Commercial Litigation
Hugh Scott, Malcolm Stewart and Peter Speed are well known for their high degree of dedication, intellectual input, strategic analysis and rigorous control of issues for clients involved in commercial litigation. Working with Ben Giles Charles Suttie, the litigation team has been involved in some of the biggest and most complex commercial cases in Australia. Hugh, Malcolm and Peter have enormous experience and skill in the Federal Court of Australia, the Supreme Court of New South Wales, the Court of Appeal, the Land and Environment Court and have succeeded in establishing several landmark decisions in the High Court. Speed and Stracey's ability to deliver successful outcomes is reflected in our list of reported judgments - Click to view.

Corporate and Securities
Grae McKenzie has a high reputation in this area for comprehensive proactive advice and achieving excellent results for his clients. He works with Robert Licuria. The firm acts for leading stockbrokers, underwriters, and fund managers and advises on a full range of corporate and securities issues including floatations, share issues, compliance issues and schemes of arrangement. Grae is considered by his legal peers as a problem solver. Grae McKenzie and Robert Licuria have recently worked on a number of highly complex securities transactions, providing sophisticated advice on corporate restructuring, mergers and acquisitions.

Corporate Taxation
The firm has a specialist tax practice group comprising, Robin Speed and Daniel Appleby and one associate Karl Sorensen. Robin Speed is widely recognised as one of Australia’s leading corporate taxation lawyers with a large and complex practice in corporate and international taxation for some of Australia's leading corporations. Robin Speed and Daniel Appleby act for major Australian public companies, publicly listed trusts and large private groups. Daniel Appleby has worked with Robin Speed for over ten years and now has established his own excellent reputation. They provide advice on a full range of issues on corporate taxation in Australia and international corporate taxation as well as tax planning and structuring, commercial and financial transactions. The tax group act on large tax audits and tax litigation. The group is pro-active in the development of taxation law in Australia and frequently obtain Class Rulings and Private Tax Rulings from the ATO on new areas of taxation law, as well as seeking changes to the tax laws.

Employment and Workplace law
Malcolm Stewart looks after the employment and workplace law issues. Malcolm has acted and advised many senior executives and major corporations in the resolution of employment termination issues and in cases before the Industrial Relations Commission. Clients of the firm are involved in all areas of preparation and interpretation of employment contracts, unfair dismissal allegations, occupational health and safety issues, and litigation and dispute resolution arising out of those factors. The firm has been involved over the last few years in various landmark cases in this area.

Planning and Environment
Hugh Scott and Peter Speed have a great deal of experience and a strong reputation with planning and environment law. The firm deals with new development projects, zoning and environmental planning and assessment issues, redevelopment projects, complex Building Code of Australia audits, the utilisation and transfer of heritage floor space and air space, hotel and residential apartment projects, industrial projects, large scale intensive rural farming properties, and shopping centre redevelopments.

Property Law
Bruce Stracey and Grae McKenzie head up the property services group and together with Robert Licuria, have a strong reputation in this area of adding value to projects. The property law team has a specialist property services group which handles complex issues associated with commercial and private property law. The property team does not handle routine procedural property work, but focuses on solving complex land disputes for clients. In particular, the property team has succeeded in establishing a landmark decision in the High Court of Australia over a land valuation dispute. The team is known for its sensible and pragmatic commercial advice in this area.

Trade Practices
Peter Speed provides advice on a full range of trade practices issues which include Part IV Restrictive Trade Practices and Part V Consumer Protection. Sophie Hunt assists Peter with conducting market analysis, research and providing advice on complex competition law issues. The trade practices team has been involved in a large number of litigation and tribunal matters for major corporate clients and have provided a numerous range of submissions to the ACCC which include, compliance programs and authorisation for clients. The trade practices team was also involved in the national review of the Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cth) and submitted to the Dawson Review a proposal to reform the law of mergers and acquisitions.