About

Qualifications

BA LLB University of Sydney
LLM (Hons) - by thesis - University of Sydney
DipEd Sydney College of Advanced Education

Experience as a Barrister

John is a barrister who came to the Bar in 1996 and has chambers at 153 Phillip, Barristers. John was also admitted as a Barrister in Queensland in 1998 and as a Barrister and Solicitor in Western Australia in 1999.

He is a co-founder of 153 Phillip, Barristers together with Peter Gray SC and has been a director of Chambers since its inception in 2017.

In the period 1997 to 2017 John practiced as a barrister from Blackstone Chambers.

John specialises in commercial law – principally in disputes involving corporations and associations (including partnerships, incorporated and unincorporated associations and co-operatives), contract law, insurance law (directors and officers insurance, professional indemnity insurance, special risks and other forms of general insurance and life insurance as well as re-insurance), insolvency, franchising law, finance/banking law, trade practices and equity/trusts.

John was admitted as a Solicitor in New South Wales in 1982.

Lecturer and Legal Educator

John has over 35 years' experience as a lecturer and educator in the higher education sector specialising in the fields of contract law, corporate law, insolvency, commercial law and law of associations. He was also a foundation member of the University of Western Sydney' Faculty of Law and, a Senior Lecturer, Director of Postgraduate Studies and Director of Research within that Faculty. John has been lecturing and co-ordinating subjects within the Legal Practitioners Admission Board course in NSW since 1989 and is currently the lecturer and co-ordinator in Insolvency within that course.

Legal Author

John has authored or co-authored 45 books and other publications over several decades. In addition, John has been a co-foundation editor and contributor to several legal practitioner focussed publications. These publications have given John a significant profile as an author of legal publications used by legal practitioners and students at universities and other educational institutions.

Contribution to Law Reform

John has also contributed to law reform and has made detailed written submissions:

* to the Companies and Accounting Branch, Business Affairs Division of the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department in relation to the Corporate Law Reform Bill 1992; 
* to the Commonwealth Parliamentary Committee on Corporations and Securities with respect to the Close Corporations Act;
* in relation to an inquiry pursuant to section 57 of the Public Finance and Audit Act, 1983 (NSW) concerning the New South Wales Builders Licensing Board·    

John has also given evidence before the Joint Statutory Committee on Corporations and Securities on 9 October 1992 in relation to the Close Corporations Act.
Experience

John is a highly experienced Barrister, Advisor, Author and Legal Educator

Barrister
John has wide-ranging trial experience and has been retained in a large number of commercial disputes in the Federal Court and in the Supreme Courts of New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia. A number of the cases in which John has been involved are significant cases in the relevant practice area and were long-running.

John has also appeared in Royal Commissions.
Advisor
John has an extensive advisory practice that forms part of his relevant areas of practice. Many of the issues upon which John has been briefed to advise have included litigious disputes as well as disputes that have not been the subject of legal proceedings. A significant proportion of John's advisory practice has involved complex areas such as corporate reconstructions, external administration of corporations, contractual construction, equity, indemnity issues under a range of contracts of insurance, insolvency, trusts and property law.
Author
John is also a widely published legal author whose books are extensively used throughout Australian universities as standard textbooks for undergraduate and postgraduate students as well for practitioners in specialised subject areas.

The focus of John's writing has primarily been in the fields of Corporations Law (including insolvency), Associations Law, Contract Law and Business/Commercial Law.
Legal Educator
John has also been continuously involved in legal education since the early 1980s including being a member of the Legal Qualifications Committee of the Legal Practitioner Admission Board and a member of the Law Advisory Committee which steered the establishment of the Law School at the University of Western Sydney, Macarthur.
Publications

John Gooley's Publications

With 42 books published over several decades for practitioners and students together with being co-foundation editor and contributor to several legal practitioner focussed publications, discover how commercial law can affect your clients.