Anna Shaw

Anna is a highly experienced compulsory acquisition lawyer, having worked in the area for more than a decade. She also serves as Hunt & Hunt's Victorian Chief AI Officer.

Anna brings a unique dual perspective to her work, having acted for both acquiring authorities and private claimants. This balanced experience enables her to deliver strategic and practical advice tailored to the specific objectives of each client—whether assisting landowners to maximise their compensation or guiding authorities through complex acquisition programs.

Anna holds bachelor's degrees in both Law and Arts, as well as a Master of Commerce and a Master of Business Administration (MBA). This combination of legal and commercial expertise is particularly valuable in matters involving business losses or financial impact assessments.

Anna is known for her collaborative approach, attention to detail, and commitment to securing timely, effective outcomes. She is driven by a strong sense of integrity and professionalism, working with both compassion and rigour throughout the acquisition process.

Areas of Focus

• Commercial, industrial, residential, and rural land acquisitions
• Business and agribusiness acquisitions
• Negotiated settlements and voluntary purchase schemes
• Partial and easement acquisitions
• "Loss on sale" compensation claims
• "Permit refusal" compensation claims
• Compensation litigation

Style & Approach

Anna is known for being a passionate and empathetic advocate for her clients. She is warm, calm, and always a steady hand. Anna is well regarded in the industry as getting excellent results for her clients as a firm and experienced negotiator. Anna's practical advice and careful attention to detail mean that nothing slips when she is on your case. Anna supports clients with tailored strategies that both protect financial and personal interests, as well as recognise the human impact of compulsory acquisition matters. Her collaborative style and clear communication help clients navigate the process with confidence and clarity.

Experience & Authority

Compulsory Acquisition & Compensation Strategy
Anna advises on the full lifecycle of compulsory acquisition matters, including acquisition strategy, compensation entitlement and dispute resolution. She acts for both acquiring authorities and claimants, enabling her to anticipate valuation arguments and develop evidence-driven compensation strategies.

Major Infrastructure & Corridor Acquisitions
Anna has acted on compulsory acquisition matters arising from major transport, road, rail and urban renewal projects, including acquisitions involving development corridors, public land and community infrastructure. Her experience includes managing compensation risk on projects where land use constraints, future development potential and stakeholder sensitivity significantly affect valuation outcomes.

Partial Acquisitions & Severance
She has extensive experience advising on partial acquisitions where loss of access, severance, disturbance and reduced development potential are in issue. Anna regularly manages complex claims involving reinstatement works and rectification obligations.

Valuation Strategy & Expert Management
Anna works closely with valuers and other expert consultants in contested compensation matters, including disputes concerning highest and best use, severance and development potential. She is highly experienced in interrogating valuation methodology and other expert evidence to support commercially sound outcomes.

Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Anna represents clients in compensation disputes before the VCAT and the Supreme Court of Victoria. She is known for her strong advocacy and her ability to resolve complex matters without unnecessary litigation where commercial resolution is achievable.

Sensitive & High-Impact Land Matters
She regularly advises on acquisitions affecting community infrastructure, public open space and culturally or environmentally sensitive land, where reputational, political and stakeholder considerations add complexity to the legal process.

Selected Projects & Acquisition Matters

• Western Renewables Link
• VNI West
• Suburban Rail Loop Project
• Melbourne Airport Rail
• Level crossing removal projects across Victoria
• Melbourne Metro Rail Project
• North East Link Project
• West Gate Tunnel Project
• East West Link Project
• Fishermans Bend Urban Renewal Project
• Sky Rail
• Yan Yean Road Duplication (Stages 1 and 2)
• Thompsons Road Upgrade
• Chandler Highway Upgrade
• Diamond Creek Trail Extension
• 90 Mile Beach acquisitions
• Loss on sale compensation claims
• Easement acquisitions
• Negotiated purchases
• Voluntary Purchase Schemes

Chief AI Officer

Anna serves as Hunt & Hunt's Victorian Chief AI Officer, a role that reflects both her long-standing engagement with legal technology and her belief that innovation should serve the people at the heart of every matter.

In this capacity, Anna leads the firm's strategy for the responsible adoption and use of artificial intelligence across its practice areas. She works closely with teams across the firm to identify opportunities where AI can enhance the quality, efficiency, and accessibility of legal services, while maintaining the rigorous standards of care that clients expect.

Anna's appointment as Chief AI Officer is grounded in her active involvement in the legal technology community. As a member of the Law Institute of Victoria's Technology & Innovation Executive Committee and its AI & Data Sub-Committee, she is closely connected to the evolving regulatory and ethical landscape surrounding AI in professional services. This ensures that Hunt & Hunt's approach to AI is not only innovative but principled and aligned with emerging best practice.

For clients, Anna's leadership in this space means access to a firm that is investing in smarter, more efficient ways of working without compromising on the personalised, strategic advice for which it is known. Whether it is streamlining document-intensive processes in large-scale acquisition matters or enhancing the firm's capacity to deliver timely advice, Anna's focus is on harnessing technology to support better outcomes.

Anna brings the same collaborative, detail-oriented approach to AI governance as she does to her legal practice, balancing commercial pragmatism with a genuine commitment to doing things well.