Asia-Pacific
Practice Areas
> Alternative Dispute Resolution (including mediation and expert referrals)
> Appellate
> Arbitration
> Bankruptcy & Insolvency
> Building & Construction
> Civil Litigation
> Employment & Industrial
> Energy & Resources
> Infrastructure & Projects
> Inquiries & Coronial Inquests
> Insurance
> Lease Disputes
> Maritime
> Planning & Environment
> Professional Negligence
> Property
> Trade Practices & Competition
Career
Widely recognised as a leading junior in construction and infrastructure law.
John practises predominantly in the construction and infrastructure field but also regularly appears in a broad range of commercial and professional negligence disputes. He is currently engaged in some of the largest and most complex disputes in the Queensland Supreme Court, including the LNG gas infrastructure dispute between Santos Limited and Fluor Australia Pty Ltd and the dispute over alleged design and construction defects in the second Gateway Bridge and surrounding arterial road network in Brisbane.
John is also acting in a number of allegedly flammable cladding cases on major CBD buildings and infrastructure.
John is consistently recognised as one of Australia’s leading juniors in all major legal directories, including Chambers & Partners Asia Pacific, Legal 500 Asia Pacific, Australian Financial Review’s Best Lawyers and Doyle’s Guide.
John was called to the Bar in 2010. Prior to this he was a partner of a national, now international, law firm.
John also lectures at the University of Melbourne in the Construction Law Masters Program and is an Honorary (Senior Fellow) in law at the University of Melbourne.
Professional Memberships
Bar Association of Queensland
Publications
Referring questions to Referees under the UCPR 1999 Qld
Presented by the Honourable Justice David Jackson, Mark Ambrose KC, John Baartz and Mei Barnes
October 2022
Building Industry Fairness (Security of Payment) Act 2017
March 2018, Building & Construction
Pure economic loss: the building context
August 2017, Building & Construction, Corporate Insolvency & Bankruptcy, Corporations
Where’s my money? Can I access or recover my security or not?
March 2016, Building & Construction
Work Highlights
Recommendations
Chambers & Partners Global
Recognised in the global edition of Chambers & Partners as (Band 1) for Construction & Infrastructure in every year from 2016 to 2025.
Chambers & Partners Asia Pacific
Ranked junior barrister (Band 1) for Construction & Infrastructure in every year from 2016 to 2026. His banding has been accompanied by the following comments:
- “if he’s on a matter, it’s worth being on it.”
- “comes with a wealth of experience and is very considered…good at identifying strategic courses of action, especially when there are a lot of issues to deal with”.
- “top junior for construction and infrastructure matters”.
- “bright, personable lawyer with a strong construction skill set and good client relationship skills” and “he is very hard-working, is good on analysing issues, and thinks very tactically and strategically”.
- “knowledgeable and pragmatic”.
- “excellent reputation in construction work”, “extremely commercial and very strategic”.
The Legal 500 Asia Pacific
Ranked in the top band of the Legal 500 Asia Pacific from 2021 to 2024.
- “Mr Baartz has over 20 years’ experience handling complex building and construction and insurance litigation in Australia and the United Kingdom and as such, the team continues to engage him”.
Australian Financial Review’s Best Lawyers
2026 - Recommended for Commercial Law, Construction / Infrastructure Law
Insurance Law and Litigation
2025 - Recommended for Commercial Law and Construction / Infrastructure Law
2024 - Recommended for Commercial Law and Construction / Infrastructure Law
2023 - Recommended for Commercial Law and Construction / Infrastructure Law
2022 - Recommended for Commercial Law and Construction / Infrastructure Law
2019 - Recommended for Commercial Law and Construction / Infrastructure Law
2018 - Recommended for Commercial Law and Construction / Infrastructure Law
2017 - Recommended for Construction / Infrastructure Law
2016 - Recommended for Construction / Infrastructure Law
Doyle’s Guide to the Australian Legal Profession
Queensland:
- Pre-eminent Construction & Infrastructure Junior Counsel - Queensland, 2021, 2022, 2023 & 2024
- Leading Construction & Infrastructure Junior Counsel - Queensland, 2015, 2016, 2017 & 2018
- Leading Commercial Litigation & Disputes Barristers Junior Counsel - Queensland, 2015 & 2016
Australia:
- Leading Construction & Infrastructure Junior Counsel - Australia, 2020, 2021 & 2022
- Recommended Construction & Infrastructure Junior Counsel - Australia, 2017, 2018 & 2019
Who’s Who Legal (Lexology)
- WWL: Construction 2024 (Australia)
- WWL: Australian & New Zealand 2024
Experience
Summary of Notable Cases
Santos Limited v Fluor Australia Pty Ltd [2024] Supreme Court of Queensland
Referral out of $1.5 billion LNG gas production plant dispute
Niclin Constructions Pty Ltd v Yatala Formwork Pty Ltd [2023] QSC 285
December 2023, Civil Proceeding, Resisting an application for determination of preliminary question
Q M Properties Pty Ltd v Belscorp Pty Ltd [2019] QCA 138
Property, Misleading and deceptive conduct, Valuation
Bryant v Competitive Foods Australia Pty Ltd & Ors [2018] QDC 258
Duty of care, Liability of architect, psychiatric injury
QM Properties Pty Ltd v Belscorp Pty Ltd [2018] QSC 158
Property, Misleading and deceptive conduct, Valuation
Asia Pacific Joint Mining Pty Ltd v Allways Resources Holdings Pty Ltd [2018] QCA 48
March 2018, Corporate Insolvency & Bankruptcy, Corporations, Resources & Energy
McQueen v Mount Isa Mines Ltd; CMA Assets Pty Ltd v Mount Isa Mines Ltd [2017] QCA 259
November 2017, Appellate, Building & Construction, Contract
Santos Ltd v Fluor Australia Pty Ltd [2017] QSC 153
July 2017, Building & Construction, Resources & Energy
Allways Resources Holdings Pty Ltd v Samgris Resources Pty Ltd [2017] QSC 112
May 2017, Corporate Insolvency & Bankruptcy, Corporations
Civil Mining & Construction Pty Ltd v Wiggins Island Coal Export Terminal Pty Ltd [2017] QSC 85
May 2017, Building & Construction, Contract, Resources & Energy
Allways Resources Holdings Pty Ltd v Samgris Resources Pty Ltd [2017] QSC 74
May 2017, Corporate Insolvency & Bankruptcy, Corporations
Mt Isa Mines Ltd v CMA Assets Pty Ltd [2016] QSC 260
November 2016, Contract, Resources & Energy
Duncan v AAI Ltd, in the matter of Quinnco Pty Ltd [2016] FCA 1035
August 2016, Insurance, Land Law & Property
ACCC v RL Adams Pty Ltd [2015] FCA 1016
September 2015, Competition & Consumer
Mulligan v Virgin Australia Airlines Pty Ltd [2015] FCAFC 130
September 2015, Appellate, Judicial Review & Administrative
Sunshine Coast Regional Council v Earthpro Pty Ltd [2015] QSC 168
June 2015, Building & Construction, Judicial Review & Administrative
Education
University of Queensland
LLB (Hons)
1987
University of Melbourne
LLM
2007
