Leading Australian litigation and class actions lawyer John Emmerig joins Thomson Geer as Partner

Thomson Geer is pleased to announce that one of Australia’s leading litigation lawyers and class action defence experts, John Emmerig, has joined the firm as a Partner.

With more than 36 years' of experience, John has a national reputation for handling high stakes domestic and cross-border litigation, class actions and regulatory work for prominent Australian and multinational international companies. He is a trusted adviser to boards and senior executives for their most complex and important work. John also has significant expertise in advising Federal and State government agencies.

Thomson Geer Chief Executive Partner Adrian Tembel said: "We welcome John to our firm. His experience will bolster the capabilities of our Litigation and Dispute Resolution team and reinforce our commitment to quality service and outcomes for clients."

John's core practice area's include class action defence, major commercial disputes and regulatory/government litigation and inquiries.

His experience encompasses:

• 40+ class actions;
• numerous major commercial and government litigation matters;
• 20+ Royal Commissions and Parliamentary Inquiries;
• 35+ ASIC, ACCC, APRA regulatory matters.

John said he looked forward to being part of Thomson Geer and contributing to its position as a leading Australian law firm.

"Major organisations need the best advice when they are involved in high stakes disputes. Thomson Geer is an outstanding firm that is trusted by business and government leaders to do just that and I'm pleased to be part of the team."

John is also a significant contributor to Australia's legal and business community with current appointments including:

• Co-Chair - Class Actions Committee of the Law Council of Australia;
• Member, ASIC’s Enforcement and Regulatory Litigation Consultation Group;
• Member, Federal Court of Australia Class Actions Liaison Committee;
• Co-Chair, Transnational Litigation Committee of the Law Council of Australia;
• Governor, American Chamber of Commerce in Australia (AMCHAM);
• Member, Federal Court of Australia’s LCA Liaison Committee on Practice and Procedure;
• Editorial Board - Journal of Equity – LexisNexis – (foundation Board member);
• Lead author - “Class Actions” section of Federal Court Practice Manual;
• AMCHAM Defence and National Security Committee.

John will be based in Thomson Geer's Sydney office.

His appointment follows a significant period of growth for Thomson Geer in the first half of 2026 which has included the acquisition of the entire Canberra office of Ashurst including seven Partners, as well as the appointments of planning and development Partner Harshane Kahagalle, tax Partner Aimee Riley, health and safety Partner Jane Hall, banking and finance Partner Chuong Nguyen and workplace relations Partners Rachel Drew and Rose Dimitrious.

‍