Who does this firm help?
Anderson Legal helps businesses and individuals across Australia.
Andrew Anderson has likely helped people just like you, and probably others who are nothing like you. He has a history of representing people seen as privileged and connected and also those who are marginalised or maligned. Most often, however, he assists people who fall somewhere in the middle. People who simply want help to solve a problem so they can ‘carry on with business’ or ‘get on with life’.
In being called to represent businesses of different sizes and individuals from all walks of life, Andrew Anderson has a proven record that shows he is prepared to take on challenging issues. He has represented survivors of abuse, victims of crime, and people who have faced discrimination, bullying, and harassment. Sometimes, he is called to represent people unfairly accused of wrongdoing, wrongly accused of a crime, or wrongly convicted of a serious offence.
What links all the businesses and individuals Andrew Anderson has represented over time is the desire to see their interests safeguarded and rights protected. Every business, person, and situation is different. In operating a boutique legal practice, Andrew Anderson provides premium legal services that are tailored to the unique needs of every client.
What does this firm do?
This firm safeguards what matters most and acts purposefully in times of crisis.
Anderson Legal focuses on the following areas of law:
- Employment & Industrial
- Data & Privacy
- Work Health & Safety
Within each of these areas, this firm does three things:
1. Safeguarding businesses
Most businesses know how fundamental regulatory compliance is to their day-to-day operations yet struggle to stay on top of what the law requires. Anderson Legal simplifies compliance activity for businesses by:
- simplifying workplace relations and compliance
- helping to navigate data and privacy regulation
- advising on work health and safety issues
2. Resolving legal conflict
Successfully resolving legal conflicts requires more than an understanding of your rights and responsibilities. It requires an appreciation of the potential risks and benefits of different choices, as well as the ability to persuade others to reach a resolution. This law firm can help by resolving:
- workplace disputes for employers and employees
- data and privacy breach issues for businesses
- work health and safety issues for businesses
3. Contesting legal disputes
Contested legal issues can place a lot of pressure on businesses and individuals. This firm should be your first choice for advice and representation when faced with a contested legal issue. Anderson Legal assists by helping:
- individuals faced with unfair allegations at work
- people impacted by data and privacy breaches
- businesses facing investigations by regulators
When will the work get done?
This law firm operates differently to most, and it benefits clients.
Most law firms and lawyers operate in the same way. For almost every law firm, lawyers are their greatest expense. So it makes intuitive sense to keep them as busy as possible to increase the value they can add. To keep the flow of work going, it is necessary to have lots of work built up in the background. It makes little sense to say ‘no’ to new work, no matter how busy they are or how it will delay new or existing clients. As a client, you need to be happy that your case will sit on the shelf until the lawyer can get to it. While ‘scarcity’ of time makes a lawyer valuable, and seem valuable, it is a model that can cause their clients a lot of stress over delays.
This model of legal practice may not suit someone with an urgent problem that needs to be solved without delay.
Andrew Anderson structures his legal practice to solve urgent problems. He maintains availability for urgent cases in between his more routine and flexible advisory work. Structuring work in this way has one obvious benefit and one hidden benefit. The obvious benefit is that clients of this firm get the work they need to be done in the time it needs to be done. The hidden benefit is that by setting out to solve urgent problems, it is possible to solve such problems more of the time.
Where does this firm work?
With an office based in Brisbane, Anderson Legal operates nationally.
Technology has changed the delivery of professional services. The law is no exception.
For many types of legal issues, gone are the days a client needs to attend the office of their lawyer. Some people or cases may still require it. Or, an individual may have a preference for meeting in person. However, using technology appropriately and working innovatively can save time and money. Technology allows this firm to operate nationally, and more efficiently.
Using technology to deliver legal services increases access to affordable responsive legal services.
Andrew Anderson has successfully assisted clients across Australia. In addition to assisting clients remotely, he has also travelled to many parts of the country, including as far south as Tasmania and as far west as Western Australia.
There are, of course, occasions when the tyranny of distance cannot be overcome by technology, and travel may be impractical. Sometimes, there are clear advantages for a business or individual to have their legal problem solved by a lawyer who can easily meet them in person. This firm is transparent about cases that fall into that category.
