Lawyers in Australia's coal seam gas debate: A study of participation in recorded community forums

• A research focus on the role of lawyers in Australia's coal seam gas debate is urged.
• Lawyer-community interactions at six recorded forums are analysed.
• Applies concept of lawyers as ‘translators’ from legal geography literature to forums.
• Forums are used by lawyers to both explain and frame critiques of coal seam gas laws.
• Suggests possible motivations for the participation of lawyers in forums.

Seeking to encourage greater scrutiny of lawyers in Australia's coal seam gas (CSG) debate, this paper analyses lawyer-community interaction at six recorded CSG community forums held between 2011 and 2014. Using the concept of a lawyer as a ‘translator’ of client concerns from the legal geography literature and viewing the identified forums as informal exchanges of legal knowledge, it is argued that lawyers informed audience members about land access laws relating to CSG, translated audience anxieties and questions about CSG into legal claims, and framed critiques of CSG laws around personal experiences of the legal process to call for law reform at these forums. Acknowledging the broader context in which these community forums were held, financial and political factors are considered as potentially relevant for driving the involvement of some lawyers in forum speaker panels, noting the apparent absence of CSG industry legal representatives from all recorded community forums. Potential future research avenues are also highlighted.