Over the last year, Australia has charted a record-breaking year for class actions - from unprecedented settlements to landmark High Court rulings, and a record number of new filings. Gain an expert strategic view of the state of the market for class actions and a review of major decisions and their implications. Secure analysis from experienced class action experts on everything from pleadings to quantification of damages from both the plaintiff and defendant perspectives. Take away tips and traps in class action practice. To ensure that you are set to be a part of the growing number of class actions in Australia.

Presenters

Angela Pearsall, Partner, Ashurst
Angela specialises in large-scale commercial litigation and class actions, as well as contentious regulatory litigation and investigations. Angela regularly handles complex financial reporting litigation, having acted for global accounting and auditing firms for more than a decade. She has led litigation including class actions arising out of major corporate collapses, IPOs, capital raisings, complex financial instruments and regulatory obligations. She regularly represents banks, large corporates, preeminent global accounting and auditing firms and directors.


Jason Betts, Partner, Global Co-Head of Class Actions, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer
Jason is widely regarded as one of Australia’s leading class action, regulatory investigation and product liability specialists. He has over 25 years’ of litigation experience and has defended the largest class actions and investigations in the Australian market. He is one of the few Australian defence lawyers to have run a class action to final trial and judgment, and is the only Australian lawyer to win two shareholder class actions at trial (on behalf of Worley and Iluka). Jason also led the defence of two of Australia’s largest ever product liability class action cases, and acted for the defendant in the seminal Australian decision on third party litigation funding in Australia – Campbells Cash and Carry Pty Ltd v Fostif Pty Ltd. Jason is a Visitor to the University of Sydney Law School, teaching the post-graduate course “Class Action Litigation in Australia”. In 2022 Jason co-authored the third edition of the leading class actions text book in the country, “Class Actions in Australia”. He obtained his Master of Laws from the University of Virginia, specialising in class action defence theory.

Jeremy Zimet, Principal Lawyer, Phi Finney McDonald
Jeremy is a highly experienced litigator, with a significant track record in commercial litigation and class actions. Jeremy specialises in shareholder and consumer law class actions and has had care and conduct of more than a dozen class actions across the Federal Court and Supreme Court jurisdictions, acting for thousands of claimants in complex, multi-party disputes. Jeremy is also a media and communications law expert, who has advised and acted for high profile individuals, government ministers, directors and companies throughout Australia, on matters relating to defamation/libel, reputational risk management, pre-publication advice and privacy law.

Ian Bolster, Partner, Ashurst
Ian is the head of our tier 1 Australian dispute resolution and class actions practices. He has acted on some of the country's most complex and high-profile matters, and is known for being incisive, commercial, pragmatic and easy to work with. Legal 500 recognises him as a leading individual in class actions, Doyle's Guide lists him as a leading class action lawyer, and he is also ranked in Chambers and Partners. Legal 500 describes him as "an absolute standout", "exceptional as a litigator" and "a trusted adviser", and Chambers similarly describes him as "an outstanding litigator". Ian's current matters include class actions for Woolworths, McDonald's, Rio Tinto, University of Sydney, Plus500 and the Commonwealth.

Greg Williams, Group Lead Partner, Clayton Utz
Greg Williams is an experienced litigation lawyer and partner of Clayton Utz' , litigation and dispute resolution group. , His litigation experience spans product liability claims, commercial disputes, , restitutionary claims and equitable remedies. He is internationally , recognised as an expert in the conduct of complex litigation and in the , strategic management of class actions and is listed in the International , Who's Who of Product Liability Defence Lawyers. Greg has acted or , advised clients in relation to a number of large class actions or grouped , proceedings and other complex litigation numerous jurisdictions., In 2009 Greg acted as junior counsel to Peter Garling SC (now the , Honourable Justice Garling) in a three month Federal Court trial in the Vioxx , class action. More recently he led CBA's defence team in the Storm class , action trial in the Federal Court in Brisbane, in which judgment is currently , reserved.

Katherine McCallum, Special Counsel, Maurice Blackburn
Katherine McCallum is an experienced Special Counsel in our class actions team in Sydney. Katherine has a Bachelor of Arts and Sciences from the University of Sydney and a Juris Doctor (Honours) from the University of New South Wales. Katherine is currently working on the car loan flex commission class actions. She has previously worked on the: NSW junior doctors class action, which was brought on behalf of junior doctors against NSW Health for allegedly unpaid entitlements. The parties reached an in-principle settlement of $229.8 million in 2024. If approved by the Court, the settlement will be the highest settlement in an underpayments class action in Australian history. Montara oil spill class action, which was brought on behalf of Indonesian seaweed farmers against a petroleum exploration and production company for loss caused by a major oil spill in the Timor Sea. The lead applicant succeeded at trial and the proceeding subsequently resolved for $192.5 million in 2023. DePuy knee implants class action, which was brought on behalf of people surgically implanted with failed prostheses against the manufacturer and distributor of those prostheses. Katherine also advises Greenpeace Australia Pacific Limited.

Jonathan Wertheim, Practice Leader – Class Actions, Shine Lawyers
Jonathan is a seasoned litigator with over 15 years of experience in complex commercial disputes and class actions. He has a particular focus on securities class actions and has been involved in running some of the most high-profile matters in Australia, including two securities claims that have progressed to initial trials and one that has been the subject of appellate decisions following the first instance judgment. Jonathan also has experience managing multiplicity disputes and is currently working in co-operation with other major firms on a number of consolidated class actions in the Federal Court of Australia and the Supreme Court of Victoria.