The Rockhampton and Sunshine Coast legal communities are mourning long-standing personal injuries lawyer George Cowan and paying tribute to his dedication over decades.
Mr Cowan, who joined Nambour firm Butler McDermott Lawyers as Special Counsel in 2023, passed away last month and his funeral was held in Rockhampton on 4 February with Justice Crow delivering the eulogy.
Butler McDermott posted a tribute: “Today, we remember George Cowan and honour a life dedicated to justice, compassion, and unwavering advocacy. It was a privilege to work alongside George, whose commitment to standing up for those without a voice left a lasting mark on our firm, our clients, and the wider community.
“George’s legacy lives on through the countless people he helped, the standards he set, and the respect he earned over more than three decades of practice. He will be deeply missed by all of us at Butler McDermott Lawyers.”
The firm described George as a steadfast advocate in personal injury and accident compensation law, dedicated to representing the battlers and little guys against powerful insurance companies.
Before moving to Butler McDermott Lawyers, George spent 37 years with Rees R & Sydney Jones Solicitors in Rockhampton.
George started employment with Rees R & Sydney Jones as an articled law clerk in 1986. He was a partner in the firm from 1995-2020 and was then engaged as a Consultant in the litigation team.
Former colleague, Rees R & Sydney Consultant Justin Houlihan said he had the privilege to working with George for 37 years.
“When he commenced at the firm in January 1986 we were both articled law clerks studying for a law degree externally through the QUT in Brisbane,” Justin recalled.
“As George and I were both in the litigation section of the firm, over the years we had a close working relationship and friendship, interacting on a daily basis.
“George was an extremely competent litigation solicitor, practising predominantly in personal injury law but also in estate litigation and commercial litigation.
“He was a QLS Accredited Personal Injury Specialist. George was a focused and determined individual who approached all matters in a positive and decisive manner.
“He had the ability to establish a wonderful rapport with his clients through his understanding and sympathetic nature and was always driven to achieve a positive outcome for them.
“Over the years at Rees Jones, he had achieved many outstanding results for his clients. He was respected by his peers.
“George was not only an excellent solicitor but also a wonderful business partner.
“Throughout his 25 years as a partner of Rees Jones, his loyalty, reliability and support to his fellow partners and the firm as a whole could never be questioned.
“George always focused on the common good for the business and never personal gain.
“He was a leader with a phenomenal capacity for work and made an enormous contribution to the growth and success of the firm during his time as a partner.
“There a number of younger solicitors who benefited from George’s mentoring during their time at Rees Jones, many of whom openly acknowledge the positive and lasting influence that George has had on their career.
“George always treated his staff with fairness and respect. He made the effort to get to know all of the staff and he encouraged and supported many of them in their own career development.
“George was widely respected and admired by many. This has been truly reflected over the last week based on the number of telephone calls and messages that I have received from many former staff members, clients, his peers and members of the broader community who are all saddened by his sudden passing.
“I, like so many others, will miss him. My thoughts and sympathy are with his wife, Catherine and his daughters, Charlotte and Eliza.”
George was a compensation law expert who practised almost exclusively in personal injury litigation for more than 30 years, representing injured claimants and their families in the District and Supreme Courts of Queensland.
He successfully represented Harold Kerle in the 2016 landmark case of Kerle v BM Alliance Coal Operations which led to the comprehensive overhaul of fatigue management laws for shift workers in Queensland.
George also had extensive experience in coronial inquests and mining hearings.
He represented two seriously injured coal mine workers at the 2020-2021 Board of Inquiry which was tasked with investigating the Grosvenor Mine explosion.
George became a Queensland Law Society Accredited Personal Injuries Specialist in 2002. He was named in Doyle’s Guide – Workplace Compensation Lawyer (Qld) 2015 – 2020; Motor Vehicle Accident Lawyer (Qld) 2016, 2018 & 2020; and Public Liability Lawyer (Qld) 2016.
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