Staff profile

Qualifications

BEc LLB (Monash)

Area of study

Law
Public Interest Law

Brief Profile

Peter Seidel is the partner responsible for co-ordinating the firm’s public interest law
contributions and is head of Arnold Bloch Leibler’s native title practice. His position
emphasises the notion of giving back to the community and acknowledges a commitment
that both he and the firm have to pro bono work. Notably, Peter represented the Yorta Yorta
Aboriginal peoples in their landmark native title claim, High Court appeal and associated
legal transactions.

In 2008, Peter was appointed an Adjunct Professor of Law at La Trobe University. In this
position, Peter advises the University’s law department on the direction of its undergraduate
and postgraduate programmes, and strengthens its connections with the legal profession.
He also supports La Trobe’s public interest law programme by advising on its development
and taking part in its teaching.

In his public interest law co-ordinating role at Arnold Bloch Leibler, Peter also receives and
acts on requests for pro-bono legal assistance through the Public Interest Law Clearing
House, having previously served on the board of PILCH from 2002 to 2007.

Peter joined Arnold Bloch Leibler as a lawyer in 1993 and became a partner in 2002.
Previously, he completed a three-year position at the Federal Court of Australia. He is
entered on the High Court Register of Practitioners and is entitled to practice as a barrister
and solicitor of both the Federal Court and Supreme Court of Victoria.

Peter was the inaugural recipient of the Pro Bono Award at the 2004 Law Institute of
Victoria’s President’s Awards. In 2006, he received the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity
Commission’s Human Rights Award in the law category in recognition of his significant
contribution to the promotion and advancement of human rights in Australia. In 2007, Peter
received the Victorian Law Foundation’s Distinguished Pro Bono Service Award for his probono
service to Indigenous peoples.

Practice focus
Peter heads the firm’s public interest law practice of the firm, which includes native title and
environmental law advice work. He also practises in commercial litigation. More particularly,
his practice focuses on the following areas:

> public interest law, advising peak, charitable and not-for-profit Indigenous and non-
Indigenous organisations promoting cultural, social justice and environmental outcomes;
> native title and associated environmental and natural resources law, concentrating on
achieving effective, practical and sustainable outcomes, respecting at all times his
clients’ goals, and the importance of obtaining their free, prior and informed consent; and
> commercial law and commercial litigation, including contractual advice, alternative
dispute resolution, consultancy and service agreements, Corporations Act and
bankruptcy issues.

Major assignments
Peter has acted and currently acts on a range of public interest and commercial law and
commercial litigation matters, including:

> Yorta Yorta Aboriginal peoples’ native title claim: acting for the Yorta Yorta in their 1994
Federal Court application, 1999 Full Court of the Federal Court appeal, 2002 High Court
Appeal and in the preparation of a communication to the United Nations Human Rights
Committee;
> Yorta Yorta peoples and Victorian Government: acting for the Yorta Yorta in the
negotiation and implementation of the 2004 Cooperative Management Agreement and in
respect of the proposed Yorta Yorta national park/joint management regime in 2010;
> The traditional owners of the Thamarrurr region: representing the peoples of Wadeye in
the Northern Territory on education, health and general community issues, including in
respect of a human rights complaint by them to the Australian Human Rights
Commission following generations of education under-funding in the region;
> Jirrawun Arts, Australian Conservation Foundation, Make-A-Wish Foundation,
Neminuwarlin Aboriginal Performance Group, Voiceless—the Fund for Animals,
Greening Australia, Yamatji Aboriginal Land Corporation, Museum Victoria and
Aboriginal Housing Board of Victoria: advising on establishment structures, ongoing
corporate governance requirements and miscellaneous legal issues; and
> Murray Lower Darling Rivers Indigenous Nations (MILDRIN): acting on behalf of
MLDRIN in its negotiations with State Agencies and Catchment Management Authorities
in the preparation of various icon site agreements within the Murray Darling Basin;
> the Gumatj and Rirratjingu clans in their 2010 negotiations with Rio Tinto Alcan over
RTA’s Gove mining operations.

Other Community Activities
Peter serves on the boards of Wantok Musik Foundation, First Nations Foundation and
Ecotrust Australia.