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Land Equity Legal

Facilitating a Smooth Win/Win Path…

Land Equity Legal is a Perth-based premium Land Access and Commercial law practice. We specialise in native title, Aboriginal cultural heritage, resources and environmental law.

We also advise clients on employment and WHS law, Board training and governance and commercial and property work for Corporations.

Principal, Marcus Holmes, is recommended by both the legal profession and clients as a Leading Native Title Lawyer for his expertise and abilities in the areas of native title and cultural heritage matters (Doyle’s Guide to the Australian Legal Profession).

We use practical, commercially-orientated solutions for a broad spectrum of clients.

We also work closely with other specialist legal consultants, commercial advisors, Aboriginal Heritage consultants (anthropologists and archaeologists) and environmental scientists.

Our job is to fix, expedite and facilitate, and, for our resources clients, to help them get timely and practical project approvals that have the support of the local Aboriginal stakeholders. For our Aboriginal clients, it’s about getting fair and reasonable win/win agreements in place that reflect best practice, including traditional cultural practice, and will stand the test of time. These agreements also meet the project consent and access requirements of proponents.

How can Land Equity Legal assist?

Native Title and Aboriginal Cultural Heritage issues can be complex and can take some time to accommodate before Crown land can be accessed and used.

Land Equity Legal has experience and the track record to navigate this process on behalf of Aboriginal traditional owners and proponent clients.

Our proponent clients include resources companies, green energy companies, government agencies, local government and pastoralists.

We can assist in risk management, negotiations and drafting of specialised agreements and dispute resolution through mediation or litigation where it is needed.

The firm also assists native title holders, through their corporations and commercial entities, with advice on commercial development such as mining contracting, cultural heritage and environmental survey work, sandalwood harvesting, eco-tourism, commercial aquaculture, fishing projects, carbon farming and sequestration and green energy projects (such as solar farms and wind farms).

We help native title corporations across the full suite of legal work that they require.

We are specialists in native title trusts and native title corporation governance, including advising, developing procedures and training Boards.

For resources clients, we also offer a full array of “hard rock” mining and petroleum law advices including for land access, legislative compliance, project planning and implementation and Solicitors Reports for IPOs.

We have assisted corporations with employment law and WHS matters including drafting of employment and consultancy contracts, developing staff and board policies and procedures, strategic planning and dispute resolution including settling unfair dismissal claims and constructive dismissal claims for employers.

Marcus Holmes is a director and company secretary on a not-for-profit organisation, assisting with governance, risk management, corporate regulator compliance and document control and management.

What our Colleagues and Clients say...
Marcus has a wealth of experience in his area of the law.  He has the ability to work very hard within a tight timeframe and to motivate his team to do likewise and is a skilled negotiator and mediator. He was repeatedly able to secure a good outcome for his client corporation when faced with a road block in negotiations or a room of adversarial lawyers.
Maggie McGuinn, Principal, McGuinn Legal

I have direct experience of working with Marcus on negotiation teams, and because he also works for resources companies and government agencies, he can see all sides’ viewpoints and help us all come to win/win outcomes and agreements that will last.
Warren Walker, Ngarluma Man and Mining Company Supervisor

Marcus is a very focussed individual and a magnetic person, who cultivates relationships that are enduring and respectful, not because of power or status, but more because of his ”inner core” of being an honest, ethical and a trustworthy person who follows things right through to the very end.
Sarina Jan, Nyul Nyul woman and Corporation CEO

Marcus’ key areas of strength are his knowledge and application of native title, environmental and heritage law, his agreement structuring and drafting skills, his ability to locate and exact leverage over counterparties to negotiations and his attention to detail. Marcus has the humility and patience required to be an effective consultant senior legal counsel and negotiating team member in native title and heritage matters.

Steve Robinson, Director, Lincoln Capital

Marcus provided detailed input to the development of a procedures manual, advice on the making of a treaty, advice on cultural heritage procedures and engagement with Traditional Owners. He demonstrated a sound understanding of the nature of government business and the necessity for bipartisan, accountable and transparent processes.

Lyn Morgain, former Executive Staff member and Manager Indigenous Unit, Melbourne City Council

Land Equity Legal gives us practical negotiation and legal advice. The firm clearly has the necessary breadth of knowledge about dealings with Aboriginal people in the native title and cultural heritage sphere to enable deadlocks to be anticipated and thereby avoided and to allow fair and reasonable agreements to be prepared that match project requirements, including approvals timeframes.
Roger Mason, Managing Director, Antipa Minerals Ltd

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