Helping clients navigate their most important decisions.
Commercial litigation & disputes
Contract, corporate and shareholder disputes, urgent relief, mediation and appeals in every Australian court.
Commercial litigation & disputes
Contract, corporate and shareholder disputes, urgent relief, mediation and appeals in every Australian court.
Litigation is a means, not an end. Most disputes are best resolved before trial – but they are only resolved on good terms when the other side believes you are prepared to run the case. We prepare accordingly, and negotiate from there.
Commercial litigation
Contractual, corporate and shareholder disputes in all Australian courts.
Urgent relief
Injunctions, freezing orders and other applications that cannot wait.
Appeals
Appellate work at State, Federal and High Court level.
Mediation
Mediation, arbitration and negotiated resolution with a clear view of the alternative.
Enforcement
Enforcing judgments and orders once they have been obtained.
Strategy
Early case assessment: what the dispute is worth, what it will cost and how it is likely to end.
Defamation & reputation
Defamation, urgent takedowns, confidential information and media response when your standing is at risk.
Defamation & reputation
Defamation, urgent takedowns, confidential information and media response when your standing is at risk.
Reputational matters move faster than ordinary litigation and are judged in public as well as in court. The first 48 hours usually determine the shape of everything that follows, which is why the advice needs to be available immediately and delivered plainly.
Defamation
Concerns notices, defences and proceedings – acting for both publishers and those defamed.
Urgent takedowns
Removal of damaging online material and dealings with platforms.
Confidentiality
Protection of confidential information, trade secrets and misuse by former insiders.
Media
Pre-publication advice and responses to journalists on deadline.
Privacy
Misuse of private information, surveillance and harassment.
Strategy
Coordinated legal and communications strategy, so neither undercuts the other.
Employment & workplace law
Employment contracts, dismissals, restraints, investigations and workplace compliance, for employers, executives and employees.
Employment & workplace law
Employment contracts, dismissals, restraints, investigations and workplace compliance, for employers, executives and employees.
Employment matters are rarely only legal. They involve people, timing and reputation, and the right answer is usually the one that resolves the situation without creating the next one. Our team acts for employers, for senior executives and for employees, which means we understand how each side reads the same set of facts.
Executives & employees
Employment contracts, incentives, terminations and negotiated exits, at senior level and across the workforce.
Claims
Unfair dismissal, general protections, adverse action and discrimination claims, brought or defended.
Restraints
Restraint of trade, confidential information and post-employment competition.
Investigations
Workplace investigations and complaint handling conducted so the findings hold up.
Whistleblowers
Whistleblower protections, disclosure handling and associated risk.
Compliance
Modern awards, entitlements, policies and enterprise agreements.
Whistleblower protection
Protected disclosures, reprisal claims and whistleblower programs, for individuals and organisations.
Whistleblower protection
Protected disclosures, reprisal claims and whistleblower programs, for individuals and organisations.
Speaking up about misconduct is protected by law, but the protections only apply when a disclosure is made in the right way, to the right recipient. We advise individuals before they raise concerns and after things become difficult, and we help organisations build whistleblower programs that meet their obligations and treat disclosures properly when they arrive.
Protected disclosures
Advice before you speak up – whether the disclosure qualifies for protection, who to make it to and how to document it.
Reprisals & detriment
Acting where a whistleblower has been dismissed, sidelined or otherwise disadvantaged, including compensation claims.
Corporate whistleblower policies
Policies and programs that meet Corporations Act requirements, and training for the officers who receive disclosures.
Investigations
Handling a disclosure once it arrives – confidentiality obligations, investigation design and reporting.
Regulator engagement
Disclosures to ASIC, APRA and other regulators, and responding when a regulator follows one up.
Public sector disclosures
Public interest disclosures under Commonwealth and NSW schemes.
Class Actions
Representative proceedings for groups who have suffered the same loss, and defence of them for respondents.
Class Actions
Representative proceedings for groups who have suffered the same loss, and defence of them for respondents.
