1. Bachelor of Arts (Economics) (Qld) 1982
2. Bachelor of Laws (Hons I) (Qld) 1984
3. Bachelor of Civil Laws (Hons I) (Magdalen College, Oxford) 1985
4. Doctor of Laws (honoris causa) (Qld) 2022

John McKenna KC was educated at the University of Queensland (BA, LLB (Hons I)). He was the Queensland Rhodes Scholar for 1984, graduating with a Bachelor of Civil Laws (Hons I) from the University of Oxford. In 1989, he commenced practice at the Queensland Bar and was appointed to the rank of Senior Counsel in 2002.

1. Fellow, Australian Academy of Law (from 2019)
2. Adjunct Professor of Law, University of Queensland (from 2013)
3. President, University of Queensland Law Alumni Association (from 2016)
4. Chairman, Incorporated Council of Law Reporting for the State of Queensland (2011 – 2024)
5. Chair, Consultative Council of Australasia Law Reporting (2022 – 2025)
6. Member, Supreme Court Library Committee (2005 – 2024)
7. Member, Statutory Legal Practice Committee (since 2004)
8. National Secretary, Association of Rhodes Scholars in Australia (since 2012)

Best Lawyers

1. Bet-the-Company Litigation – Queensland (since 2014)
2. Commercial Law – Queensland (since 2012)
3. Litigation – Queensland (since 2012).
4. Lawyer of the Year – Commercial Law, Queensland (2013, 2020 and 2025)

Doyles’s Guide

1. Leading Commercial Litigation and Dispute Resolution Senior Counsel (Australia) (2015, 2020)
2. Leading Commercial Litigation and Dispute Resolution Senior Counsel (Queensland) (since 2015)
3. Leading Insolvency and Restructuring Senior Counsel (Queensland) (since 2015)
4. Leading Mediators – Queensland (since 2019)

1. Competition Law – DBCT Management Pty Ltd v Treasurer and Minister for Infrastructure and Planning (Qld) [2021] QSC 335.
2. Contract – Alliance Building and Construction Pty Ltd v Veesaunt Property Syndicate 1 Pty Ltd [2024] QCA 75; Al-Freah v Thompson [2023] QCA 175.
3. Industrial – Workpac Pty Ltd v Rossato (2021) 271 CLR 456; [2021] HCA 23; Helensburgh Coal Pty Ltd v Bartley (2024) 302 FCR 589; [2024] FCAFC 45.
4. Insolvency – Metal Manufacturers Pty Ltd v Morton (2023) 275 CLR 170; [2023] HCA 1;
5. CIP Group Pty Ltd v Watters (2024) 301 FCR 600; [2024] FCAFC 5.
6. Insurance – ASIC v RACQ Insurance Ltd [2023] FCA 1503.
7. Limitation of Actions – TRG v The Board of Trustees of the Brisbane Grammar School [2020] QCA 190; [2021] HCATrans 92.
8. Litigation Funding – Gladstone Ports Corporation Limited v Murphy Operator Pty Ltd (2020) 6 QR 497; [2021] HCATrans 114.
9. Procedure – Qantas Airways Ltd v BMD Constructions Pty Ltd [2023] QSC 206
10. Real Property – Orb Holdings Pty Ltd v WCL (Qld) Albert St Pty Ltd [2020] QCA 198; [2021] HCATrans 93; [2023] QCA 263.
11. Tort – Potter v Gympie Regional Council [2022] QCA 255; Springfree Trampoline Australia Pty Ltd v Forostenko [2024] QCA 255.
12. Unconscionability – Adani Abbot Point Terminal Pty Ltd v Lake Vermont Resources Pty Ltd [2021] QCA 187; [2022] HCATrans 67, 110.