Douglas Johnson

Doug maintains a broad commercial litigation and arbitration practice, with particular expertise in the areas of construction and engineering, insurance, and professional liability disputes. He is often briefed on highly technical cases involving complex factual and expert evidence, and has acted on large-scale claims with over $700 million in issue.

Clients value Doug’s accessibility and collaborative approach – both as sole counsel and when led as part of a team of barristers.

Examples of his recent engagements include:

• Arbitration proceedings concerning alleged defects in the design of mineral processing facilities (led).
• Supreme Court proceedings involving a large and factually complex claim for misleading or deceptive conduct arising from the design and construction of a coal processing facility (led).
• District Court proceedings involving allegations of professional negligence against an engineer (unled).
• Injunction proceedings in the Supreme Court seeking to restrain recourse to bank guarantees (led).
• Multiple proceedings involving claims for breach of contract, shareholder oppression, breach of trust, estoppel, and negligence (unled).
• Advising on coverage under various insurance policies (unled).
• Multiple proceedings and adjudications involving payment claims under security of payment legislation (unled).
• Prosecuting offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2002 (WA) on behalf of the RSPCA (pro-bono, unled).

In 2024, Doug received the Tom Yuncken Australian Young Construction Lawyer Award, where referees emphasised his work ethic, technical ability, and creative thinking. He is also recognised in Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in the area of litigation.

Before coming to the bar, Doug worked as a solicitor in the dispute resolution teams at Jones Day and King & Wood Mallesons and in insurance litigation at Moray & Agnew.

A full CV is available on request.