Commercial disputes

Leading Juniors
Leading juniors are those with significant experience of key cases, strong market recognition from both peers and clients, and are seen as future candidates for silk.
1
Tom Barry
Young's List Barristers
'Tom is always available to assist, and provides timely, measured and commercial advice.' 
1
Emma Beechey
New Chambers
‘Emma is a great black letter lawyer, and a lateral thinker. She also welcomes debate and discussion to refine ideas. On her feet, she builds an easy rapport with judges and is always listened to carefully.'
1
Jane Buncle
Omnia Chambers
‘Jane is an impressive advocate. She is well-prepared and confident in her delivery. She is increasingly briefed in matters both unled and led (and with a speaking role when led).’  
1
Melanie Cairns
Alinea Chambers
‘Melanie has a singular ability to identify the key issue in a complex dispute and structure the case around that issue. Her oral and written advocacy is direct, articulate and effective. She has the respect of the bench.'
1
Caspar Conde
New Chambers
‘Caspar has an excellent grasp of the legal principles relevant to class actions, and is always well prepared when appearing in court and during conferences. He is extremely diligent, provides excellent advice and forensic analysis, is very pragmatic and commercial, and his advocacy always has an air of common sense. Overall Caspar is a true pleasure to work with.' 
1
Courtney Ensor
New Chambers
‘Courtney is always very well-prepared and thorough. She has a strong work ethic and is a dream to work with.'
1
Sinclair Gray
12 Wentworth Selborne Chambers
'Strong commercial and practical advice that is related to solving the problem. Sinclair is also a fearless advocate running difficult points in a respectful and polite manner.'  
1
Catherine Hamilton-Jewell
Alinea Chambers
‘Catherine is the perfect mix of legal vigour and understanding the facts of the case to help steer through the most complex of matters.  She is not afraid to get her hands dirty and she is happy to continue to challenge positions until the best way forward is found. A really, really dependable pair of hands.'
1
Patrick Holmes
Alinea Chambers
‘Patrick is extremely hard working clever barrister; he has excellent attention to detail and is very precise in his advice but at the same time commercial in his approach.  He makes himself available to myself and the team and he is a go to counsel for advice, help on procedure and evidence.'
1
Jocelyn Jaffray
12 Wentworth Selborne Chambers
'Excellent knowledge of insurance and strong technical lawyer. Easy to work with and a positive member of the team. Good leader and strong advocate.' 
1
Jesse Kennedy
Eleven Wentworth Barristers
'Jessie is the rising star at the Sydney Bar. Very strong on the law, hard working and a team player.'
1
Sean Baron Levi
State Chambers
‘Great attention to detail. He has the ability to research and find compelling case law and authorities. Great advocacy skills and great with clients.’
1
Michael May
Level Twenty Seven Chambers
‘Michael is a clear, logical and intelligent thinker. The same can be said for his advocacy. His submissions are very clear and structured - and his advocacy reflects that approach to matters in which he is briefed.'
1
David Smallbone
Frederick Jordan Chambers
'He is sharp in all aspects, particularly in identify the issue, knowledge of the law, as well as in cross examination.'
1
Stewart Webster
Level Twenty Seven Chambers
‘Stewart is the leading junior barrister at the Bar in Queensland in commercial matters. He is a persuasive advocate, and capable of quickly transitioning to one of the leading commercial senior counsel in Queensland in the future.’
1
Tom O’Brien
Eleven Wentworth Barristers
'Tom is a robust thinker, a clear, concise and effective advocate and an energetic senior junior counsel.' 
1
Chris Peadon
New Chambers
‘Chris is a charismatic barrister with good commercial sense which helps navigates through complex disputes.'
1
Alan Shearer
Eleven Wentworth Barristers
'Alan is one of the best barristers in the country.  His written work is exceptional.  He is extremely responsive and accessible. He is very hardworking. He is an excellent advocate - flexible and able to tailor his approach to the demands of the judge, but also strong in the face of headwinds.'
