Profile
With over 25 years providing strategic commercial legal advice within the resources, energy and infrastructure sectors, Katie advises on project planning, development, operations, closure and rehabilitation and negotiates the associated commercial and stakeholder documents. She assists clients to obtain and maintain project tenure and regulatory approvals, including working with State Agreements. Katie also assists with complex transactions to buy and sell resources, energy and infrastructure assets, negotiating and drafting transaction documents and undertaking target due diligence.
Throughout her career, Katie has worked with environmental and water laws and policy, across Australia and in Canada. She advises on environmental impact assessment processes and licensing, native vegetation conservation, management of emissions, and water allocation, access and use. Katie also assists clients to manage environmental compliance and has led internal investigations in relation to pollution events and assisted clients to manage contaminated sites, including where responsibility for contamination is contested.
Katie’s solution-based approach is derived from her diverse experience working with complex issues, across different jurisdictions, in multidisciplinary teams. Prior to joining Piper Alderman, Katie was founding principal of a boutique firm focussed on strategic land and environmental legal matters in Western Australia. Katie was previously a partner at a global law firm, working on projects across Australia. For over 5 years, she worked in-house on local, national and global issues for BHP, supporting its nickel business. She also assisted the Alberta Environmental Appeals Board and the City of Calgary as a legal consultant in Calgary, Canada.
Expertise
Recognition
Accolades
- Best Lawyers in Australia – Planning and Environmental Law “Lawyer of the Year” (Perth, AU) – 2020 edition
- Best Lawyers in Australia – Water Law “Lawyer of the Year” (Perth, AU) – 2022 edition
- Best Lawyers in Australia – Recognised for Planning and Environmental Law (Perth, AU) – Since 2013 edition
- Best Lawyers in Australia – Recognised for Water Law (Perth, AU) – Since 2017 edition
- Best Lawyers in Australia – Recognised for Natural Resources Law (Perth, AU) – Since 2017 edition
- Best Lawyers in Australia – Recognised for Mining Law (Perth, AU) – Since 2021 edition
- Doyle’s Guide – Leading Planning and Environmental Lawyers – Western Australia, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2020 and 2024 editions
Recent deals and media coverage
- Piper Alderman partner: Never forget those who helped you at the start – Australasian Lawyer, 31 January 2024
- Piper Alderman appoints Lantegy Legal founder as partner – Australasian Lawyer, 9 December 2023
- Piper Alderman hires another partner for Perth office – Lawyers Weekly, 23 November 2023