Directors

Brendan Bateman
Partner and co-head of Climate Change and Sustainability Group, Clayton Utz

 

Co-Chair

Brendan is an internationally recognized environmental planning and administrative law expert. In addition to undertaking contaminated land and property related litigation, Brenda advises government and corporate clients on climate change risks and the implications of emerging government policy and legislation for a carbon constrained economy.

Brendan is an Environment, Planning and Major Projects Partner with Clayton Utz and co-head of the firm’s national Climate Change and Sustainability Group.

Brendan holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Sydney and a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice from the University of Technology Sydney

Kelvin O’Connor
Principal, Adjutus Consulting

Co-Chair

Kelvin is the Principal of Adjutus consulting a business with a focus on improving the sustainability of the legal sector.

Kelvin's core discipline is in information technology and he worked in this field with law firms for over 20 years. Kelvin previously provided strategic operational support to Henry Davis York and was responsible for the firm's Information Technology Group, along with the management of its operational areas including the building premises, office services group, legal resources and catering groups.

Kelvin spearheaded Henry Davis York's sustainability program. In 2008 he produced the firm's first Sustainability Report which was also the first report of its kind for an Australian law firm and one of only a handful worldwide. Kelvin's focus on sustainability also included responsibility for the firm's pro bono and community investments program.

Kelvin has completed a post graduate certificate in sustainable development at the University of Cambridge as part of the university's Sustainability Leadership program and holds a Master of Business and Technology from the University of New South Wales.

Mark Hornsby
Director, DLA Piper

Mark is DLA Piper's Director of Business Infrastructure for the Asia Pacific region with responsibility for the property portfolio across the region, as well as its operational support areas including Facilities, Information Technology and Knowledge Management.

Mark is a qualified Chartered Accountant having spent 11 years at one of the major international accounting firms before joining the legal partnership of Phillips Fox in Adelaide as the Chief Operating Office in 1995. Since the financial integration of the Australian and New Zealand Phillips Fox partnerships in 1999, Mark has held a variety of senior management roles through to the financial merger with DLA Piper in 2001 and his current position.

Stuart Napthali

Partner, Maddocks

Stuart is a Partner at Maddocks' and leads the firm's CSR team. He has advised on a broad range of complex corporate transactions including private and public Mergers and Acquisitions (advising both bidders and targets), schemes of arrangement, strategic advice regarding corporate structure, equity capital markets work (including initial public offerings and public equity fundraising) and advising on general corporate and regulatory issues.

Stuart has advised on a number of private equity transactions, including advising private equity firms on strategic acquisitions and assisting portfolio companies in structuring for exits.

Stuart has experience across a broad range of industries (ranging from resources, industrials and financial services to food and beverage and IT) with a diverse range of clients (from large multinationals like Google Inc. to small domestic companies).

Jacqueline Plant

Partner, Norton Rose Fulbright Australia

Jacqueline is an environment and planning partner in the Melbourne office of international legal practice, Norton Rose Fulbright with more than 15 years of legal experience practising in Victoria and South Australia. Jacqueline has a focus on the energy transition and advising clients on the development, operation and decommissioning of major renewable energy and infrastructure projects, including in the growing areas of energy from waste and offshore wind.

She also has particular expertise relating to contaminated land and remediation including strategic redevelopment of complex contaminated sites, circular economy, pollution and incident response, biodiversity, undertaking environmental impact assessment and management of social licence considerations. Jacqueline primarily works with domestic and international clients who are project developers, project financiers and government agencies.

She brings expertise advising clients on operationalising ESG considerations, particularly in the area sustainability. Jacqueline has contributed to Norton Rose Fulbright’s environmental sustainability programs over a number of years including leading the firm’s first carbon emissions audit.

Outside of work, Jacqueline loves to spend time in the outdoors exploring and exercising with family and can often be found in the nearest botanical garden, having a hit of tennis or pickleball, going for a swim or playing golf. She loves entertaining and hosting dinner parties and can often be found on weekends cooking a feast to share with friends.