Michael Cooney

Michael joined the firm in 2019 leading our stakeholder engagement, public policy and media functions. He is passionate about Maurice Blackburn Lawyers’ place in Australian society.

“Our firm has an old soul. Maurice Blackburn was a fighter who knew where power lay in Australia in his day, and who knew how much needed to change for power to lie with working people. His wife Doris was also a fighter and knew there’s no equality for working people if there isn’t equality for women.”

Michael is a Labor writer and adviser who has been involved in national political campaigns for change throughout most of this century. He was speechwriter to Prime Minister Julia Gillard and documented Labor’s government from 2010-2013 in The Gillard Project (Penguin, 2015). Michael has also served as principal policy adviser to Federal Labor Leaders and was founding policy director at the progressive think tank Per Capita.