Joseph Xuereb is an Associate at MinterEllison, one of Australia's leading construction law firms, where he contributes to complex construction and infrastructure matters across both contentious and non-contentious workstreams. Joseph commenced at MinterEllison in November 2018, and has remained with the firm ever since, save for a period of leave of absence from April 2021 to October 2022 to serve as an Associate to Justice Stynes, the Judge in charge of the Technology, Engineering and Construction List in the Supreme Court of Victoria. Since returning to MinterEllison, Joseph has continued to develop his practice in a hybrid role spanning both project delivery and dispute resolution, advising across the full lifecycle of construction and infrastructure matters.

In addition to his legal practice, Joseph also serves as a Teaching Associate to Professor Paula Gerber (Director of Construction Law Studies) at Monash University, a role he has held since 2018. In this capacity, he has delivered lectures and assisted with marking across both undergraduate and postgraduate construction law subjects, contributing to the education of hundreds of construction law students. Joseph has also been employed as a Research Assistant to Professor Gerber, a collaboration which has led to the co-authoring of peer-reviewed articles in leading international construction law journals.

In terms of academic pursuits, Joseph is a graduate of the Master of Laws program (with a focus on construction law subjects) at the University of Melbourne. Joseph has also just commenced a PhD at Monash University under the supervision of Professor Paula Gerber. His doctoral research focuses on the intersection of construction law and technology.

His commitment to the legal profession extends beyond the courtroom and classroom through his leadership role as Chair of Society of Construction Law Australia's Young Constructors' Committee. In this capacity, he advocates for the professional growth of emerging practitioners and promotes dialogue on key issues affecting the construction law sector.

Douglas is a barrister at Francis Burt Chambers, having previously practised in the construction and disputes teams of global law firms. His practice is primarily focused on disputes arising from construction and engineering projects. He has demonstrated excellence in the provision of services to clients involved in a range of construction matters throughout his career, including acting for contractors and principals in several large litigation and arbitration proceedings (with claims in excess of $300 million), injunction proceedings, security of payment matters in several jurisdictions, insurance coverage advice, and claims involving professional liability. Doug’s referees describe his work as exemplary. They also emphasise his enthusiasm, technical knowledge, creative thinking, and strong moral and ethical compass.

He is an active member of the Society of Construction Law of Australia’s (SoCLA’s) events committee and contributes to the field of construction law through speaking engagements, authoring papers, training programs and by volunteering as a mentor for junior practitioners. Doug is also particularly proud of the pro-bono work he has done for the RSPCA, where he has appeared on behalf of the Society in successfully prosecuting several cases involving animal cruelty.

Rachel is a Senior Associate at Squire Patton Boggs where she provides non-contentious and contentious advice on construction, energy, natural resources and infrastructure projects.  Rachel demonstrated excellence in the provision of construction law services to clients involved in the battery minerals and infrastructure sectors and has worked on a difficult and challenging assignment with an intergovernmental organisation focused on global collaboration in radio astronomy.  

Rachel has continued to develop her expertise through completion of external training and courses, multiple speaking engagements and expanding her professional networks through events including NAWIC’s Annual Awards for Excellence, where she is an active committee member. She has spoken at numerous seminars on security of payment legislation, NEC4 and collaborative contracting, co-authored papers and shown clear leadership and mentoring skills and strong ethical behaviours. Her referees describe her as a person of integrity with a strong sense of fairness and being fearless in speaking up and taking action where necessary.

Katie Mead's practice focuses on dispute resolution involving major resources, projects, and construction. She has significant experience acting for principals, contractors, and subcontractors in preparation for arbitration and litigation proceedings. Katie also provides strategic advice to a range of domestic and international clients in the energy, resources, and infrastructure sectors.

Katie has recently worked for clients on a wide range of high-value onshore and offshore construction projects. She has particular experience running complex international and domestic commercial arbitrations and has also represented clients in Supreme Court and Federal Court litigation proceedings. Katie is on the Committee of Women in Oil and Gas in Western Australia, is a representative on multiple subcommittees within the Society of Construction Law Australia (SoCLA), and is on the Health and Wellbeing Committee for the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC).