Two partners at McCullough Robertson Lawyers (McR) have received the prestigious “Lawyer of the Year” designations in the 2026 Best Lawyers rankings.
Scott Whitla and Wei Lim received the recognition for their practice areas.
This recognition is awarded to a single lawyer in each practice area and region, based on the highest feedback from their peers.
The firm also had seven of their lawyers named as “Ones to Watch” in the just-released rankings – Michelle Guy, Karsen Haseler, Alex McCowan, Patrick O’Brien, Alan Wrigley, Esterina Azzi and Nicola McMahon.
In total, 44 McR lawyers were recognised across 41 areas of law in The Best Lawyers in Australia 2026 rankings.
Mr Whitla is an accredited specialist in succession law, with a strong focus on all aspects of succession planning, estate administration, estate litigation, and claims in equity.
He manages the firm’s wills, estates and trusts team, having been made a Partner in 2009 and is an integral member of the McR Private team, supporting our family office and private clients.
Mr Lim has formerly worked in-house at a major bank and now has a practice that covers corporate and institutional debt financing, as well as mezzanine lending and cross border transactions.
Chair of Partners, Kristan Conlon, said McR had always been fortunate to attract some of Australia’s best lawyers in Brisbane and Sydney.
“We appreciate the trust and support of our clients and look forward to continuing our work together as we approach our centenary in 2026,” she said.
“Congratulations to our lawyers and teams for their well-deserved recognition.”
The full list of McCullough Robertson Lawyers named in the rankings is below.
Lawyer of the Year – Brisbane
Scott Whitla
- Wealth Management and Succession Planning
Wei Lim
- Banking and Finance Law
The Best Lawyers in Australia – Brisbane
Duncan Bedford
- Tax Law
- Agriculture and Rural Affairs
Matt Bradbury
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Construction / Infrastructure Law
- Litigation
Belinda Breakspear
- Biotechnology Law
- Entertainment Law
- Intellectual Property Law
Tim Case
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Commercial Law
- Ethics and Professional Responsibility Practice
- Litigation
- Professional Malpractice Litigation
- Sports Law
Sharon Chan
- Retirement Villages and Senior Living Law
Damien Clarke
- Commercial Law
- Corporate Law
- Mergers and Acquisitions Law
- Mining Law
- Natural Resources Law
- Tax Law
Kristan Conlon
- Leasing Law
- Real Property Law
Lydia Daly
- Labour and Employment Law
Liam Davis
- Native Title Law
- Natural Resources Law
Cameron Dean
- Employee Benefits Law
- Labour and Employment Law
- Occupational Health and Safety Law
Sarah Hausler
- Land Use and Zoning Law
- Planning and Environmental Law
Ian Hazzard
- Commercial Law
- Hospitality and Tourism Law
- Real Property Law
David Hughes
- Tax Law
- Wealth Management / Succession Planning Practice
Guy Humble
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Commercial Law
- Litigation
Kirby Jukes
- Banking and Finance Law
Wei Lim
- Banking and Finance Law
- Project Finance and Development Practice
Tim Longwill
- Education Law
- Health and Aged Care Law
- Labour and Employment Law
Stuart Macnaughton
- Land Use and Zoning Law
- Litigation
- Planning and Environmental Law
Hayley Mitchell
- Commercial Law
- Trusts and Estates
- Wealth Management / Succession Planning
Dominic McGann
- Government Practice
- Mining Law
- Native Title Law
- Natural Resources Law
Melinda Peters
- Tax Law
Tom Reaburn
- Occupational Health and Safety Law
Ann-Janette Reinhardt
- Leasing Law
Madeline Simpson
- Government Practice
- Mining Law
- Planning and Environmental Law
Kate Swain
- Planning and Environmental Law
Reece Walker
- Corporate Law
- Equity Capital Markets Law
Troy Webb
- Land Use and Zoning Law
- Planning and Environmental Law
Stephen White
- Insurance Law
- Personal Injury Litigation
- Product Liability Litigation
Scott Whitla
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Litigation
- Trusts and Estates
- Wealth Management / Succession Planning
Ben Wood
- Corporate Law
Sydney
David Gilham
- Banking and Finance Law
- Structured Finance Law
Alex Hutchens
- Information Technology Law
- Privacy and Data Security Law
- Telecommunications Law
Natalie Kurdian
- Corporate Law
Phillip McGowan
- Trusts and Estates
- Wealth Management / Succession Planning
Ben Mortimer
- Commercial Law
- Mergers and Acquisitions Law
Amber Sharp
- Labour and Employment Law
Eva Vicic
- Real Property Law
Ones to Watch Awards – Brisbane
Michelle Guy
- Banking and Finance Law
Karsen Haseler
- Litigation
Alex McCowan
- Trusts and Estates
- Wealth Management / Succession Planning
Patrick O’Brien
- Land Use and Zoning Law
- Planning and Environmental Law
Alan Wrigley
- Criminal Defence
- Litigation
- Regulatory Practice
Sydney
Esterina Azzi
- Trusts and Estates
- Wealth Management / Succession Planning Practice
Nicola McMahon
- Labour and Employment Law