A class action lets many people with the same grievance bring one case, so that a loss too small to litigate alone can be pursued together. We act for group members and lead applicants in shareholder, consumer, product and employment claims, and for organisations facing them. In both roles the early work is the same: assessing whether the claim is viable, how it should be structured and what it is realistically worth.
Viability assessment
Whether a group claim exists, who is in the group and what it is worth before anything is filed.
Shareholder claims
Continuous disclosure and misleading conduct claims against listed companies.
Consumer & product claims
Defective products, unfair contract terms and systemic overcharging affecting many customers.
Employment claims
Underpayment and misclassification claims brought on behalf of a workforce.
Funding & structure
Litigation funding, common fund orders and the arrangements that make a class action possible.
Defence
Acting for respondents: strategy, group definition, security for costs and settlement approval.
Corporate & commercial law
Business structures, transactions, shareholder agreements, tax structuring and the contracts that hold a business together.
Corporate & commercial law
Business structures, transactions, shareholder agreements, tax structuring and the contracts that hold a business together.
Whether you are acquiring, selling, restructuring or simply putting stronger foundations under a growing business, the legal work is only useful if it serves the commercial objective. We advise founders, boards and management teams on the decisions that shape a business – and on the documents that hold those decisions together.
Transactions
Acquisitions, sales and joint ventures – from term sheet and due diligence through to completion.
Commercial agreements
Supply, distribution, services and licensing agreements drafted to be used, not filed away.
Structuring & capital
Entity structuring, shareholder and unitholder agreements, capital raising and succession planning for privately held businesses.
Governance
Board processes, directors’ duties and the practical decisions that keep a company in good standing.
Tax
Tax-effective structuring, transaction tax advice and dealings with the ATO, alongside your accountants.
Exit
Exit strategies and pre-sale preparation, so value is realised rather than negotiated away.
Board & strategic advisory
Ongoing counsel to boards and leadership teams on the decisions that fall between formal engagements.
Board & strategic advisory
Ongoing counsel to boards and leadership teams on the decisions that fall between formal engagements.
Some clients do not need a matter opened – they need a considered second opinion from someone who already understands the business. We act as ongoing counsel to boards and management teams, available for the decisions that fall between formal engagements.
Board counsel
Attendance at board meetings and advice on decisions before they are made.
Risk
Identifying legal and commercial risk early enough to do something about it.
Deal support
Strategic input on transactions, negotiations and counterparties.
Crisis
Immediate counsel when something has gone wrong and the response matters.
Relationships
A senior point of contact who knows the history and does not need briefing.
Coordination
Managing specialist advisers so the advice arrives joined up.
Property & leasing
Sales, purchases, commercial and retail leases, developments and property disputes, from contract to settlement.
Property & leasing
Sales, purchases, commercial and retail leases, developments and property disputes, from contract to settlement.
Property transactions are unforgiving about detail. Terms that seem administrative at exchange become expensive at settlement, and leases are read most closely when the relationship has soured. We work through the documents properly, before they bind you.
Acquisitions & sales
Contract review, negotiation and settlement for commercial and residential property.
Leasing
Retail and commercial leases, agreements to lease, assignments and surrenders.
Development
Development agreements, off-the-plan sales and project documentation.
Due diligence
Title, planning and contractual due diligence before you are committed.
Disputes
Rent reviews, make good, breach and termination disputes.
Security
Mortgages, caveats and protecting an interest in land.
Intellectual property
Trade marks, copyright, confidential information and the licences that put them to work.
Intellectual property
Trade marks, copyright, confidential information and the licences that put them to work.
Intellectual property is usually the part of a business that is hardest to replace and easiest to lose control of. We help clients identify what they own, register and record it properly, license it on terms that hold, and act quickly when someone else starts using it.
Trade marks
Clearance searches, applications, oppositions and enforcement in Australia and through overseas agents.
Copyright
Ownership, moral rights, licensing and infringement claims over written, visual and software works.
