskville;

Conducting investigations

• including appointments to investigate professional conduct issues within workplaces or institutions (including sexual abuse and bullying) and making findings and recommendations to management/leadership;

Disciplinary boards and merits review

• appearing as counsel assisting a number of statutory tribunals and disciplinary boards of inquiry including the Building Practitioners Board and the Architects Registration Board. Also representing these bodies in merits review before VCAT and judicial review before the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal. Representing members of regulated occupations in merits review of decisions before VCAT;

Building Appeals Board

• appearing in the Building Appeals Board in proceedings relating to the operation of the Building Act 1993 including protection works disputes, modification applications, combustible cladding and disputes arising from building permits and building orders;

Regulatory crime 

• prosecuting and defending statutory offences brought by federal, state and local government, including Councils, EPA, WorkSafe, Victorian Building Authority and other statutory authorities.

To get in touch with Andrew Woods | or for more information please contact the Clerk on:

+61 3 9225 7222

clerkb@greenslist.com.au

Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards legislation.