2
Kate Anderson
Young's List Barristers
‘Kate is a very experienced counsel with strong strategic skills. She is hard working and ensures being across the detail of the matters she works on. She is an effective advocate with a direct and no-nonsense approach to advocacy.’
2
Amelia Avery-Williams
12 Wentworth Selborne Chambers
'Amelia's core strength is being on top of the detail of her briefs and being able to quickly identify the main issues in dispute to help either resolve cases or to come up with the best hearing strategy.'
2
Conor Bannan
12 Wentworth Selborne Chambers
'Conor is extremely calm under pressure. He is always well prepared and a pleasure to deal with at all times of the life cycle of a large matter.'  
2
Catherine Bembrick
5 Wentworth Chambers
‘Calm, considered and strategic. Catherine is always available and works flexibly around law firm needs. She is well respected by opposing counsel and judges actually listen to her.’
2
Tim Boyle
Eleven Wentworth Barristers
‘Tim is one of Sydney’s leading juniors. His work product is exceptional, including oral advocacy. He is highly skilled as a barrister, and also a delight to work with.’
2
Dominic Delany
Alinea Chambers
‘Dom is extremely bright, hard working, strategic.’  
2
David Harris
5 Wentworth Chambers
'David is very thorough and highly perceptive.'
2
Oliver Jones
Eleven Wentworth Barristers
‘Oliver is an accomplished advocate with a diverse practice. Oliver is good on his feet and has excellent written skills.’
2
Tamasin Jonker
Alinea Chambers
‘Absolute superstar, very hard working, incredibly smart. Willing to roll up her sleeves and do the hard work.'
2
Keni Josifoski
New Chambers
‘Keni is technically excellent, but also a safe pair of hands: he know how to manage a range of stakeholder interests, can work to a timetable and excels under pressure.'
2
Matt Karam
New Chambers
‘Matt is an extremely competent commercial barrister. He is technically thorough and takes a commercial approach to disputes.’
2
Nathan Landis
Francis Burt Chambers
‘Strong and effective advocate, especially in his ability to simplify in submissions complicated legal analysis (and the application of this to a complex set of facts). A skilled and disarmingly polite cross-examiner.’
2
Brendan Lim
Eleven Wentworth Barristers
‘Brendan is highly intelligent and an excellent advocate. His written submissions are very high in quality and he is very good on his feet.’
2
Karen Petch
New Chambers
‘Karen is technically excellent and extremely user-friendly. Karen's advocacy is measured and effective.'
2
Ben Petrie
Young's List Barristers
‘Ben is technically excellent and very good on his feet. He prepares well and works hard. His written work is excellent. He is commercial and user-friendly.'
2
Patrick Reynolds
Eighth Floor Selborne Chambers
‘Patrick is an excellent advocate who is confident and a tremendous communicator. He is quick to understand the facts of each matter and apply those facts to legal principles.’
2
Leanne Rich
Alinea Chambers
‘Leanne works harder than any barrister - her attention to detail is extraordinary.’
2
Philip Santucci
New Chambers
‘Philip is an excellent commercial barrister. Whilst being very technical, Philip adopts a commercial approach to achieve client's best outcomes and objectives.'
2
Sonia Tame
Omnia Chambers
‘Sonia is thorough, thoughtful and technically excellent – particularly with respect to financial services law. Sonia is responsive and engages with her solicitor teams effectively.’ 
2
Christina Trahanas
Omnia Chambers
‘Christina is a superb commercial junior with outstanding advocacy skills. Her unwavering commitment and ability to express very complicated technical and legal concepts in a clear, concise and persuasive way makes her particularly strong on technical issues.’
2
Derek Wong
Alinea Chambers
‘Derek is brilliant and a real team player. He is a safe pair of hands and can be trusted to provide excellent legal advice on complex matters. He does not shy away from difficult issues or hard work. As an advocate, and in supporting senior counsel, Derek is well-prepared and well-ordered.’
3
Jaye Alderson
State Chambers
‘Jaye is wonderful to work with.  Jaye is extremely dedicated and will always work to deadlines. Jaye has a wonderful bedside manner and is able to communicate with clients effectively and clearly.’
