Gain high level update on legislative reforms and recent cases related to the key areas commercial litigators need to be on top of in 2023. You’ll examine legislative changes relating to creditor defeating dispositions and unreasonable director related transactions. Plus be updated on ACCC reforms and their regulatory focus for 2023, developments in defamation, class actions and litigation funding. Finally, gain your core CPD points while examining case valuations, ethics, & working with experts.

Presenters

Aaran Johnson, Partner, Marsdens Law Group
Aaran is the Partner in charge of Marsdens Law Group's Dispute Resolution & Litigation Department. Aaran holds Master of Laws Degree, majoring in Commercial Litigation, and is a Law Society of NSW Accredited Specialist in Commercial Litigation. Aaran conducts a general litigation practice with expertise in the areas of infrastructure, building and construction (including the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act), Contract law, Defamation, the Australian Consumer Law, Property, Debt and Equity, Intellectual Property, as well as Insolvency and Corporations Law. Aaran has conducted litigation in the Federal, Supreme, District and Local Courts, Specialist Tribunals and more particularly specialist Commercial, Corporations and Technology and Construction Lists of those Courts and Tribunals.


Angela Pearsall, Partner, Clifford Chance
Clifford Chance partner Angela Pearsall has extensive experience in litigation and dispute resolution. She specialises in large-scale commercial litigation and class actions and acts for global and regional clients in litigated and non-litigated disputes, class actions, and internal and regulatory investigations. Angela's experience spans corporations law and regulatory issues, directors' duties, contract, misleading and deceptive conduct, professional indemnity claims and fraud. Prior to joining Clifford Chance, Angela was a partner at a leading International firm.


Mr. David Jury, Partner, HWL Ebsworth
David has practised in building and construction industry for 25years and has particular expertise in adjoining land owner issues including proceedings under section 88K of the Conveyancing Act. David’s clients include, Contractors, Developers and specialist subcontractors. David provides advice on tendering, project delivery, contract administration and dispute resolution including processes under the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act.


Beth Oliak, Barrister, Frederick Jordan Chambers
Beth is a barrister and maintains a general commercial practice, with particular expertise in intellectual property, unfair trade practices, real property, corporations law and equity (including probate and succession). Admitted to the Bars of New South Wales, New York and California, Beth has acquired significant international experience through her many years practicing intellectual property litigation at major New York Law firms prior to relocating to Australia. She also has substantial experience in appellate matters, having appeared in a number of different courts of appeal, including the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court of NSW, the Full Federal Court of Australia, the Full Family Court of Australia and the US Court of Appeals for the Federal, Second and Fourth Circuits. Beth lectures in Intellectual Property for the LEC Course at the University of Sydney and is the NSW examiner for that subject for the LPAB. She regularly delivers papers and presentations on legal developments in her practice areas. Beth holds a Juris Doctorate from Washington University in St Louis School of Law and a Bachelor of Electrical Engineering from Northwestern University.


Anne Freeman, Partner, Piper Alderman
Anne is an experienced dispute resolution lawyer who partners with clients to achieve the best and most efficient outcomes when disputes arise. Anne has represented large multi-nationals, as well as smaller corporations and individuals. She has acted in a wide range of commercial disputes including representing parties in a Royal Commission, and in Courts and Tribunals of all levels in a number of Australian states, as well as in the United Kingdom. Anne has acted for both claimants and defendants in commercial and other class actions. She regularly advises clients on contractual obligations and possible actions against contracting parties, including actions for breaches of legislation, such as the Competition and Consumer Act and the Corporations Act and in negligence, as well as defending clients against such claims. Anne also has expertise in prosecuting and defending professional indemnity claims and claims on insurance. Anne has run litigious matters for clients from a range of sectors and industries, including energy and resources, health, transport, wine and retail. She has managed cases arising from complex construction and procurement contracts, and property acquisitions, and disputes arising from joint venture relationships. Anne’s experience includes a range of alternative dispute mechanisms, including mediation, expert determination and arbitration. Anne is on the editorial panel for LexisNexis Competition and Consumer Law News, to which she regularly contributes.


