CHALK & BEHRENDT - Key Persons
Alex Romano joined Chalk & Behrendt as a Senior Associate in 2021. Alex has been working as a lawyer specialising in native title and related matters since 2016. Prior to starting at Chalk & Behrendt, Alex was employed as the In-House Legal Counsel at the Kimberley Land Council. He has a broad range of experience in native title and related litigation appearing on behalf of traditional owners in native title determination applications and future act matters before the National Native Title Tribunal, Federal Court, Full Federal Court and High Court of Australia.
Highlights of Alex's work include representing the Bindunbur native title claimants (WA) in relation to their appeals to the Full Federal Court and High Court of Australia and representing Malarngowem native title holders in relation to heritage and related issues in the East Kimberley.
Alex also has experience advising traditional owners in relation to a variety of different commercial negotiations with a focus on mining and petroleum negotiations, heritage matters, corporate governance as well as law reform and policy matters. Prior to working at the KLC, Alex was employed as a law graduate and solicitor at NTSCORP in New South Wales.
Andrew established the firm Andrew Chalk Associates in 1996, which has since undergone transformations to become Chalk & Behrendt. Prior to that, Andrew worked in the administrative law and environmental teams of a leading national firm as well as for the NSW Aboriginal Legal Service.
After more than three decades practising as a lawyer, Andrew retired from that role and as a legal director of the firm in June 2023. Chalk & Behrendt and its clients are, however, fortunate that Andrew continues to make his experience available to us as a strategic consultant. He also remains on the Chalk & Behrendt board as an honorary director.
Andrew has written and presented numerous papers on environmental and planning law, administrative law, cultural heritage protection, land rights and native title. He represented Indigenous bodies in relation to the enactment of the Native Title Bill 1993, and the Act's amendment in 1997-1998, acted on numerous successful Aboriginal land claim appeals in NSW, brought successful native title claims in the lower Gulf of Carpentaria region of Queensland and advised Aboriginal Land Councils and representative bodies throughout Australia over many years.
Andrew was the founding Chair of Gawad Kalinga Australia Limited, the regional arm of the international community development organisation. He is also a former Chair of the Environmental Defender's Office Ltd, a director of the Mark Tonga Relief Fund, former Secretary of the NSW Chapter of the Australian Institute of Administrative Law and the Chair of the NSW Law Society's Public Law Committee.
Chris joined the firm in 2016 as a graduate before being admitted and commencing as a lawyer in 2017. In the time since, he has worked extensively in the litigation of of Aboriginal land claim appeals under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983 (NSW) in the Land and Environment Court as well as native title claims under the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth) in the Federal Court. Chris has also acted for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients and corporations in the Local Court, District Court, Supreme Court, Court of Appeal and the Full Federal Court, as well as before the Independent Commission Against Corruption.
David joined Chalk & Behrendt, then Chalk and Fitzgerald, in 2011. He was previously a partner in a large national firm and, in addition to his role leading its Sydney Communications, Energy & Infrastructure team, was staff partner of its Sydney office - a role in which he contributed significantly to the development of that firm and its people.
David has extensive experience advising on large scale infrastructure projects, privatisations and joint ventures and on a wide range of commercial transactions and corporate and governance issues. The focus of his work with the firm is in assisting Indigenous Australians in realising their aspirations, pursuing opportunities and developing more effective organisations.
In addition to his work with the firm, David conducts his own consultancy in organisational development, leadership, conflict resolution and change. He has extensive experience providing strategic, commercial and governance advice to Indigenous organisations, including the Wik Peoples of Cape York.
Between 1997 and 2014 David was the Chairman of the Karen Lynch Foundation, which awarded an annual Memorial Scholarship to an Indigenous university student.
Elizabeth has over 15 years' experience in native title, clean energy and all areas of property law.
She has negotiated native title agreements and Aboriginal cultural heritage management plans for a range of projects across Australia. She has also advised on tenure, governance and policy issues arising under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act (NSW) 1983.
Passionate about clean energy law, Elizabeth has advised wind and solar project proponents on a variety of legal issues including leases, licences, easements, Crown tenure, native title and power purchase agreements. She recently ran a Renewable Energy Law Clinic course at the University of Newcastle where students had the opportunity to work on community energy projects. In 2019, Elizabeth received an Australian Government Executive Leadership Award for clean energy law.
Elizabeth is known for bringing a unique skillset to legal engagements between organisations and the broader community. Her expertise includes guiding organisations seeking to comply with their legal obligations in a way that builds their social licence to operate.
Elizabeth has acted on commercial, industrial, retail and rural property matters and is a sessional lecturer in property law practice at the University of Newcastle Law School.
James practised as a solicitor in private practice and then held the position of Director of the Environmental Defender's Office, during which time he conducted public interest test case litigation, law reform, education and policy initiatives. James was also a member of the Commonwealth EPA Advisory Board, and an Alternate Commissioner, and then Commissioner, of the Legal Aid Commission of New South Wales.
James has been a contributing author to environmental law texts and has delivered papers and education programmes in Australia and internationally, including a five day workshop in Solomon Islands.
