Rob is one of the State's first Accredited Specialists in Local Government and Planning Law. He is also a member of the Specialist Accreditation Committee (Local Government and Planning Law) of the Law Society of New South Wales, charged with the task of setting and marking exams for persons seeking specialist accreditation from the Law Society.
He has been a solicitor for in excess of 30 years and has been engages in many leading cases in the Court of Appeal and the Land and Environment Court.
In 1984, Rob was appointed an Arbitrator under the Arbitrator's Civil Claims Act. He retired from this position a few years ago.
He is a past President of the Hunter Valley Law Society, a past board member of the Faculty of Law of Newcastle Law School and a member of the Law Society's Presidents Panel of Arbitrators.
Rob is a Supreme Court Cost Assessor appointed by the Chief Justice of New South Wales in 1995 and has conducted in excess of 1,000 cost assessments on behalf of the Supreme Court. He is recognised as an expert in costs in the Land and Environment Court in particular.
He is a Commercial Mediator accredited by the Australian Commercial Dispute Centre and until recently was on the Local Court panel of mediators appointed by the Chief Magistrate of New South Wales and has extensive mediation experience.
He has acted for Cessnock City Council since 1977 and also acts for Great Lakes Council and has recently been appointed to Coffs Harbour Council. He is called upon from time to time to give advice in a specialist capacity to Tamworth Regional Council. The firm #160;currently acts for for numerous private clients in development and local government matters. He has also acted for Glen Innes Severn Council as an independent investigator under the Council's Code of Conduct.
Rob has undertaken the Best Practice Course conducted by the United Kingdom Law Society and has presented a number of seminars and papers.
Rob has been involved in the following recent landmark cases:
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Tynan v Meharg [1999] NSWCA 27 (24 February 1999)
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Tynan and Ors v Meharg and Newcastle City Council Matter No CA 40119/98 [1998] NSWSC 592 (30 September 1998)
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Cessnock City Council v Courtney [2004] NSWLEC 486 (17 August 2004)
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Cessnock City Council v Courtney (No. 2) [2004] NSWLEC 487 (19 August 2004)
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Cessnock City Council V Ireland [1999] NSWLEC 253 (12 November 1999)
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Synergy Environmental Planning v Cessnock City Council [2004] NSWLEC 502 (18 August 2004)
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Cessnock City Council v Courtney (No. 3) [2004] NSWLEC 488 (20 August 2004)
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Cessnock City Council v Courtney (No. 4) [2004] NSWLEC 489 (24 August 2004)
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Cessnock City Council v Courtney (No. 5) [2004] NSWLEC 497 (31 August 2004)
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Cessnock City Council v Courtney (No. 6) [2004] NSWLEC 622 revised - 15/11/2004
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Pepperwood Ridge Pty Ltd v Newcastle City Council [2007] NSWLEC 19 (19 January 2007)
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Biwazu Pty Limited v Cessnock City Council [2004] NSWLEC 411 (27 August 2004)
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Hunter Development Brokerage Pty Ltd v Cessnock City Council; Tovedale Pty Ltd v Shoalhaven City Council [2005] NSWCA 169 (23 May 2005)
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Pepperwood Ridge Pty Ltd v Newcastle City Council [2006] NSWCA 122 (14 June 2006)
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Ireland v. Cessnock City Council [1999] NSWLEC 153 (30 June 1999)
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Ireland V Cessnock City Council [1999] NSWLEC 250 (12 November 1999)
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Phillip Meharg v. Newcastle City Council [1998] NSWLEC 14 (13 February 1998)
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Palmisano v. Hawse 2 ORS [2003] NSWSC 566 (26 June 2003)
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Alfredo Giusti v Kathleen Grant [1998] NSWLEC 68 (24 April 1998)
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Amanda Broberg v. Cessnock City Council No. 40195 of 1994 [1996] NSWLEC 40 (26 February 1996)
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Michael Norvill v Kevin Stokes [2006] NSWLEC 622 (18 October 2006)
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The Black Hill Environment Protection Group and others v. The Council of the City of Cessnock [1994] NSWLEC 184 (23 November 1994)
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Palmisano v Cessnock City Council [2002] NSWLEC 81 (15 March 2002)
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Great Lakes Council v Big Island Forster Pty Limited & Ors [2007] NSWLEC 270
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Pepperwood Ridge Pty Ltd v Newcastle City Council [2007] NSWLEC 19
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