Jamie McPherson
Principal
Principal
Jamie is well known in Queensland for being one of the best in the business when it comes to occupational health and safety, employment law and workers’ compensation.
He has over 30 years’ experience focusing on the defence of actions brought against companies and individuals by various regulators. He has been involved in a number of high-profile inquests and prosecutions both in Queensland and nationally.
Jamie was most recently acknowledged on the 2020 ‘Best Lawyers’ Australia list in the area of Occupational Health & Safety. He has been consistently recognised by the prestigious Doyle’s Guide in the health and safety space since 2015. In addition, Doyle’s Guide recommended Jamie as a leading public & product liability lawyer in 2017 and 2018, and as a leading WorkCover Lawyer from 2016 to date.
Jamie acts for self-insureds, government agencies and authorities, plus a variety of businesses in the construction, property, logistics, environmental services, leisure and energy sectors.
Jamie is considered a ‘go to’ lawyer when it comes defending organisations following workplace and public liability incidents including fatalities. His experience includes defending the first double fatality prosecution in Queensland, leading to charges being dropped. He also acted on behalf of an Australian theme park following a quadruple fatality when a ride malfunctioned. Jamie defended a builder, involving the fatality of an apprentice, which resulted in the electrician being charged with manslaughter and the builder escaping criminal charges – this was, in fact, a case that led to widespread reform to industrial safety laws in Queensland.
Jamie has been a trusted adviser to WorkCover Queensland over a 25 year period.
A recent decision by the NSW Court of Appeal upheld the principle that the plaintiff bears the onus of establishing the cause of his accident. In circumstances where the plaintiff is unable to establish this cause on the basis of the evidence available, the defendant cannot be presumed liable for the incident simply by the mere fact that it occurred.
McCabes acted for the successful defendant in the matter of Macari v Snack Brands Foods Pty Ltd [2024] NSWSC 139 where the NSW Supreme Court recently held that the plaintiff was unable to establish the cause of his slip and fall down a staircase, and thereby could not establish what reasonable precautions the occupier should have taken to prevent the plaintiff from slipping on the stairs.
+61 7 3444 9335 