Kate Sambrook, Partner, Piper Alderman
Kate specialises in major commercial, corporate and insolvency litigation. In this last 10 years, Kate has acted in a range of high profile and complex disputes involving ASX listed companies, financial services providers and high net worth individuals. Her practice area includes regulatory, corporate and commercial disputes and litigation with a particular focus on contractual and transactional disputes, corporations legislation, competition and consumer legislation, securities litigation, disputes concerning alleged breaches of trust and fiduciary duties, and representative (class action) proceedings for both plaintiffs and defendants. With class actions now well-recognised as a leading avenue for dispute resolution in Australia, Kate’s practice focuses on plaintiff class action work, seeking to enhance the protection of rights and access to remedies by members of Australian society who would otherwise be denied redress as a result of the wrongful acts and conduct of large financial institutions and other corporate entities.


Colin Brown, Partner, O’Neill Partners Commercial Lawyers
Colin specialises in the areas of insolvency and reconstruction and commercial litigation. A member of the Australian Restructuring Insolvency and Turnaround Association (ARITA), Colin acts for secured and unsecured creditors, commercial entities, administrators, liquidators, bankruptcy trustees and other insolvency practitioners across a range of industry sectors, as well as advising individuals, boards and company directors on all aspects of insolvency law. Colin also acts for private and corporate clients involved in a broad range of commercial disputes, particularly in respect of contractual and commercial transaction, resolving a number of large and complex commercial disputes for the firm’s clients.


Carolyn Oddie, Partner, Allens
Carolyn Oddie has over 20 years of experience advising on competition and regulatory issues in Australia and South East Asia. She is recognised by Chambers Asia-Pacific 2016 as a leading competition law practitioner. Carolyn specialises in: Australian Consumer Law, advertising and marketing issues and advertising clearance; Mergers, acquisitions and joint ventures; Structuring of alliances and advising on business conduct including authorisations and notifications; Cartel immunity applications, investigations by the ACCC and other regulators and Competition and consumer litigation by the ACCC and third parties;. Carolyn's recent experience includes; acting for ASX listed Recall on the competition review of its $3.4 billion acquisition by NSYE-listed Iron Mountain Incorporated; Metal Manufactures on clearance if its acquisition of 44 Cetnaj electrical wholesale and lighting stores; Foxtel on its acquisition of up to 15% of Network Ten, 24.99% of MCN by Network Ten and associated arrangements; Acting in a major ACCC and NZCC investigation in the manufacturing industry including allegations of cartel conduct and dawn raids; Acting for Uber in relation to ihail's application for authorisation of a joint venture between taxi companies to launch the ihail smartphone app; acting for Uber in an Advertising Claims Board case regarding NSW taxi council advertising; acting for Scoopon in the ACCC investigation and subsequent Federal Court proceedings in relation to allegations of misleading and deceptive conduct and defending Emirates in proceedings commenced by the ACCC alleging that Emirates participated in a global air cargo cartel.


Tannu Gagguturu, Associate, Bird & Bird
Tannu is an Associate within the Dispute Resolution group specialising in media and technology disputes and commercial litigation. His litigation and technology experience includes acting for one of the world's largest electronics manufacturers in relation to regulatory issues under Australian law and advising and acting on behalf of organisations affected by cyber security/data attacks, including at the stage of initial exposure and in subsequent proceedings. In the defamation space, he has acted in a number of high-profile cases in Australia's Federal Court. He regularly monitors and advises on developments in defamation law (including the recent defamation reforms in Australia), and writes on legal developments in this area. Tannu is focused on working with his clients in a strategic, collaborative and sensible way in order to help them achieve desired outcomes. Prior to joining Bird & Bird, he worked at another international law firm in the defamation and insurance litigation team, where he acted for insurers and their insureds in a variety of disputes.


Naomi Griffin, Partner, Clifford Chance
Naomi Griffin specialises in commercial dispute resolution. She has experience in large-scale litigation and class actions, as well as contentious regulatory litigation and investigations, commercial and contractual disputes, misleading and deceptive conduct, professional indemnity claims, insolvency and fraud. She represents preeminent global accounting and auditing firms, large corporates and financial institutions. Naomi joined Clifford Chance as counsel in October 2019. Naomi was a senior legal project manager with Clifford Chance, London and the investigations team of a global bank in London from 2016 to 2019. For the 12 years prior to this, Naomi was a senior associate at Ashurst in the commercial litigation group. Naomi has an MBA from Warwick Business School, a Masters of Law from UNSW and a Bachelor of Science/Laws from the University of Newcastle.