Denis McLeod

Denis, a founding member of McLeods, has been a stalwart in representing local governments in Western Australia for over 45 years. With a profound understanding of local government dynamics and planning law, Denis is celebrated for his invaluable contributions to the evolution of planning frameworks in the region. His distinguished career has been marked by numerous accolades, including Life Membership of the Local Government Planners Association in 1991 and an Honorary Fellowship from the Planning Institute of Australia in 1993. Further cementing his status as an expert in the field, he was appointed as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Western Australia (UWA) in 2008. Denis has imparted his comprehensive knowledge of planning law to students continuously since 1979, having taught at Curtin University for 35 years and currently sharing his expertise at UWA. Active in the legal community, Denis serves as the Convenor of the Law Society's Environment Town Planning and Local Government Committee and is a respected member of the Law Society Council. His legal scholarship includes numerous articles and papers primarily focused on planning and local government law, reflecting his deep engagement with these subjects. In addition to his teaching and committee roles, Denis has made significant editorial contributions to legal literature. He was a co-editor of the Planning Digest during the pioneering days of the independent planning appeal system in the 1980s. He presently serves as the General Editor of 'Planning & Development WA' (Presidian Legal Publications) and authored the 'WA Planning Law Handbook' in 2015, further exemplifying his dedication to the legal profession and advancing planning law in Western Australia.