Clifford Ireland

16 years of experience at the Bar, and a total of 27 years as a specialist in environmental, planning, mining and associated areas of property law.

Listed as either a leading or recommended barrister in the environmental and planning area in the “Doyle’s Guide” for the past nine years. He has also been listed on the Best Lawyers list in the areas on environmental, property and water law, including for the current year 2023- 2024.

Complementing his specialist practice in environmental, planning law, and environmental crime, he also practises in related areas including water, climate change, mining law, property, building and construction, commercial and retail tenancy, liquor licensing, administrative law and judicial review, local government, and in related areas of commercial law.

Clifford has advised on and/or appeared in relation to many major projects across the State from large mining developments (the Donaldson Coal Mine open cut, the Gloucester Open Cut coal mine, the Ashton Open Cut coal mine, the Lake Cowal Gold Mine, the Anvil Hill Coal mine, Peabody open cut mine at Mudgee), to large urban developments and subdivisions.

He appears both for proponents and objectors. He regularly appears in both contested environmental crime or Class 5 cases in the Land and Environment Court and at sentencing hearing, and has appeared for both defendants, the Environment Protection Authority, and prosecuting local government authorities.

He appears across the range of cases in the Land and Environment Court’s jurisdiction including in merits appeals, resumption and compensation, judicial review, and environmental crime. He appears regularly in the Court of Appeal and Court of Criminal Appeal.

Clifford appears in the real property list and Equity Division in the Supreme Court in relation to easement and other property law disputes.

He has appeared as junior counsel in the High Court of Australia at hearing (Fazzolari v Parramatta City Council), and in relation to several special leave applications.

He has also acted and appeared on a pro bono basis in a number of matters, including contested hearings in the Court of Appeal and Federal Court of Australia.

Clifford is the Bar Association’s representative on the Land & Environment Court User’s Group.