The 2032 ‘Olympic boom’ and the expanding Brisbane legal market

In March, the Queensland government officially revealed venue plans for the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games, with a brand new 63,000-seat stadium, as well as a new national aquatic centre with a capacity for more than 25,000 spectators, to be built in the coming years.

This has not only caused the property market in Brisbane to boom but also the legal market, with many firms growing their presence in the Sunshine State and bolstering operations in key practice areas.

As noted in Empire Group’s 2025/26 Legal Salary Guide earlier this year, in Brisbane, long-term infrastructure and development in preparation for the 2032 Olympics continues to create opportunities in projects and construction, property development, planning and environment, litigation and M&A.

The city also had a number of massive infrastructure projects in the works prior to the stadium announcement in March, according to Holding Redlich’s managing partner for Queensland, Stephen Burton.

“Brisbane was already on a sharp growth trajectory before the stadium decision was made. Major projects like Cross River Rail, Brisbane Metro, Bridges for Brisbane and the airport’s new runway will provide critical transit infrastructure for the Olympics and well after,” he said.

“At the same time, developments such as Howard Smith Wharves, Queen’s Wharf and the Eagle Street Pier Waterfront Precinct continue to give the riverfront a facelift. Holding Redlich is proud to have been involved in some of these once-in-a-generation projects.”

In light of these ongoing developments and additional demand, there have been a number of key moves in Brisbane as firms strengthen their capabilities. Holding Redlich added a construction partner to its Brisbane ranks in May and a planning partner in June, with Hamilton Locke also adding a property partner in Brisbane from McCullough Robertson in June and Chamberlains acquiring boutique Handz Law in March.

Brisbane-based firm Mullins Lawyers recently signed 10-year lease and moved into a new office in Brisbane CBD. At the same time, the firm hired a property partner from BigLaw firm Dentons – a move that managing partner Sam McIvor said came as Queensland prepared for a “once-in-a-generation infrastructure and property boom as we look towards the 2032 Olympics”.

With the city preparing for the Olympics, major projects across residential, commercial, infrastructure, and tourism are driving demand for legal expertise in contracts, transactions, compliance, and disputes, Mullins Lawyers partner Matthew Bradford told Lawyers Weekly.

“We’re seeing a significant level of investment in Queensland’s infrastructure and property sectors. The 2032 Olympics are a catalyst, but development momentum was already building,” he said.

“Activity across residential development, commercial property investment, hospitality assets and hotel projects has continued to grow, with positive sentiment driving demand and investment into Queensland.”

In April this year, national law firm Sparke Helmore expanded its Queensland operations, merging with Woods Prince Lawyers (WPL), a Brisbane-based specialist corporate and commercial law firm and adding two partners and 20 staff to its ranks.

Sparke Helmore partners Brad Vinning and Jackson Inglis, who is also the firm’s Brisbane office managing partner, reiterated that the legal market in Brisbane is “experiencing a marked upswing” driven by infrastructure projects and a “surge in demand for legal expertise across construction, planning, and environmental law”.

“Major transport, stadium, and public housing developments will fuel the need for regulatory, contract, and dispute resolution work. Concurrently, property and real estate practices are expected to expand rapidly, with Brisbane’s growing population and renewed investor interest placing pressure on residential and commercial sectors,” the pair said.

“Corporate and M&A practices should also benefit, with the Olympic spotlight attracting interstate and international investment, joint ventures, and public-private partnerships.”

In addition to the firm’s merger with WPL, Sparke Helmore also opened a new office in Cairns late last year – and Vinning and Inglis said that these moves strengthened the firm’s service offerings in its already established areas of government, insurance, and workplace law, as well as allowed the Queensland team to “sharpen its focus on the commercial space”.

Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer has also experienced ongoing growth within the Brisbane market – namely in its projects, energy and infrastructure practice. The firm added partners Anne Beresford and Michael Hogan in May this year, and promoted a partner in Brisbane in April, ahead of energy and infrastructure preparations for the upcoming Olympics.

“The combination of the Olympics and the energy transition is driving increased activity across our Brisbane transactional practice areas. Two forces are at play: Olympics-related infrastructure simply must be delivered on time (it’s not the ‘2032 but maybe 2033’ Olympics!) and there is a surge of government funding and private capital flowing into energy projects,” Hogan said.

“We expect this strong level of activity to continue until, and beyond, the Olympics as athletes’ villages and other venues are repurposed post-2032 and Queensland continues to deliver the projects necessary to achieve ‘net zero’. At HSF Kramer, we have grown and continue to grow our Brisbane-based team in response to client expectations for lawyers that, while part of an integrated national team, have their boots on the ground in the Queensland market.”

