Chalk & Behrendt, Lawyers & Consultants

Chalk & Behrendt is a profit-for-purpose legal practice with over 25 years of experience serving clients across Australia. The firm is widely recognised for its extensive work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and organisations, providing expert advice across a broad range of areas including native title, land rights, cultural heritage, environmental and planning law, administrative law, business formation, governance and compliance, policy development, and dispute resolution. Chalk & Behrendt also offers services to non-Indigenous clients, particularly where projects align with the firm’s commitment to social justice and sustainable outcomes. Since launching under its current name in 2017, the practice has maintained a strong reputation, consistently acknowledged in leading legal directories such as Chambers, Legal Profiles, Doyles, and Who’s Who Legal for its native title and administrative law work. The firm’s vision centres on fostering social justice, inclusion and sustainability, with a particular focus on ensuring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people can participate fully and autonomously in Australian society and its economy, respecting their unique cultural heritage and connection to land. Chalk & Behrendt takes a relationship-driven approach to client service, emphasising strategic, cost-effective legal advice delivered with empathy and respect. The team’s collective experience in Indigenous community engagement informs their practice, underpinned by principles of best practice including deep listening, openness to learning through conflict, and maintaining respectful partnerships. This expertise is also applied in assisting non-Indigenous clients to engage constructively with Indigenous communities, including developing guidance on best practice engagement and social licence requirements. The firm’s practitioners often have backgrounds in the not-for-profit sector and a commitment to community service, reflected in their involvement with various pro bono initiatives and charitable organisations. Chalk & Behrendt actively supports causes such as Gawad Kalinga, the Apollo Estate Community in Western NSW, the Environmental Defenders Office, the Mark Tonga Trust, and the NSW Aboriginal Rugby League Koori Knockout. Chalk & Behrendt’s core areas of legal practice include native title, land rights and heritage law; economic and community development; commercial, corporate and governance law; clean energy and the carbon economy; property, planning and environment law; and government and administrative law. The firm is dedicated to delivering nuanced legal solutions that align with the aspirations of their clients and promote equitable and sustainable outcomes.