Corrigan AdvisoryLegal & Strategic Services
Corrigan Advisory — Legal & Strategic Services

Corrigan Advisory — Law Reform and Organisational Effectiveness for the For-Purpose Sector

Law Reform & Systemic Advocacy

Turning your knowledge and expertise into pitch-perfect campaigns and law reform submissions.

I help community legal centres, advocacy organisations, for-purpose organisations and industry associations across Australia build well-evidenced, politically credible law reform campaigns.

Organisational Effectiveness

Enhance your organisation's capacity to achieve impactful results.

I help for-purpose organisations build the systems and processes that turn good intentions into consistent, measurable results — not just compliance.

Community Legal Centres · Advocacy & For-Purpose Organisations · Industry & Professional Associations — Australia-wide
20+ yrs
multi-sector law and policy leadership
13
national law reform reviews delivered
3
law reform & statutory bodies led
3
countries — UN rule-of-law advisory work
Matthew Corrigan, Principal, Corrigan Advisory
Matthew Corrigan
Principal

I help community legal centres, advocacy organisations, for-purpose organisations and industry associations across Australia build the evidence base for well-evidenced, politically credible law reform campaigns. I also help for-purpose organisations build the organisational systems and processes that turn good intentions into consistent, measurable results — not just compliance. I have over 20 years' multi-sector experience across government, private legal practice, the United Nations and international NGOs. Having led the Australian Law Reform Commission, the Queensland Law Reform Commission and worked with parliamentary committees, I know exactly the drivers that will inspire a reform body to effective action. I have developed law reform recommendations in some of the most complex areas of law and legal policy, including elder abuse, financial services law, class actions procedures and corporate crime.

“I know how a submission needs to be built, evidenced and pitched to be genuinely persuasive — because I've sat on the other side of that process.”

“I have rebuilt two underperforming public sector agencies from the ground up, embedding new governance, culture and systems that lifted staff engagement 18 points above the sector average and consistently improved performance against key deliverables.”

How I can help

Corrigan Advisory offers two services:

Law Reform & Systemic Advocacy

Systemic Advocacy Strategy

Turn recurring casework and complaint patterns into a structured, compelling and targeted reform blueprint.

Law and Legal Service Reform

Research and draft submissions to inquiries, committees and law reform bodies — designed with an understanding of the way those bodies actually assess evidence.

Capability Building & Training

Practical workshops for advocacy and legal staff on law reform methods, stakeholder mapping and engagement, submission writing and contributing to parliamentary processes.

Organisational Effectiveness

Organisational Transformation & Change Management

Rebuilding underperforming teams and organisations — new structures, culture and ways of working that staff actually adopt, drawing on my experience turning around two public sector agencies.

Governance, Systems & Performance

Board governance, statutory compliance and funding-agreement advice built around systems that drive real performance against your mission — not just a compliance tick-box.

A tailored approach to law reform

For community, advocacy & for-purpose organisations

Turn your casework into a structured, compelling reform blueprint.

For community legal centres, advocacy and for-purpose organisations who see the same problem in their casework and want to build a compelling case for change.

  • Casework-to-campaign strategy and reform blueprints
  • Submissions built the way law reform bodies assess evidence
  • Current board member of a community legal centre — I understand sector funding and capacity constraints first-hand
For industry & professional associations

Specialist, project-based support for a member-mandated reform agenda.

A specialised alternative to in-house government relations or a large law firm, for reform projects that combine technical complexity with the need for a compelling narrative.

  • Financial services, corporate governance & civil procedure expertise
  • Co-author of published work on civil penalties and systemic corporate misconduct
  • Solicitor background in corporate transactions and governance (Freehills, now Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer)

Why work with me

Led two law reform commissions, a sentencing council, and advised parliamentary committees at state and federal level — I know how to advocate effectively for change.

Delivered thirteen major national law reform reviews at the ALRC and QLRC, including resource extraction and environmental approvals, financial services legislation, elder abuse, corporate crime, family law, anti-discrimination and civil procedure.

Rebuilt two underperforming public sector agencies from the ground up, embedding governance, systems and culture change that lifted staff engagement 18 points above the sector average and consistently improved performance against key deliverables.

International governance and rule-of-law advisory experience with the United Nations in Bangladesh, South Sudan and Myanmar.

Represented statutory agencies before Senate Estimates, parliamentary committees and the media — I understand the political as well as the legal dimensions of reform.

Collaborative approach founded on sharing knowledge and expertise to achieve sustainable outcomes.

Approachable style underpinned by strong ethics and a results-driven mindset.

Current board member of a community legal centre — I understand sector funding and capacity constraints first-hand.

Available to work with organisations across Australia.

Selected publications

Law reform reports I've led or contributed to

Without Fear or Favour: Judicial Impartiality and the Law on Bias — ALRC Final Report
Without Fear or Favour: Judicial Impartiality and the Law on Bias
ALRC Report 138 · December 2021
Pathways to Justice — An Inquiry into the Incarceration Rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples — ALRC Final Report
Pathways to Justice — Incarceration Rate of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples
ALRC Report 133 · December 2017
Evidence Law Review — Introduction to our review — QLRC Background Paper 1
Evidence Law Review
QLRC Background Paper 1 · 2026
Review of Particular Criminal Defences — Just, clear and modern: Reformed criminal defences for Queensland — QLRC Final Report
Review of Particular Criminal Defences — Just, Clear and Modern
QLRC Final Report, Vol. 1 · December 2025
Mining Lease Objections Review — Introducing our review — QLRC Background Paper 1
Mining Lease Objections Review
QLRC Background Paper 1 · August 2023
Non-fatal Strangulation: Section 315A Review — QLRC Background Paper 1
Non-fatal Strangulation: Section 315A Review
QLRC Background Paper 1 · November 2024
Family Law for the Future — ALRC Recommendations
Family Law for the Future
ALRC Recommendations
Inquiry into Class Action Proceedings and Third-Party Litigation Funders — ALRC Discussion Paper
Class Action Proceedings and Third-Party Litigation Funders
ALRC Discussion Paper 85 · June 2018
Elder Abuse — A National Legal Response — ALRC Final Report
Elder Abuse — A National Legal Response
ALRC Report 131 · May 2017
Financial Services Legislation — ALRC Interim Report C
Financial Services Legislation
ALRC Report 140, Interim Report C · June 2023
Corporate Criminal Responsibility — ALRC Final Report
Corporate Criminal Responsibility
ALRC Report 136 · April 2020

Let's talk.

Based in Brisbane, working with clients across Australia. Get in touch to discuss a project, or just to talk through where you're starting from.

Corrigan Advisory · Legal and Strategic Services · ABN 11 966 305 370 · Brisbane, QLD · www.corriganadvisory.com.au