Personal Profile
Anand Joseph Shah has been in private practice for over 30 years: first as a solicitor for 11 years and then as a barrister.
Practice Areas and Experience
Anand’s principal area of practice is commercial litigation covering areas such as corporations law, contract, equity, consumer law, property, trusts, insolvency, bankruptcy, banking and insurance. Anand also actively practises in administrative law (including judicial review), wills & estates, defamation, human rights, personal injuries and migration law.
As Counsel, Anand has appeared in the High Court of Australia, the Queensland Court of Appeal and in all the State Courts at trial. Anand has appeared in the Federal Court of Australia and in the Family and Federal Circuit Court of Australia. He has also appeared in the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal and its predecessor tribunals (at trial and appellate levels) in matters concerning building, retirement villages, retail shop leases and discrimination. Anand has appeared at inquests as solicitor and counsel.
Anand has acted, as Counsel, in an expert determination concerning a commercial contract. The expert was the Hon. Richard Chesterman QC.
He has been appointed (privately and by the Court) to act as a mediator in disputes concerning commercial law, professional negligence, wills & estates and personal injuries.
Active Involvement in the Legal Profession
Anand has been actively involved in the activities of the Bar Association of Queensland including serving, on many occasions, on the Bar Council and with many Judges on the Annual Bar Conference Committee for six years.
He is a past President of Queensland Young Lawyers and has served on Queensland Law Society Committees such as the Accident Compensation Committee and the Property Law and Development Committee.
Anand is the immediate past-President of the Asian Australian Lawyers Association (AALA) (Queensland Branch). AALA’s aim is to promote and encourage cultural diversity in the legal profession. The AALA Queensland Branch has sought to do this through theatre, film and music. Anand was the Convener of the 2020 and 2021 AALA National Cultural Diversity Summits. The summits attracted a large number of registrants and included internationally-based judges and representatives from other culturally diverse lawyer associations. The AALA has branches in all Australian States and Territories.
He has acted as a mentor both when practising as a solicitor and as a barrister. He has been a mentor for students at QUT’s Practical Legal Training Course, the Bar Association’s Indigenous Student Mentoring Scheme, the QUT Careers Mentoring Scheme, the Asian Australian Lawyers Association Mentoring Program and the University of Queensland’s Barristers Work Experience Program.
He is also regularly engaged in pro bono work and takes on briefs on a legal-aid basis.
