KEITH HOWE

• Appellate
• Commercial
• Insurance
• Land Law & Property
• Mediation
• Personal Injury
• Succession

• Queensland: 1986
• NSW: 1987

• Elected member and director of the Bar Association of Queensland (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023)
• Member of the Griffith University Law School Visiting Committee (2021, 2022, 2023)
• Director of the Mediator Standards Board (2023)
• Director of the Law Council of Australia for the Bar Association of Queensland (2019, 2020, 2021)
• Court Appointed Case Appraiser
• Registered Arbitrator - The Australian Institute of Family Law Arbitrators and Mediators
• Court Appointed Mediator
• Nationally Accredited Mediator
• Dispute Resolution Queensland – Bar Association
• Masters of Laws – Queensland Institute of Technology (2002)
• Bachelor of Laws – Queensland Institute of Technology (1986)

Since his call to the Bar in 1986, Keith Howe has developed a broad practice which includes work in Brisbane and regional areas, including the Gold Coast, Far North Queensland and Northern New South Wales. Keith appears as an advocate at both trial and appellate level in matters involving many aspects of commercial, insurance, property and common law generally. His practice includes a wide range of advisory work.

From early in his career, Keith has appeared for many local authorities in a broad range of areas from contractual disputes, public liability matters, insurance and re-insurance matters and litigation concerning Council approval process and subsidence claims. Keith has extensive mediation experience both as a mediator and as counsel, including mediating insurance and commercial law disputes, estate matters, TPD claims and financial advice disputes. Over the years, Keith has appeared in a number of inquests including the Whiskey A Go Go fire inquest (ongoing) for the family members of a former Queensland Commissioner of Police.

Court of Appeal

• State of Queensland v Ringuet [2020] QCA 61 (liability at common law for injury at work)
• Singh v Hill & Anor [2019] QCA 227 (entitlement to bring proceedings after expiration of limitation period)
• RACQ Insurance Limited v Foster [2019] 2 Qd R 475 (whether damages were to be assessed under the Civil Liability Act 2003 (Qld) or general law)
• Thomas v Trades & Labour Hire Pty Ltd (in liq) [2016] QCA 332 (manufacturing defect, causation and application of March v Stramere test)
• Silwood v Chandler [2016] QCA 273 (slip/fall and issues regarding expert evidence as to level of intoxication and use of friction test on steps)
• Farnham v Pruden [2016] QCA 018 (whether damages were to be assessed under the Civil Liability Act 2003 (Qld) or general law; whether regard ought be had to the second reading speech of the Criminal Code and Civil Liability Amendment Bill 2007 (Qld) and the explanatory notes)
• Reitano v Shearer & Anor [2014] QCA 336 (challenge on future economic loss, loss of opportunity/chance to pursue a number of different careers; effect and impact of social media material on assessment of damages)
• Cleret v Rago [2014] QCA 158 (constructive trusts)
• First Mortgage Investments Pty Ltd (FMI) v Pittman [2014] NSWCA 110; First Mortgage Investments Pty Ltd v Pittman No. 2 [2014] NSWCA (enforcement of mortgages and whether agreement unjust within the meaning of the Contracts Review Act 1980 (NSW))

Supreme Court

• BYM v The Corporation of The Trustees of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane (No 2) [2024] QSC 106 (negligence; vicarious liability; non-delegable duty)
• BYM v The Corporation of the Trustees of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane (No 1) [2023] QSC 298 (whether a non-publication order should be made)
• Aronis v Aronis [2022] QSC 039 (estoppel)
• Allen v O’Donnell & Anor [2021] QSC 63 (brain impairment assessment of damages)
• Griffin v Burleigh Marr Distributions Pty Ltd & Anor [2019] QSC 321 (standard of care, scope of duty and subsequent breach)
• Singh v Hill & Anor [2019] QSC 79
• McDermott v Manley [2018] QSC 35
• Foster v Carter [2017] QSC 135
• Crawford v Forna & Anor [2016] QSC 309
• Smith v Randall & Anor [2016] QSC 191 (a leading/following driver collision, issues concerning apportionment of liability and application of Civil Liability Act 2003 (Qld) - 9(1), s.9(2), s.23, s.23(2) and s.47 and the Transport Operations (Road Users Management) Act 1995 (Qld) – s.80, s.80(16F), s.80(16FA)
• LCR Group Pty Ltd & Anor v Bell [2016] QSC 130
• Chandler v Silwood [2016] QSC 120; [2016] QSC 90 (slip/fall and issues regarding expert evidence as to level of intoxication and use of friction test on steps)
• Thomas v Trades and Labour Hire Pty Ltd & Anor [2015] QSC 264 (manufacturing defect, causation and application of March v Stramere test)
• Reitano v Shearer & Anor [2014] QCA 44 (challenge on future economic loss, loss of opportunity/chance to pursue a number of different careers; effect and impact of social media material on assessment of damages)