Commercial litigation & dispute resolution

Clients benefit from our commercial litigation and dispute resolution experience across a diverse number of industries. Whenever appropriate, we strive to settle disputes before they become litigious. We maintain a clear focus on the required outcome, while working through a strategic dispute resolution process that is both practical and collaborative.

We have significant experience in acting and advising on:

• complex contract disputes;
• Corporations Act issues;
• partnership disputes;
• class action litigation;
• joint venture and shareholder disputes;
• technology disputes;
• white collar and commercial fraud investigations and litigation;
• injunctions;
• asset tracing; and
• retail and brand disputes.

How our clients benefit

We ensure that appropriate resources are used to manage the litigation and to maintain the balance of providing exceptional personal service with expert legal advice. Our smaller size means we can provide more focused team supervision, resulting in more efficient and proactive management of clients’ cases.

Our rates are competitive, making us an attractive alternative to many larger law firms. We work closely with clients to manage risk, identify potential problems and provide appropriate solutions to resolve issues expeditiously.

Recent experience

We have successfully represented:

• over 800 group members in relation to a failed debenture scheme. We achieved a settlement of $28,158,500 which resulted in a net return to debenture holders from the proceeding of between 30.2 and 34.3 cents in the dollar. It is our understanding that this net return to individual debenture holders is a record return to group members from a class action relating to a failed debenture scheme;
• over 200 group members in relation to a failed Note scheme. We achieved a settlement of $11,000,000 which resulted in a net return to Note holders from the proceeding of between 24.86 and 41.26 cents in the dollar. It is our understanding that this net return to individual Note holders is a record return to group members from a class action relating to a failed Note scheme;
• over 900 group members in the failed Provident Capital debenture scheme. We achieved a settlement of $15,750,000 for more than 900 group members who suffered substantial losses resulting from the collapse of Provident Capital;
• a US Court appointed receiver in recovering monies the subject of fraud from an offshore bank account;
• one of Australia’s largest meat wholesalers in relation to a contractual dispute with a supplier;
• a company in Supreme Court Commercial List proceedings in defence of a claim that certain assets of the company were being held on constructive trust for the plaintiff;
• a major water regulator in defence of a negligence and breach of contract claim;
• an international corporation pursuing recovery of monies owed to it following contract breaches and fraud by directors of another company.
• a number of clients regarding financial guarantees provided by them in relation to a failed pharmacy business;
• a multinational corporation during a major product recall; and
• numerous pharmacists in relocation disputes.

We are presently assisting classes of debenture holders in three separate class actions with respect to failed debenture schemes.