Team Members

Michael Fielding

Associate
Michael is an associate in our litigation and dispute resolution team, acting for commercial clients and individuals in contentious matters.

Michael provides advice and support on litigation and disputes across a range of areas, including defamation, professional negligence, contractual disputes, and breaches of fiduciary obligations and fraud.

Outside of his work at Cooper Grace Ward, in 2021 Michael co-founded The VacSeen Project, a charity with the mission of preventing disease in people experiencing homelessness and other vulnerable groups across Australia by taking medicine into familiar, non-medical spaces. Michael continues to serve as a director of The VacSeen Project.

Michael was recognised as a finalist in the Lawyers Weekly 30 under 30 Awards for 2024.

  • Solicitor – Supreme Court of Queensland and High Court of Australia
  • Bachelor of Laws (Honours) – University of Queensland
  • Bachelor of Arts – University of Queensland
  • Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice – College of Law
  • Finalist – Lawyers Weekly 30 under 30 Awards 2024

Litigation and dispute resolution

  • Acting and advising in various defamation and other reputation management disputes, including in District Court of Queensland litigation.
  • Acting for an international company in District Court of Queensland litigation regarding breach of contract claims.
  • Acting in a claim in the Supreme Court of Queensland involving allegations of breaches of confidentiality and breaches of contract.
  • Acting and assisting in various complex professional negligence disputes in the Supreme Court of Queensland and Supreme Court of New South Wales.
  • Assisting in a multimillion dollar claim in the Supreme Court of Queensland involving allegations of breaches of directors’ duties, breaches of confidentiality, and fraud.
  • Assisting in the conduct of multimillion dollar litigation in the Supreme Court of South Australia involving claims for breaches of fiduciary duty and breaches of confidentiality.
  • Assisting in a successful $4.3 million construction adjudication application against a major resources company brought under New South Wales security of payment legislation.

Not-for-profit

  • Co-founder and director of The VacSeen Project, a charity dedicated to preventing disease in people experiencing homelessness and other vulnerable groups across Australia, by taking medicine into familiar, non-medical spaces.

Areas of Expertise

Publications

Defamation perspectives: the ‘serious harm’ element a serious hurdle for plaintiffs

The recent Queensland Supreme Court decision in Peros v Nationwide News Pty Ltd (No 3) demonstrates that even the gravest of accusations may not meet the threshold of serious harm under defamation law.

Trade mark infringement: is reputation relevant to assessing deceptive similarity?

The protection of business reputation is crucial to any successful business, and often the commercial motivation behind registering a trade mark. But is reputation relevant to determining deceptive similarity in trade mark infringement cases? The High Court of Australia has clarified the position in a recent case.

Cooper Grace Ward promotions for FY24

Cooper Grace Ward is pleased to share that nine team members have been promoted to the next stage of their careers during FY24.