Ms Caitlin McConnel

Australian Farmer & Lawyer on legal issues

Caitlin McConnel is recognised as a young leader and top agribusiness professional in Australia given her unique experience as a sixth-generation farmer, strategic legal advisor, published academic, non-executive director & chairperson. In 2024, Caitlin was recognised as one of the most influential lawyers in Australasia aged under 40 who have had an extraordinary impact on the profession or society because of her work in environmental law, climate-litigation, and food security; having worked at Australian law firm Clayton Utz as a commercial litigator and environmental lawyer for 9 years until December 2024.

Utilising her legal expertise and knowledge of agroecology, Caitlin is now responsible for the day-to-day management of her family’s intergenerational farming property, Cressbrook Station Pastoral, which is the oldest identified family business in Queensland and one of the oldest in Australia still run on the original farm. Through farming, Caitlin’s aim at Cressbrook Station is to demonstrate how legal obligations pertaining to environmental protection are inherently linked to climate-smart farming as defined by the United Nations Food & Agriculture Organization, and why the consideration of appropriate agricultural land use is a fundamental consideration for all policy and investment decision-making across all aspects of the economy.