Luke is a Partner in the Mills Oakley NFPs, Human Rights & Social Impact team in Brisbane and has extensive experience in the Not-For-Profit sector. Luke was a Partner at Mills Oakley in Sydney until late 2009, when he left the firm to found Salvos Legal and Salvos Legal Humanitarian. At Salvos Legal Luke headed up the Corporate & Commercial litigation practice, together with being the firm’s Managing Partner. Luke returned to Mills Oakley as a Partner in November 2017. Whilst now based in Mills Oakley’s Brisbane office, Luke’s practice involves cases predominantly in NSW, QLD & VIC Courts and as such, Luke travels to and has professional staff in our offices in all 3 States.
Luke has a particular expertise assisting institutions in responding to claims of child sexual abuse under a restorative justice framework and in accordance with best practice principles identified by the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Luke also has expertise in assisting institutions in the disability sector in ensuring their operations are in line with the developing findings of the Royal Commission into Violence, Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of People with Disability, for the safety and promotion of inclusion for people with disability.
Luke regularly acts for federal and state government agencies, ASX200 listed companies, impact financiers, non-profits and religious institutions nationally. Luke also regularly advises Australia’s largest social sector organisations on safeguarding and investigations matters, to ensure good risk management and compliance within those entities and the stakeholders they support.
The large majority of Luke’s Chambers and Partners recognised practice involves litigated claims, both defending and prosecuting, concerning intentional torts giving rise to complex physical and psychiatric injuries.
Luke was named one of Australia’s Best Lawyers for Non-Profit/Charities Law in the 2023/2024 Best Lawyers list for the eighth consecutive year, including in both 2020 and 2023 being named as Australia’s Non-Profit/Charities ‘Lawyer of the Year’. In 2017, Luke was admitted to the Order of Distinguished Auxiliary Service. Additionally, Luke was recognised as one of the 10 Most Innovative Lawyers in the Financial Times Asia-Pacific Innovative Lawyers 2016 awards. He was included in Pro Bono Australia’s ‘Impact 25’ most influential people in the Australian social sector in 2015. In 2013, Luke was awarded Managing Partner of the Year in the Australian Law Awards, he was Australia’s Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year in 2012 and in 2010 he received an Anzac of the Year award for service to the legal profession and the community.