Confidential information
Trade secrets, know-how and the agreements and injunctions that keep them contained.
Commercialisation
Licensing, assignment, distribution and franchising arrangements that put IP to work.
Employment and IP
Ownership of work created by employees and contractors, and restraints that survive departure.
Enforcement
Cease and desist correspondence, takedown action and proceedings where infringement continues.
Regulatory & compliance
Regulator notices and investigations, privacy and professional conduct matters.
Regulatory & compliance
Regulator notices and investigations, privacy and professional conduct matters.
Regulatory exposure rarely arrives with warning. It arrives as a notice, an audit, or a question from a regulator that has to be answered carefully and quickly. We help clients respond, and – more usefully – build the systems that make the next notice easier to deal with.
Regulatory notices
Responding to statutory notices, requests for information and investigations, including ATO audits, objections and tax disputes.
Compliance programs
Practical compliance frameworks scaled to the size and risk profile of the organisation.
Privacy
Privacy Act obligations, data handling, breach response and notification.
AML/CTF
Customer due diligence, reporting obligations and AUSTRAC engagement.
Professional standards
Disciplinary matters and professional conduct proceedings.
Governance advice
Board reporting, delegations and the documentation that evidences a considered decision.
Banking & finance
Loan and security documents, enforcement, financial services disputes and fraud recovery, for lenders and borrowers.
Banking & finance
Loan and security documents, enforcement, financial services disputes and fraud recovery, for lenders and borrowers.
Finance documents allocate risk in ways that only become visible under pressure. We act on both sides of the lending relationship, which gives a realistic view of how a facility will be enforced and where a borrower actually has room to move.
Facilities
Loan and facility documentation, review and negotiation.
Security
Mortgages, general security agreements, guarantees and PPSR.
Enforcement
Default, enforcement and possession proceedings.
Disputes
Financial services disputes, including AFCA complaints and proceedings.
Fraud recovery
Tracing and recovery where funds have been misappropriated.
Regulatory
Responsible lending, credit licensing and conduct obligations.
Debt recovery & enforcement
Demands, recovery proceedings and enforcement, with a view to keeping the customer where that matters.
Debt recovery & enforcement
Demands, recovery proceedings and enforcement, with a view to keeping the customer where that matters.
Recovery is a commercial exercise. The objective is payment, not correspondence, and the approach should reflect whether you intend to keep working with the debtor afterwards. We calibrate accordingly and escalate only when escalation is the shortest route.
Demands
Letters of demand and statutory demands that are drafted to be acted on.
Proceedings
Recovery proceedings in the appropriate jurisdiction, run to a budget.
Security
PPSR registration, guarantees and securing exposure before it becomes a debt.
Enforcement
Garnishee orders, writs, examinations and bankruptcy or winding up.
Disputed debts
Where the debt is contested, resolving the underlying dispute.
Systems
Terms of trade and credit processes that reduce the next problem.
Insolvency & restructuring
Directors’ duties, restructuring, creditor strategy and recovery actions, for directors, creditors and practitioners.
Insolvency & restructuring
Directors’ duties, restructuring, creditor strategy and recovery actions, for directors, creditors and practitioners.
Distress compresses the time available to make decisions that cannot be undone. We advise directors on their duties and their options, creditors on their position, and insolvency practitioners on the conduct of appointments and recovery actions.
Directors
Duties, insolvent trading exposure, safe harbour and personal risk.
Restructuring
Informal workouts, restructuring plans and voluntary administration.
Creditors
Proofs of debt, committee representation and creditor strategy.
Practitioners
Advice to liquidators and administrators on appointments and investigations.
Recovery actions
Unfair preferences, uncommercial transactions and voidable claims.
Disputes
Winding up applications, set aside applications and related litigation.
Insurance & liability
Coverage disputes, liability defence and recovery actions, for insurers and insureds.
Insurance & liability
Coverage disputes, liability defence and recovery actions, for insurers and insureds.
