Released on 16th April 2026, The Best Lawyers in Australia recognises the Best Lawyers through a peer reviews, categorised by city and practice area. The directory reflects the consensus opinion of leading lawyers on the professional abilities of their colleagues within the same region and legal specialty. Each honoree is re-evaluated annually through this peer review methodology.
In the 19th Edition of The Best Lawyers in Australia, twenty-five barristers from Level Twenty Seven Chambers have been recognised across twenty-one practice areas. Additionally, three of these ranked barristers have received the title of “Lawyer of the Year”, awarded to practitioners with the highest overall feedback in a specific practice area and geographic region.
The complete list of individuals ranked in the 2027 Edition is detailed below.
Lawyer of the Year:
- Roger Traves KC – Planning & Environmental Law
- Rob Anderson KC – Defamation & Media Law
- Sam McCarthy – Professional Malpractice Litigation
The Best Lawyers in Australia:
- Roger Traves KC – Alternative Dispute Resolution, Commercial Law, Insurance Law and Planning & Environmental Law
- Damian Clothier KC – Alternative Dispute Resolution, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Law, Insolvency & Reorganization Law, Litigation and Oil & Gas Law
- Mark Robertson KC – Tax Law and Trusts & Estates
- Paul McQuade KC – Alternative Dispute Resolution, Insolvency & Reorganization Law and Litigation
- Rob Anderson KC – Alternative Dispute Resolution, Commercial Law, Defamation & Media Law and Litigation
- Michael Hodge KC – Competition, Public & Regulatory Law, Litigation and Trade & Finance Law
- David Chesterman KC – Commercial Law and Insolvency & Reorganization Law
- Matthew Jones KC – Alternative Dispute Resolution, Commercial Law, Insolvency & Reorganization Law and Litigation
- Matthew Hickey OAM KC – Commercial Law, Construction/Infrastructure Law, Insolvency & Reorganization Law, Litigation, Professional Malpractice Litigation and Public Law
- Stewart Webster KC – Alternative Dispute Resolution, Insolvency & Reorganization Law and Litigation
- Michael Trim KC – Alternative Dispute Resolution, Construction/Infrastructure Law, International Arbitration and Litigation
- Andrew O’Brien KC – Defamation and Media Law
- David Russell AM RFD KC – Tax Law
- Shane Monks – Class Action Litigation and International Arbitration
- Michael May – Commercial Law, Competition Law, Litigation and Tax Law
- Florence Chen – Tax Law
- James Green – Construction/Infrastructure Law
- Kristi Riedel – Insurance Law, Legal Malpractice Litigation, Medical Negligence and Personal Injury Litigation
- Claire Schneider – Commercial Law, Competition Law and Construction/Infrastructure Law
- Matthew Wilkinson – Defamation & Media Law, Insolvency and Reorganization Law and Public Law
- Mark Eade – Insolvency & Reorganization Law
- Samuel McCarthy – Commercial Law, Construction/Infrastructure Law and Professional Malpractice Litigation
- Rachel De Luchi – Defamation & Media Law
- John Ware – Planning & Environmental Law
- Bianca Kabel – Construction/Infrastructure Law and Litigation
The press release from The Best Lawyers Australia, with further details about the 2027 19th Edition and research process is available here.
