Dominic McGann, who heads the largest independent law firm in Queensland and is Chair of the Brisbane Writers Festival, has been named the winner of QUT's Outstanding Alumni Award for the Law Faculty at a ceremony today.
An acclaimed native title export, Mr McGann is Chairman of Partners at McCullough Roberston, one of the top ranked Lawyers in Chambers Asia Pacific 2015 and listed in Best Lawyers Australia 2014-15.
Mr McGann graduated from QUT with a Bachelor of Laws in 1983 and in a distinguished career spanning 30 years he has held a range of senior government roles, including Executive Director of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Land Interests Program within the Department of Lands, Executive Director of Policy and Legislation within the Department of Justice and Attorney-General and Executive Director of Crown Law.
He joined McCullough Roberston in 1996 and has continued to further his professional development, most recently at Harvard Law School.
Mr McGann is a mining and resources expert and in 2015 he was named as a preeminent lawyer in the area of Native Title in the Doyle's Guide.
Key projects he has worked on include acting for Chalco in relation to the Aurukun Bauxite Project. He negotiated an Indigenous Land Use Agreement for the project between Aluminium Corporation of China Limited and the Wik and Wi Way Peoples of remote Western Cape York which included a sustainable development plan.
Under Mr McGann's leadership McCullough Robertson has a strong ethos around corporate social responsibility and provides pro bono legal support 100-plus not-for-profit groups and individuals.
He is particularly passionate about Indigenous legal education. McCullough Robertson supports Indigenous students from remote communities to attend boarding schools between Grades 8 and 12. The firm has arrangements with QUT and the University of Queensland to provide support while Indigenous students are at Law School and has an active program to enable Indigenous law graduates to work within the firm.
Mr McGann is a Member of Queensland Law Society and Law Council of Australia, a Queensland Male Champion of Change; Director of both Flagship Investments Limited and Australian National Development Index Limited. He lectures at QUT and other Queensland-based universities and is a strong advocate for gender diversity and the impact of mental health in the legal profession.
Media contact:
Amanda Weaver, QUT Media, 07 3138 9449, amanda.weaver@qut.edu.au
After hours: Rose Trapnell, 0407 585 901, media@qut.edu.au