Insurance is a contract, and like any contract it is only as good as the way it is read when something goes wrong. We act on coverage and liability matters for insurers and for insureds, and advise on the risk decisions that sit behind them.
Coverage
Policy interpretation, coverage opinions and disputes over indemnity.
Liability
Defence of liability claims across public, product and professional lines.
Recovery
Subrogated recovery actions and contribution claims.
Claims strategy
Early assessment, reserving input and resolution strategy.
Disputes
Proceedings against insurers, brokers and other participants in the chain.
Risk advice
Contractual risk allocation, indemnities and insurance clauses reviewed before they matter.
Personal injury & compensation
Workers compensation, motor accident and CTP, medical negligence and public liability claims.
Personal injury & compensation
Workers compensation, motor accident and CTP, medical negligence and public liability claims.
After a serious injury the legal process is one more thing to manage at the worst possible time. Our role is to take that weight, explain what is realistic, and pursue the entitlement without turning the process into a second ordeal.
Workers compensation
Statutory benefits, disputes and work injury damages claims.
Motor accidents
CTP claims, statutory benefits and common law damages.
Common law
Negligence claims where another party is responsible for the injury.
Medical negligence
Claims arising from treatment that fell below the required standard.
Work health & safety
WHS investigations, prosecutions and regulator engagement.
Disputes
Insurer decisions reviewed, disputed and where necessary litigated.
Wills, estates & estate disputes
Wills, powers of attorney, probate and estate administration, and family provision and contested-will claims.
Wills, estates & estate disputes
Wills, powers of attorney, probate and estate administration, and family provision and contested-will claims.
An estate plan is a set of instructions that will be read when you are not there to explain them. We draft them so they are difficult to misread, and act for executors and beneficiaries when an earlier plan has left questions unanswered.
Wills
Simple and complex wills, including testamentary trusts and blended family arrangements.
Powers of attorney
Enduring powers of attorney and appointments of enduring guardian.
Succession
Business and asset succession coordinated with the estate plan rather than beside it.
Estate administration
Probate, letters of administration and the executor’s duties through to distribution.
Estate disputes
Family provision claims, contested wills and challenges to capacity or undue influence.
Trusts
Establishing, varying and administering trusts, including for beneficiaries who need protection.
Family law
Separation, parenting arrangements, property settlement and financial agreements, resolved with as little escalation as possible.
Family law
Separation, parenting arrangements, property settlement and financial agreements, resolved with as little escalation as possible.
Family matters are litigation of a particular kind: the parties usually have to keep dealing with each other afterwards. We advise on separation, parenting and property with that in mind, and litigate properly when agreement is not available.
Separation
Divorce, separation and the immediate decisions that follow.
Parenting
Parenting arrangements, consent orders and disputes about children’s living arrangements.
Property settlement
Division of property, superannuation splitting and financial disclosure.
Agreements
Binding financial agreements before, during and after a relationship.
Court proceedings
Applications and hearings in the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia.
Urgent applications
Recovery orders, injunctions and applications where safety or assets are at risk.
Criminal law & defence
Police interviews, bail, hearings, trials and appeals, from the first contact through to sentence or acquittal.
Criminal law & defence
Police interviews, bail, hearings, trials and appeals, from the first contact through to sentence or acquittal.
A criminal matter is often shaped long before the hearing, by the decisions made in the first days: what is said to police, what is preserved, and what is conceded. We are available at that point, and we appear in each jurisdiction the matter may take.
Police interviews
Advice before you are interviewed, and attendance with you when you are.
Bail
Bail applications and variations, prepared to succeed at first instance.
Local Court
Defended hearings, pleas and sentencing in the Local Court.
Indictable matters
Committals and trials on indictment in the District and Supreme Courts.
Traffic & licence
Drink driving, licence appeals and serious traffic offences.
Appeals
Conviction and severity appeals, and reviews of sentence.
Speak with our team
Every enquiry is handled in confidence by a senior lawyer.