Rebecca Hoare has joined Clayton Utz as a partner, ending a 23-year run at Norton Rose Fulbright where she led the Australian environment and planning practice from the Brisbane office. The move brings a lawyer with more than 25 years of specialist experience in environmental law, climate change, and major project approvals into the firm’s ranks.
A Deep Queensland Background
Her practice has centered on energy transition, renewables, mining, and government work. The lawyer’s client list has included local and state authorities, extractive industries in mining and petroleum, sustainable power initiatives, and large-scale commercial real estate and infrastructure projects.
Her environmental law work covers contaminated land, due diligence, environmental offsets, incident response, project approvals, enforcement, and sustainability reporting. On the planning side, she advises on approvals, enforcement, and appeals in the Planning and Environment Court.
The hire comes at a busy moment for the firm.
The firm promoted 75 lawyers and professionals in July, and the addition of the lawyer signals a focus on regulatory work that shows little sign of slowing down. Queensland’s project pipeline has kept environment and planning lawyers in steady demand.
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What makes this appointment notable isn’t just the depth of experience, but the timing. State and federal governments continue to adjust environmental approval processes, and clients are looking for guidance that translates policy shifts into actionable steps. Hoare’s track record in that space gives the firm a stronger hand in Queensland, where competition for top-tier environmental work has intensified.
A Busy Start to the Financial Year
Covacevich said her arrival would strengthen the firm.
Emma Covacevich, the firm’s chief executive partner, said: “Rebecca is a leading adviser to private-sector and government clients in environment, planning and climate-related matters across Queensland.”
“Her focus on translating complex regulatory reform into practical client guidance is exactly the kind of capability our clients need as the regulatory framework continues to evolve.”
Beyond her law firm career, Hoare founded Jaramer Legal in 2018.
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Her background also includes substantial work in compulsory land acquisition, advising on statutory processes and negotiated settlements for authorities under the Acquisition of Land Act (Qld). Hoare has handled mining-related compensation claims under the Mineral Resources Act (Qld) as well.
That mix of private practice and entrepreneurial legal work gives her perspective that pure firm-trained partners sometimes lack. It also suggests she understands the business side of legal services, not just the technical delivery of advice.
The appointment rounds out a year of strategic moves.
Whether her arrival signals a broader push into Queensland government work remains to be seen, but the firm now has a partner who knows that market’s regulatory terrain from nearly every angle. Her experience spans the full lifecycle of major projects, from initial approvals through enforcement and compensation disputes.