12 years working for the largest local government in Australia
Unmatched inside knowledge of council processes
When Inside Experience Matters Most
When your rights and interests are adversely affected or the future of your project is on the line, you need more than a generalist.
KDC Legal brings unmatched inside knowledge of council investigations, risk assessments, and compliance and enforcement .
The only Qld law firm led by a former Council solicitor
Experienced trial and appeal advocate in Qld courts
Get Clear Legal Advice Before Committing to Anything
The first step costs nothing. Book a free consultation with Kevin today — a genuine conversation about your matter, not a sales pitch.
Book Your Free Consultation With Kevin Today
Kevin listens to your matter, gives you initial guidance, and tells you honestly whether and how KDC Legal can help. No charge. No obligation. No pressure.
What is Included:
Confidential discussion about your matter
An honest assessment of your options
Initial guidance on your position
A clear picture of what working together would look like
Why is KDC Legal Different to other law firms
Most lawyers can develop an understanding of local government matters. Some have even represented clients in local government compliance and enforcement matters. Very few have lived it from the inside. KDC Legal brings a perspective that no other private practice firm in Queensland can offer.
I am Kevin Cartledge, the founder and principal of KDC Legal. For over 12 years, I worked for Brisbane City Council where I represented the Council in Courts and Tribunal for compliance and enforcement matters and I provided advice and training to Council officers in respect of processes, decision making and investigations.
I appeared on behalf of Council as solicitor advocate in the Magistrates Court on prosecutions for offences, the Planning and Environment Court, QCAT and the Supreme Court on appeals against decisions, and in the District and Supreme Court for appeals against prosecution and enforcement decisions.
I also worked directly with compliance and enforcement officers, helping shape their processes, advising on evidence, and ensuring decisions were made lawfully and fairly. That experience means I know:
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how councils investigate.
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how they assess risk.
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where their processes are vulnerable.
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what genuinely influences an outcome.
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matters from both sides.
I understand the pressure points, the legislative framework, and the practical realities that sit behind every decision. I know what is required in making decisions, and I know when a decision does not meet those standards.
I have seen legal representatives constantly do things that have no practical effect on the matter, other than to cause their clients to have to spend money they should never have had to. This is not because they didn’t care, it was because they didn’t understand.
My inside knowledge allows me to guide clients with precision, clarity and cost‑efficiency. I can quickly identify what matters, what doesn’t, and what will actually make a difference.
When the future of your development or building project is on the line, you need more than a generalist, you need someone who knows exactly how councils think and how Courts decide these cases.
KDC Legal offers that rare combination of genuine regulatory insight, advocacy experience, and practical strategy that sets you up for the strongest possible outcome.
Have you been given a Notice stating a regulator intends to take particular action (eg. Show Cause Notice)?
Have you been given a t Notice requiring you to take particular action or cease doing something (eg. Enforcement Notice or Direction Notice)?
Are you being investigated for an offence or charged with an offence?
Are you dissatisfied with a decision of a local government?
Failing to respond appropriately may have serious consequences.
There are strict time limits for exercising review rights
Get the Right Legal Advice Before Your Matter Gets Harder to Resolve
Start with a free consultation. No obligation. No pressure.
PRECISION, CLARITY AND CONFIDENCE • KDC LEGAL • REAL WORLD EXPERIENCE • KDC LEGAL •
About Kevin Cartledge and KDC Legal
I’m Kevin Cartledge, the founder and principal of KDC Legal. My career spans more than two decades across criminal law, regulatory prosecutions, administrative law and government compliance and enforcement.
I began practice in 2005 with the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (Qld), conducting serious criminal prosecutions before moving into private practice with a respected criminal defence firm.
In 2013, I joined Brisbane City Council as an in‑house lawyer. During my 12+ years at Council, I led the litigation risk and enforcement team and conducted complex regulatory prosecutions and appeals and provided advice and representation on a wide range of compliance and enforcement matters. I worked with Council’s compliance and enforcement officers, supporting their decision‑making, strengthening their processes, and ensuring the delivery of lawful and effective enforcement functions.
I have developed an understanding of how regulatory frameworks operate in practice, how compliance issues emerge, and what good governance requires. Clients value my ability to distil complexity, explain the reasoning behind each step, and provide advice that is technically precise, commercially aware, and genuinely practical.
I am an experienced advocate having regularly conducted complex trials, hearings and appeals as solicitor advocate.
Why I Started KDC Legal
To offer a more personal, thoughtful approach to regulatory and compliance work — one where clients feel supported, informed, and confident at every step.
How I Work
Clarity First — Advice should be easy to understand and act on.
Thorough, Intentional Work — Every matter handled with care and precision.
Genuine Professional Care — Long‑term relationships built on trust and integrity.
Notable Court Matters
I appeared for the complainant as solicitor advocate on these appeals against conviction.
The company was charged with offences against the Planning Act 2016 for contravening a development approval and failing to comply with an enforcement notice. The director of the company was charged with offences for failing to take all reasonable steps to ensure the company complied with its obligations under the Act.
The complainant was successful. The appeals were dismissed and the convictions against the company and the director were confirmed.
I appeared for the complainant as solicitor advocate on the magistrates court trial and the appeal against conviction and sentence.
The Appellant was charged with an offence against the Planning Act 2016 for carrying out assessable development with a development permit (unlawful filling) and offences against the Environmental Protection Act 1994 for unlawfully depositing a prescribed water contaminant in a way so it could reasonably be expected to wash or otherwise move into waters and contravening a direction notice.
The complainant was successful. The appeals were dismissed and the convictions and sentences were confirmed.
This matter was appealed to the Queensland Court of Appeal and the High Court of Australia. Both courts refused leave to appeal and confirmed the convictions and sentences.
I appeared for Council as solicitor advocate on each of these appeals to the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) Appeal Tribunal.
Roy confirmed the decision in Imbrogno that where the Tribunal is satisfied that a dog has seriously attacked, or acted in a way that caused fear to, a person or another animal, the Tribunal must make the declaration.
The Council was successful on each appeal.
I appeared for the Appellant as solicitor advocate on the appeal against sentence.
The Appellant appealed against the fine and the length of disqualification imposed for a drink driving offence.
The Appellant was successful. The appeal was allowed and the fine and disqualification period imposed were reduced.
I appeared for the Appellant as solicitor advocate on the appeal against sentence imposed for offences against the Food Act 2006, in respect of breaches of the Food Standards Code.
The Appellant was successful on the appealed on the basis that the penalty imposed at first instance was manifestly inadequate.
The Appellant was successful. The appeal was allowed and the defendant/respondent was resentenced.
PRECISION, CLARITY AND CONFIDENCE • KDC LEGAL • REAL WORLD EXPERIENCE • KDC LEGAL •