Jonathan Korman

Accredited Mediator

Jonathan is a Nationally Accredited Mediator.

Profile

Jonathan is one of Victoria's leading public law barristers in the environmental law field. He also has a busy practice in the fields of construction law, taxation (state and federal),and general commercial law.

Jonathan was lead counsel in a string of influential environmental cases that have shaped the legal context for public enforcement of environmental legislation in general and challenges to unlawful logging of native forests in particular. These include:

• Forestry Corporation of New South Wales v South East Forest Rescue [2025] HCA 15 - High Court decision clarifying that clear and unmistakable language is required to abrogate the common law right to challenge unlawful government action.
• South East Forest Rescue Inc v Forestry Corporation of New South Wales (No 2) [2024] NSWCA 113 - a landmark NSW case confirming that environmental organisations that establish a "special interest" have standing to enforce the statutory framework governing logging in NSW  
• Environment East Gippsland (No 4) v VicForests  [2022] VSC 668  - the case that triggered the Victorian government decision to end logging of native forests.
• VicForests v Kinglake Friends of the Forest [2021] VSCA 195 - the leading recent authority applying the doctrine of general law standing

Jonathan is regularly briefed, both in Victoria and interstate, to advise on environmental law matters and litigation.

Jonathan's commercial practice focuses on construction disputes, state taxation, and general commercial matters. He is an accomplished and sought after mediator and negotiator. Jonathan's negotiation skill set draws on 20 years’ business experience at CEO/director level in the field of IT, as well as his prior professional work in counseling psychology.

Jonathan is regularly briefed to appear in all jurisdictions, both at first instance and appellate levels. He has appeared before the High Court on several occasions, including representation of the successful appellant, unled, in the well-known case of Rozenblit v Vainer  (2018) 262 CLR 476 which has been cited in over 80 published decisions. 

Jonathan graduated Bachelor of Laws and Master of Laws, both with distinction. He was invited to teach Corporations Law, Equity and Trusts at Monash University. He was awarded the Society of Construction Law Award for Construction Law in 2016, and, earlier, the Law Institute of Victoria Prize as dux of the College of Law. Jonathan also has teaching qualifications. His work has been published in the Building and Construction Law Journal (2018 Vol 34, No 3) and Australian Environment Review (2025, Vol 39 No 4)