Samuel Walpole practises in all areas of commercial, regulatory and public law from Quay Central Chambers in Brisbane, Australia. He is an Associate Member of 11 St James Hall and has a national practice in the areas of Admiralty and maritime law, administrative and constitutional law, bankruptcy and insolvency, defamation, equity and trusts, and regulatory matters.

Samuel has particular expertise and experience in Admiralty and maritime law (Smithbridge Guam Inc v Swire Shipping Pte Ltd [2026] FCA 884; Brisbane Marine Pilots Pty Ltd v General Manager of Maritime Safety Queensland and Ors [2021] QCAT 436; Jackson v Carnival plc [2025] FCA 127). He is listed in Doyle’s Guide as one of Australia’s Leading Transport Law Barristers and is a co-author of Australian Maritime Law (Federation Press, 5th ed, forthcoming).

In the area of administrative and constitutional law, Samuel’s practice has had a focus on freedom of information and privacy law (Court Data Australia and Australian Information Commissioner [2025] ARTA 876; Wilson and Australian Information Commissioner [2023] AATA 458), matters raising jurisdictional issues (Palmer v Magistrate McKenzie [2026] QCA 129; Brushe (Trustee) v Leach [2026] FCA 1242), cases involving the intersection of public law and the criminal process (Hutson v ASIC (2023) 17 QR 21; Roberts v Magistrate Gett [2026] FCAFC 3; Palmer v Gibson [2026] QCA 60) and as both prosecutor and defence counsel in regulatory matters (Reef House Property Pty Ltd v Commissioner for Liquor and Gaming Regulation [2024] QCA 121; Barclay  Commonwealth (Department of Defence) [2026] QMC 1). He also has experience dealing with parliamentary privilege (Singh and Attorney-General’s Department [2026] ARTA 769).

He has acted in a number of significant insolvency matters, including the receivership of the Presbyterian Church of Queensland (Catalyst Townsville SPV No 1 Pty Ltd v The Presbyterian Church of Queensland [2025] QSC 255), the Callide C power plant administration (Sparks, in the matter of IG Energy Holdings (Australia) Pty Ltd (Administrators Appointed) [2024] FCA 613) and the liquidation of Queensland Nickel (Park, in the matter of Queensland Nickel Pty Ltd (in liq) (No 3) [2022] FCA 1301), as well as other bankruptcy (Doyle v Cooper as Liquidator of NQ Minerals plc (in liq) [2026] FCA 117) and corporate insolvency matters (Zong v Woodcroft [2025] FCA 1524; [2026] FCA 150). He also practises extensively in equity and trusts (Crawford v Ainsworth Investments Pty Ltd [2025] QSC 148), including charitable trusts (Perpetual Trustee Company Ltd v The Corporation of the Synod of the Diocese of Brisbane [2024] QSC 163), applications for judicial advice (McMahon & Ors v Aynsley & Ors [2022] QSC 140) and succession (KZY v WXW [2026] QCA 101).

In addition, Samuel is regularly briefed in defamation matters (Russell v S3@RAW Pty Ltd [2026] FCA 771). He appeared in the first appellate decision in Queensland concerned with the new serious harm element for the tort of defamation (MG v PJ [2025] QCA 99).

Prior to being called to the Bar, he served as an Associate to the Hon Chief Justice Allsop AC of the Federal Court of Australia and to the Hon Justice Philippides of the Queensland Court of Appeal and worked at the Australian Law Reform Commission.

In addition to his practice at the Bar, Samuel is an Adjunct Fellow at the University of Queensland and a Fellow of the Australian Centre for Private Law and a Committee Member of the Queensland Branch of MLAANZ. He has published in a number of journals, including the Law Quarterly Review, Sydney Law Review and Lloyd’s Maritime and Commercial Law Quarterly. He is also the co-editor of The Law of Civil Penalties (Federation Press, 2023).