News & Insights

Macpherson Kelley has expanded its service offerings following the appointment of new Planning and Environment expert, Principal Lawyer Emma Fleming who joins the firm alongside Special Counsel Alyce Johnson and Lawyer Christina Zhang.

The team joins Macpherson Kelley’s Sydney office, bolstering its development and construction capabilities and enabling the firm to provide support throughout all stages of the project lifecycle.

Emma is a spe­cial­ist in all aspects of local gov­ern­ment, plan­ning & envi­ron­ment law and compulsory acquisition. Emma’s clients include many property developers, licensed premises, community groups and private clients. She has been involved in sig­nif­i­cant envi­ron­ment and plan­ning lit­i­ga­tion cas­es includ­ing envi­ron­men­tal pros­e­cu­tions, plan­ning appeals and project challenges relat­ing to con­tro­ver­sial devel­op­ments in retail, com­mer­cial and res­i­den­tial projects.

Emma has been recognised in New South Wales as a Recommended Planning and Development Lawyer in Doyle’s Guide for the past 5 years for her excellent work in the Planning and Environment space.

Alyce Johnson has also been promoted as Special Counsel in recognition of her success acting for several Local Councils, developers and private clients. This promotion follows Alyce’s recognition early in her career as a rising star in Doyle’s guide.

Commenting on her new appointment, Emma is “delighted” to head up the Planning and Environment team at Macpherson Kelley and noted the importance of Planning and Environment law as the property sector faces new challenges in New South Wales.

“It’s a complicated but fascinating time to be a Planning and Environment lawyer and I am excited to collaborate with Macpherson Kelley’s team to achieve positive commercial outcomes for our clients,” said Emma Fleming.

Planning and Environment is a unique and sought-after area of expertise. National Managing Principal Lawyer Grant Guenther expressed his enthusiasm on the new appointments.

“Developers and LGAs have long been important client segments to Macpherson Kelley. Planning and Environment and land use are issues frequently encountered by these clients and we are excited to add real expertise to be able to better assist on this front,” said Grant Guenther.

“Clients deserve assurance from the outset that their projects can be completed to fruition and that their firm of choice can support their plans throughout all stages,” he said.

“The expert advice of our Planning and Environment team will alleviate stress associated with the development stages of a project and should provide reassurance that our team has the expertise to advise on all project and land development issues.”