Thomas Pikusa

Profile

Tom is a leading practitioner in planning and environmental law and building and property law. He appears in all courts and tribunals across Victoria, including VCAT, Planning Panels Victoria and the Supreme, County and Magistrates Courts. Tom is well versed in remote conferencing and appearance work and is available to appear in Court.

Tom appears and advises clients across the following areas of practice:

• Owners corporations
• Planning and environment
• Building and construction
• Property including easement and restrictive covenant issues and the sale of land
• Building and planning prosecutions
• Local government matters
• Disciplinary proceedings against building practitioners
• Administrative and judicial review of planning, building and property matters in the Supreme Court

Tom advised and appeared in:

• The Golden Plains wind farm;
• Owners corporation disputes;
• Building cladding safety matters;
• The redevelopment of the Queen Victoria Market;
• The Melbourne Metro tunnel project;
• The East-West tunnel project; and
• The Bushfire Royal Commission.

Tom appears on behalf of developers, local and regional Councils, public authorities and objectors.

In the owners corporation area, Tom has appeared in injunctions, significant fee disputes, cases alleging fraud against the minority lot owners, managers, common property works and cladding issues.

Tom holds a Bachelor of Architectural Studies which gives him a unique insight into the building industry and is able to read architectural and building plans with ease. Tom has also completed a Masters in Environmental Law. 

Before joining the Bar, Tom was a Senior Associate at Gadens Lawyers, a solicitor at Maddocks and in-house counsel at the City of Melbourne.