Andrew Anderson seeks to be upfront with people about whether this firm will be best placed to help them. Where possible, he refers people he cannot assist to a reputable lawyer that is local to them or better suited to assist.
Why choose this firm?
The Courier Mail has described Andrew Anderson as“one of the best legal minds”.
Nelson Mandela wrote in his book Long Walk to Freedom, “A Nation should not be judged by how it treats its highest citizens, but it’s lowest ones”. It may be a sound test for lawyers, also.
Andrew Anderson applies the same professionalism and diligence to every case. It does not matter if it involves someone who is privileged or well-resourced, or the person is or feels marginalised or maligned. His professional dedication to every case he handles provides some insight into why he has been described as “one of the best legal minds” by the Courier Mail.
Two publicly reported cases serve to illustrate his dedication to securing just outcomes for his clients, no matter their status or situation. One case involved the wrongful conviction of a man suffering from cognitive and mental health issues. The other involved overturning a wrongful murder conviction.
In 2014, Andrew Anderson was asked to act on a pro bono basis in an appeal for a man already convicted and imprisoned. There were concerns this man had cognitive and mental health issues, which may have meant he had been unfit for trial. Working with the Adult Guardian, Andrew Anderson organised a leading barrister to argue the appeal, and sourced reports from a consultant forensic psychiatrist and a clinical neuro-psychologist. The appeal against conviction on the ground the appellant was unfit to stand trial was successful. The President of the Queensland Court of Appeal said:
I note that the appellant’s legal representatives in this matter acted pro bono as did the Adult Guardian and Drs Aboud and Keane. It is heartening to see this cross-disciplinary collaboration in the interests of the rights and welfare of a man whose mental capacities have been severely diminished. I thank all involved in this difficult case for their professionalism and generosity.
R v Dunn [2014] QCA 254 at [71]
Steven Fennell engaged Andrew Anderson to represent him in his high-profile appeal to the High Court of Australia. It ultimately saw his wrongful conviction for murder overturned (Fennell v The Queen [2019] HCA 37).
Andrew Anderson’s part in overturning a wrongful conviction for murder started with a letter from Steven Fennell. Having secured funding for a special leave application to the High Court, he wanted the best legal team he could secure. So, Steven Fennell turned to Andrew Anderson. By the time the case arrived on his desk, Steven Fennell had already spent many years in prison. He had been convicted by a jury and his appeal had been dismissed by the Queensland Court of Appeal. The odds of overturning his conviction at that point were against him. Realistically, the High Court was the final opportunity to overturn his conviction.
To challenge the conviction before the High Court, Andrew Anderson worked with two barristers, Saul Holt QC and Kate Gover. They secured special leave to appeal on the ground his conviction was unreasonable and not supported by the evidence.
The full appeal was heard on 11 September 2019 and that day the High Court gave the following orders:
(1) Appeal allowed.
(2) Set aside the order made by the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of Queensland on 21 July 2017 and in its place order that:
(a) the appeal be allowed;
(b) the appellant’s conviction for murder be quashed; and
(c) a verdict of acquittal be entered.
That evening, Steven Fennell was released from prison into the arms of his family – a free man. The reasons of the High Court show the multiple flaws in his conviction:
The Court of Appeal (Gotterson JA, with whom Philippides JA and Byrne SJA agreed) properly engaged in a consideration of the case as a whole when assessing Mr Fennell’s submission that the jury verdict was unreasonable or cannot be supported having regard to the evidence. However, and with genuine respect for an experienced judge, the reasoning of Gotterson JA involved errors in four areas which infected his conclusion. It is likely that a different process of reasoning in relation to any one of these areas would have led to a different conclusion.
Fennell v The Queen [2019] HCA 37 at [83]
Many legal issues are, or have the capacity to be, significant life events. Knowing you can have trust and confidence in the lawyer representing you is essential.
On a daily basis, Andrew Anderson guides his clients through difficult, complex, and serious problems. If you wish to choose this firm to help you solve a legal problem, please feel free to get in contact.