In his 22 years at the bar, he advised on and conducted numerous cases for community, corporate and government groups and individuals, especially in the fields of planning, environment and development law in the Land and Environment court and the Court of Appeal. He is most proud of the many cases he succeeded in resolving out of Court.
He was spent a total 18 years on the boards of a range of not-for-profit organisations and driven organisational and constitutional change.
James has practised as a solicitor since 2000. In that time he has worked extensively on native title and land rights matters, across South Australia, Queensland, Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia. His expertise includes:
preparing and undertaking litigation of native title claims in the Federal Court, including in response to future act notices
future act negotiations and implementation of agreements
ILUA negotiations and authorisation
certification of ILUAs and native title claims
conduct of litigation relating to corporate governance and decision-making processes by Aboriginal groups and corporations
conduct of litigation relating to future act processes (compulsory acquisition)
negotiating Aboriginal heritage processes under State and Federal laws, and disputes about the operation of those processes
resolution of disputes between Aboriginal people and representative bodies (including NTRBs, NTSPs and PBCs)
Highlights of his work include representing the nguraritja of De Rose Hill (SA) and representing the Goolarabooloo People in relation to native title, Aboriginal heritage and future act issues at James Price Point (WA).
James has been with the firm since 2008.
Jason joined Andrew Chalk Associates in 1996, the predecessor of Chalk & Fitzgerald which became Chalk & Behrendt in 2017 and has over 20 years experience in advising clients and conducting litigation.
An Aboriginal person himself, Jason has acted for many years as an external adviser to Aboriginal land councils and representative bodies across the nation. He has extensive knowledge and experience in relation to administrative law, land rights, heritage, native title law and natural resources law.
Louise joined Chalk & Behrendt as a Consultant in 2018, having recently worked as counsel for a large Australian commercial firm, advising on a broad range of complex and novel transactional and litigious legal matters.
Louise has also led the in-house legal team of a national medical defence organisation.
Louise has extensive experience providing risk management and policy advice in aspects of law and policy affecting individual and corporate clients, governments and statutory authorities.
Experience
Conducting the defence of civil, criminal, coronial, industrial, disciplinary and administrative law disputes
Pip has been providing legal services to Indigenous people and organisations since 2015 across a broad range of practice areas including commercial & corporate governance, civil & administrative law, criminal defence and, since joining Chalk & Behrendt in 2020, native title and land rights matters.
Pip's prior experience includes practising law in the Northern Territory with the Central Australian Aboriginal Legal Aid Service (CAALAS) and the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency (NAAJA). She has also held several legal and governance roles in Sydney including practising commercial law for a leading Australian law firm and working in corporate governance for two ASX-listed companies.
While working in commercial law and corporate governance, Pip gained experience in corporate transactions, large-scale litigation proceedings and business services. Her experience also includes working for a not-for-profit national legal service delivering legal advice and training services. Pip is skilled at providing clear and focused legal advice to her clients across a wide practice area.
Pip is currently undertaking a Master of Environmental Law. Her research focuses on the intersectionality of Indigenous rights and environmental law.
Job Titles:
- Consultant
- Professor of Law at the University of Sydney
Simon is an experienced legal practitioner and consultant, and a senior legal academic, and calls on extensive experience, and a wide range of skills and insights, to achieve socially just outcomes for clients.
As a lawyer Simon specialises in issues of law and social justice such as housing, debt, unemployment, mental health, family, crime and - most particularly - discrimination. He has advised and represented clients in courts and tribunals in NSW, the ACT and federally across a wide range of matters, and has been a judicial member and hearing commissioner for discrimination matters in NSW and the Northern Territory.
As a consultant, Simon advises and conducts training for governments and government agencies, non-government organisations, and businesses, on organisational governance, strategy and management, and matters of discrimination, human rights, and access to justice.
At the same time, Simon is emeritus professor of law at the University of Sydney, where he researches and writes on discrimination, human rights, and issues of law and social justice.
Thomas is a Senior Associate who joined the firm as a graduate in 2017. He is a generalist; with commercial, property, governance, planning and litigation experience. He has extensive experience working with Aboriginal people, communities and organisations of all different kinds, with a particular focus on NSW. Career highlights include:
Simultaneously advising multiple Aboriginal organisations on a complex bid for funding from NSW's $1B Social and Affordable Housing Fund
Advising climate activists pro bono on Australia's largest market licensee's obligations to require listed entities to disclose their climate-related financial risks (in the TCFD format or otherwise)
Advising on the preparation of NSW's first Aboriginal Land Council Development Delivery Plans
Acting on NSW's first ‘blanket Aboriginal land claim'
Acting on a complex shareholder oppression proceeding - linked to four related proceedings
Successfully acting for the plaintiff in her membership dispute with The Greens NSW, which ultimately led to her appointment to the Legislative Council of New South Wales
Thomas has published in the area of Indigenous planning and has presented seminars on Indigenous legal issues to university students. At university he completed his honours thesis on the legal and social interaction of the Native Title Act 1993 (Cth) and the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983 (NSW).
When not working, Thomas enjoys politics, world history and keeping fit. He won't hear a bad word about the Parramatta Eels.