Beresford added that the firm expects that the energy transition in Brisbane – and across Queensland – will drive additional movement in the market, especially as the government “refines its energy policy” pre- and post-Olympics.

“We expect to see more opportunities for private capital to fund large energy infrastructure projects through both equity and debt. These projects are complex and require specialist legal skills and industry experience. Other key areas of opportunity for investors involve projects relating to extending the life of existing generation facilities, development of new transmission infrastructure and the continued use of gas as a transition fuel,” she said.

“We expect the government to identify hubs where renewable energy development will be supported, and these hubs will provide opportunities for developers and investors alike. The pipeline of energy-related work in Queensland is already significant, and we expect that it will continue to grow as the energy policy is finalised.”

Will growth continue beyond the ‘Olympic glow’?

While the Olympic Games are accelerating demand across infrastructure and development-focused legal areas, will this growth lead to a deeper, more sustainable shift in Brisbane’s economic and legal landscape?

Despite the Games creating a multitude of opportunities for the legal profession in Brisbane, Empire Group partner and legal professional recruiter Alison Crowther said that with the rise of technology, expecting the same practice areas to continue to experience growth post-Olympics isn’t logical.

“Like the Sydney Olympics in 2000, we expect the 2032 Olympics to create lots of opportunities for the legal industry in Brisbane, but we don’t expect those same opportunities to continue to emerge afterwards,” she said.

“With technology moving as rapidly as it is, to assert the types of roles available in Brisbane in seven years isn’t realistic. The industry will be very different by then, and as it continues to adapt, new practice areas will take centre stage.”

This could mean that post-Olympics, firms that have grown to accommodate expanding demand in legal areas such as construction and planning may need to branch out into other practice areas.

Notwithstanding the fact that over the last five to seven years, Sparke Helmore has nearly tripled its number of partners in Queensland, Vinning and Inglis said that much of the legal work leading up to the Olympics is based around projects – and that although the firm has grown across numerous practice areas, “the sustainability of this growth is in question”.

“While the ‘Olympics boom’ is likely to continue through to 2032, much of the legal work is project-based. The post-Games landscape could see a contraction in demand unless Brisbane capitalises on its enhanced global profile to build a diversified, long-term economy. Firms should, therefore, consider whether current expansions reflect permanent strategic growth or opportunistic positioning.

“At Sparke Helmore, we recognise that the Olympics are still some time off, so our focus remains on delivering the high-quality work that our current client base keeps telling us they come back to us for,” the pair said.

“Post-2032, legacy infrastructure, tourism growth, and an expanded population base may sustain legal demand, but not at current levels. Practices that pivot towards ongoing economic drivers – such as energy, technology, and migration – will be better placed to maintain a lasting presence in Brisbane beyond the Olympic glow.”

However, Bradford argued that new sports facilities, public transport upgrades, and large-scale urban regeneration will lay the groundwork and spark further demand across sectors. The Olympic spotlight will, moving forward, likely mean additional international investment, as well as access to capital to support these projects.

Demand is expected to stay strong beyond 2032, according to Bradford, who said that while major projects may slow, the long-term outlook is solid.

“While the Olympics will drive a sharp peak in demand, the legacy of improved infrastructure, global recognition and continued development will sustain activity. Brisbane’s rise in international tourism will also drive travel to Queensland’s top destinations, supported by initiatives like the Destination 2045 tourism plan,” he said.

“Brisbane is on the map now, not just as a host city for the Olympics, but as a growing hub for business and investment. The broader commercial activity and residential growth will ensure Queensland maintains a steady pipeline of activity for years to come, well beyond the sugar hit of the Olympics.”

For firms that don’t have a presence in Brisbane or an established practice in a key area such as property, construction or planning – it might be too late to break into the Brisbane market to reap the benefits of the Olympics boom.

This current and ongoing growth, Burton emphasised, was already happening in the Brisbane market, with the 2032 Olympics, if anything, unleashing new opportunities for years to come.

“I don’t believe the Olympics will create an unsustainable boom in legal demand. The event will just shine a light on growth that was happening regardless. If a firm is only now scrambling to build a property and construction practice or rushing to open a Brisbane office, they risk making poor decisions out of fear of missing out,” he said.

“We’re fortunate the Olympics align with strengths we have developed in our Brisbane property and construction team over many years, not as a reaction to the Olympics. We don’t expect a sharp downturn post-2032. If anything, the Olympics will unlock Brisbane’s potential and drive exciting new opportunities beyond 2032.”