Damian Bourke joined Minerva Law in 2026 as a Consultant Lawyer. He brings 30 years in property development, project management and finance to the firm’s franchise, commercial and property clients, together with a background in elite sport that few lawyers can match.
Before returning to legal practice, Damian spent three decades delivering real estate development projects from concept to completion, with a combined value in the order of $300 million. Projects ranged from $3 million to more than $100 million across the residential, commercial, fitout, recreational, not-for-profit and agricultural sectors, in Australia and overseas. They include the $105 million Freshwater Apartments in New Farm, Brisbane, and the $55 million Promenade Apartments in Geelong, where he was responsible for design and construction, funding and all legal matters. At Lend Lease he was part of the change management team that restructured the Australia and New Zealand property services division.
That history is why clients find him easy to deal with. He has sat on the client’s side of the table: structuring joint ventures and trusts, negotiating with builders and financiers, arranging mezzanine funding, and working through deals that did not go to plan. He advises as a lawyer who has run the projects himself, and he puts the commercial answer ahead of the legal lecture.
Damian holds a Bachelor of Laws, a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice, a Master of Project Management and a Graduate Diploma in Building Project Management. He is also a nationally accredited mediator and family dispute resolution practitioner, and runs a separate family mediation practice in Geelong. That experience informs how he approaches commercial disputes for the firm’s clients: settle what can be settled, early, and fight only what needs fighting.
Damian is based in Geelong and leads the firm’s presence in the Geelong region, working with clients across Victoria.
Practice Areas:
- Franchising
- Property Development and Construction
- Business and Commercial Law
- Sports Law
More about Damian
Damian played 102 games for the Geelong Football Club between 1983 and 1992, and a further 22 for the Brisbane Bears from 1993 to 1995. He has twice attempted Mount Everest: in 2015 he was at Camp 1 when the Nepal earthquake struck and survived the avalanches that followed, and in 2019 he reached Camp 4 before turning back after being struck by a falling rock above 8,000 metres. The Geelong Cats told the story in The former Cat who cheated death on Mount Everest, twice.
He also developed, and remains a 30% owner of, Dalat Flower Farm in Vietnam.
Explore how Damian’s experience can support your legal needs at Minerva Law.