Alex specialises in plaintiff Personal Injury Law. His experience in this area of law spans over 13 years, having joined a prominent national compensation law firm in 2007.
He has also had extensive experience as a barrister in private practice. From 2011 to 2018, Alex was practicing as a barrister in the areas of Personal Injury, Worker’s Compensation, Commercial Law, Employment Law and Family Law. An outstanding example of Alex’s work is the case of Dr Mohamed Haneef, whose wrongful arrest and detention resulted in a formal apology from the Australian Federal Police, an inquiry by the Hon John Clark QC, and significant compensation for suffering including damage to his medical career and reputation.
What are Alex’s areas of expertise?
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Slips and Falls
- Medical Malpractice; and/or
- Assaults, battery or other intentional torts.
Alex is especially attuned to the human dimensions of the law. He appreciates that people seeking legal help face troublesome or difficult circumstances. He has a strong sense of fairness and justice, having majored in Human Rights and Ethics within his Journalism degree. Over the years Alex has been vocal about matters of public accountability and corruption through various publications and speaking engagements. There is little doubt he is a formidable legal representative.
Before studying law, Alex worked in fruit picking, seismic surveying, landscaping, and was also a greenkeeper and freelance musician. These unique experiences have given Alex the ability to understand and discern the mechanics and dynamics of several different work environments within which workplace injuries may occur.
The willingness to teach and mentor are among his skills. Since 2011, Alex has volunteered his time as a Student Career Mentor for law students at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT). Alex was a Lecturer in Law at the University of the Sunshine Coast for 4 years prior to joining the bar.
Qualifications and Milestones
- 2001-06: Bachelor of Laws (Hon) / Bachelor of Arts (Human Rights and Ethics) at QUT
- 2007: Admitted as a Solicitor in the Supreme Court of Queensland
- 2011: Admitted as a Barrister to the Bar Association of Queensland
- 2014-18: Lecturer in Law at the University of the Sunshine Coast
Publications / Submissions
- Tim Prenzler, Bricklyn Horne and Alex McKean, ‘Identifying and Preventing Gray Corruption: Recent Australian Cases’ in Maximillian Edelbacher and Peter Kratcoski (eds), The Prevention of Fraud and Corruption (Springer 2018)
- Alex McKean and Stephen Keim, ‘Battlers Win When the Law is Fair’ (2017) 88(4) Australian Quarterly 10
- Alex McKean, ‘Beyond the Audit – Inter-agency Co-operation to Maintain Integrity’ (Paper presented to the Australasian Council of Public Accounts Committees Conference, Queensland Parliament, 21 April 2017
- Alex McKean, Submission No 37 to Legal Affairs and Community Safety Committee, Crime and Misconduct and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2014 (Qld), 11 April 2014
- Lead author of the personal injuries self-help kit, published 2012 by Suncoast Community Legal Service and McInnes Wilson Lawyers. Contributor towards development of personal injuries self-help smartphone application
- Co-author with Stephen Keim SC to the Legal Affairs and Community Safety Committee on the Criminal Law Amendment Bill 2012 and the Criminal Law Amendment (Two Strike Child Sex Offenders) Bill 2012, 3 July 2012
- Stephen Keim SC and Alex McKean, ‘Cluster Munitions Debate in Australia’ (2011) LAWASIA Update 17
Speaking Engagements
- Political Donations and other Dangers to our Democracy – 21 November 2017, Environmental Defenders Office
- Accountability and the Law conference – 17 August 2017, Parliament House, Canberra, The Australia Institute
- ‘Ethics in Law and Politics’ – 23 June 2017, U3A Tewantin
- Ethics Induction for Volunteer Lawyers – 25 May 2017, 2 June 2016, 19 May 2016, 3 September 2015, 16 April 2015, 16 October 2014, 29 May 2014, 14 November 2013, 12 July 2013, 12 September 2012 and 14 July 2011, Suncoast Community Legal Service
- Interactions Between Integrity Agencies in Qld – Australasian Public Accounts Committees Conference, 21 April 2017, Parliament House, Brisbane