Contact Details

Email: john.baartz@qldbar.asn.au
P: (07) 3211 5190
M: 0414 593 254

Areas of Practice

> Alternative Dispute Resolution (including mediation and expert referrals)
> Appellate
> Arbitration
> Bankruptcy & Insolvency
> Building & Construction
> Civil Litigation
> Employment & Industrial
> Energy & Resources
> Infrastructure & Projects
> Inquiries & Coronial Inquests
> Insurance
> Lease Disputes
> Maritime
> Planning & Environment
> Professional Negligence
> Property
> Trade Practices & Competition

Education

2007
LLM, University of Melbourne

1987
LLB (Hons), University of Queensland

Memberships

Bar Association of Queensland

Appointments

2017 - Bar Association of Queensland, Committee Member, Building &
Construction
2014 - 2015 - Member of Bar Association of Queensland Commercial Bar Committee 2007 - current - Lecturer and Senior Fellow, Melbourne Law Masters Construction Law Programme, University of Melbourne
1991 - Solicitor High Court of Judicature

Career

2010 - Barrister, Queensland
1998 - Partner, Allen Allen & Hemsley (now Allens Linklaters)
1990 - Solicitor of High Court of Judicature (England and Wales)
1989 - Solicitor of Supreme Court of Queensland

John Baartz

Widely recognised as a leading junior in construction and infrastructure law.

John practises predominantly in the construction and infrastructure field but also regularly appears in a broad range of commercial and professional negligence disputes. He is currently engaged in some of the largest and most complex disputes in the Queensland Supreme Court, including the LNG gas infrastructure dispute between Santos Limited and Fluor Australia Pty Ltd and the dispute over alleged design and construction defects in the second Gateway Bridge and surrounding arterial road network in Brisbane.

John is also acting in a number of allegedly flammable cladding cases on major CBD buildings and infrastructure.

John is consistently recognised as one of Australia’s leading juniors in all major legal directories, including Chambers & Partners Asia Pacific, Legal 500 Asia Pacific, Australian Financial Review’s Best Lawyers and Doyle’s Guide.

John was called to the Bar in 2010. Prior to this he was a partner of a national, now international, law firm.

John also lectures at the University of Melbourne in the Construction Law Masters Program and is an Honorary (Senior Fellow) in law at the University of Melbourne.

Recommendations

Chambers & Partners Asia Pacific
Ranked junior barrister (Band 1) for Construction & Infrastructure in every year from 2016 to 2024. His banding has been accompanied by the following comments:

“if he’s on a matter, it’s worth being on it.”
“comes with a wealth of experience and is very considered…good at identifying strategic courses of action, especially when there are a lot of issues to deal with”.
“top junior for construction and infrastructure matters”.
“bright, personable lawyer with a strong construction skill set and good client relationship skills” and “he is very hard-working, is good on analysing issues, and thinks very tactically and strategically”.
“knowledgeable and pragmatic”.
“excellent reputation in construction work”, “extremely commercial and very strategic”.

The Legal 500 Asia Pacific
Ranked in the top band of the Legal 500 Asia Pacific from 2021 to 2024.

“Mr Baartz has over 20 years’ experience handling complex building and construction and insurance litigation in Australia and the United Kingdom and as such, the team continues to engage him”.

Australian Financial Review’s Best Lawyers

2025 - Recommended for Commercial Law and Construction / Infrastructure Law
2024 - Recommended for Commercial Law and Construction / Infrastructure Law
2023 - Recommended for Commercial Law and Construction / Infrastructure Law
2022 - Recommended for Commercial Law and Construction / Infrastructure Law
2019 - Recommended for Commercial Law and Construction / Infrastructure Law
2018 - Recommended for Commercial Law and Construction / Infrastructure Law
2017 - Recommended for Construction / Infrastructure Law
2016 - Recommended for Construction / Infrastructure Law

Doyle’s Guide to the Australian Legal Profession

Queensland:

Pre-eminent Construction & Infrastructure Junior Counsel - Queensland, 2021, 2022, 2023 & 2024
Leading Construction & Infrastructure Junior Counsel - Queensland, 2015, 2016, 2017 & 2018
Leading Commercial Litigation & Disputes Barristers Junior Counsel - Queensland, 2015 & 2016

Australia:

Leading Construction & Infrastructure Junior Counsel - Australia, 2020, 2021 & 2022
Recommended Construction & Infrastructure Junior Counsel - Australia, 2017, 2018 & 2019

Summary of Notable Cases

Santos Limited v Fluor Australia Pty Ltd [2024] Supreme Court of Queensland
Referral out of $1.5 billion LNG gas production plant dispute

Niclin Constructions Pty Ltd v Yatala Formwork Pty Ltd [2023] QSC 285
December 2023, Civil Proceeding, Resisting an application for determination of preliminary question

Q M Properties Pty Ltd v Belscorp Pty Ltd [2019] QCA 138
Property, Misleading and deceptive conduct, Valuation

Bryant v Competitive Foods Australia Pty Ltd & Ors [2018] QDC 258
Duty of care, Liability of architect, psychiatric injury

QM Properties Pty Ltd v Belscorp Pty Ltd [2018] QSC 158
Property, Misleading and deceptive conduct, Valuation

Asia Pacific Joint Mining Pty Ltd v Allways Resources Holdings Pty Ltd [2018] QCA 48
March 2018, Corporate Insolvency & Bankruptcy, Corporations, Resources & Energy

McQueen v Mount Isa Mines Ltd; CMA Assets Pty Ltd v Mount Isa Mines Ltd [2017] QCA 259
November 2017, Appellate, Building & Construction, Contract

Santos Ltd v Fluor Australia Pty Ltd [2017] QSC 153
July 2017, Building & Construction, Resources & Energy

Allways Resources Holdings Pty Ltd v Samgris Resources Pty Ltd [2017] QSC 112
May 2017, Corporate Insolvency & Bankruptcy, Corporations

Civil Mining & Construction Pty Ltd v Wiggins Island Coal Export Terminal Pty Ltd [2017] QSC 85
May 2017, Building & Construction, Contract, Resources & Energy

Allways Resources Holdings Pty Ltd v Samgris Resources Pty Ltd [2017] QSC 74
May 2017, Corporate Insolvency & Bankruptcy, Corporations

Mt Isa Mines Ltd v CMA Assets Pty Ltd [2016] QSC 260
November 2016, Contract, Resources & Energy

Duncan v AAI Ltd, in the matter of Quinnco Pty Ltd [2016] FCA 1035
August 2016, Insurance, Land Law & Property

ACCC v RL Adams Pty Ltd [2015] FCA 1016
September 2015, Competition & Consumer

Mulligan v Virgin Australia Airlines Pty Ltd [2015] FCAFC 130
September 2015, Appellate, Judicial Review & Administrative

Sunshine Coast Regional Council v Earthpro Pty Ltd [2015] QSC 168
June 2015, Building & Construction, Judicial Review & Administrative

Publications

Referring questions to Referees under the UCPR 1999 Qld
Presented by the Honourable Justice David Jackson, Mark Ambrose KC, John Baartz and Mei Barnes
October 2022

Building Industry Fairness (Security of Payment) Act 2017
March 2018, Building & Construction

Pure economic loss: the building context
August 2017, Building & Construction, Corporate Insolvency & Bankruptcy, Corporations

Where’s my money? Can I access or recover my security or not?
March 2016, Building & Construction