General Counsel

The Office of the General Counsel supports DMTC’s current operations and future planning, playing a key role in developing high levels of professionalism and outcomes in collaborative innovation, and contributing to the organisation’s growth and evolution as a key stakeholder in sovereign research and development.

Reflecting the increasingly sophisticated nature of interactions between DMTC and its stakeholders, and the Company’s steadily increasing work pipeline, the General Counsel function was established in 2020 to provide a dedicated, strategic legal coordination and advice capability. It supports the corporate and program leadership functions to ensure DMTC’s enterprise and operational activities are ahead of legal compliance, and that key decisions are made in full consideration of all relevant obligations and implications. As multi-party, multi-jurisdictional projects, with sophisticated intellectual property arrangements become the norm, it is critical that preexecution decisions are made in full contemplation of relevant factors and complexities.

Working closely with our partners and stakeholder agencies, the General Counsel Office ensures that DMTC’s impressive output in development and innovation is properly buttressed by the right legal arrangements.

An in-house General Counsel function provides Program Leaders with fast, easy-reach support, increasing the tempo and quality of DMTC’s operations. As a member of the Executive, the General Counsel also plays a role in ensuring DMTC is abreast of the ever-evolving strategic landscape and that its corporate and operational structures preempt and adapt to changing requirements.

The Office has taken carriage of advice on broader issues including, amongst others, Defence Export Controls, intellectual property, and Freedom of Information, ensuring that DMTC’s stewardship of projects remains in accordance with the highest standards and that it retains its position as a trusted partner of Defence and defence industry.

As DMTC grows and adapts in response to the priorities of the Defence and national security community, the General Counsel will continue to provide advice to the management team and the Board on specific elements of DMTC’s strategy, structure and systems.