3
Thomas Bagley
Ninth Floor Selborne Chambers
'Tom's advocacy skills are outstanding, he is also able to make persuasive, succinct and accurate submissions. Tom's cross examinations are strategic, calm and deliberate. He is unfazed by unexpected events.'      
3
Andrew Bulley
5 Wentworth Chambers
‘Andrew’s advocacy is clear and concise.  He grasps understanding of the various matters quickly and offers clear and decisive solutions.’
3
Robert Carey
7 Wentworth Selborne
‘His strengths are his reliability and exercise of good judgement.’
3
Shaun Clement
Young's List Barristers
‘Shaun is a great advocate, renowned for his ability to articulate complex legal arguments with clarity, precision, and persuasive force.'
3
Anna Elizabeth
5 Wentworth Chambers
‘Anna is friendly and approachable counsel that views matters from a strategic and commercial aspect. Her written submissions always exceed expectations.’
3
Harriet Lenigas
Eleven Wentworth Barristers
‘Harriet is extremely hardworking and will not rest until deadlines are complied with. She has a receptive manner. She produces written work of a high quality.’
3
Callan Patrick O’Neil
12 Wentworth Selborne Chambers
'Callan is very easy to work with. He works well with junior solicitors and often provide helpful guidance and feedback.'
3
Eliot Lee Olivier
5 Wentworth Chambers
'Eliot's strengths include his attention to detail, responsiveness and quality of his written work. Eliot has a strong work ethic and is also very personable.'
3
Robert Pietriche
Omnia Chambers
‘Rob is a calm and capable advocate. He is a diligent barrister and is able to cut through to the heart of a tricky issue.’  
3
Penny Thew
State Chambers
‘Penny has laser-like focus on getting to the nub of issues in dispute and develop commercially pragmatic strategies, collaborating with instructing solicitors and her client every step of the way.’
3
Alexander Vial
5 Wentworth Chambers
‘Alex is extremely hard-working and diligent.  His written submissions are always well-argued and to the point.’
3
Matthew Youssef
12 Wentworth Selborne Chambers
‘Matt is an extremely hard working barrister who is able to stay calm under pressure and work through mountains of work. He can be relied on to deliver.’
4
Eli Ball
7 Wentworth Selborne
‘Eli is an effective and compelling advocate in both court hearings and alternate dispute resolution settings. He is reliable and has remarkable attention to detail.’
4
Eleanor Doyle-Markwick
Alinea Chambers
‘Eleanor is thoughtful, sharp and incisive and gets to the key legal issues very quickly. She is very responsive and easy to work with. She is very good on her feet – she is always well prepared and agile in response to questions from the bench.’ 
4
Talia Epstein
12 Wentworth Selborne Chambers
‘Talia is a very fine barrister. Her written work is of the highest calibre. She is a capable advocate in oral hearings and has the respect of all the judges before whom she has appeared.’
4
Dan Fuller
5 Wentworth Chambers
‘Dan has a fierce intellect, and superb at crafting winning arguments even when not working with the best evidence.’ 
4
Tim Hackett
Greenway Chambers
‘Tim is hard working and reliable. His knowledge of negligence and insurance is excellent and he is very helpful in preparing submissions, objections and other matters necessary for the trial.’
4
Nicolas Kirby
12 Wentworth Selborne Chambers
‘Very personable and easy to get along with, great communicator with the client which assists in client management, great at cross examination and submissions.’ 
4
Quintin Rares
7 Wentworth Selborne
‘He is responsive, smart and thorough and capable of thinking outside the box. He is a persuasive advocate and good on his feet.’ 
4
François Salama
13 St James Hall
‘Francois is an excellent barrister.  He has particular strengths in alternative dispute resolution and is notably calm, considered and sensible in mediations.’
4
Wai Kaey Soon
Frederick Jordan Chambers
‘Wai Kaey is thoughtful, insightful and ingenious in developing solutions to complex or difficult problems. He focuses on the important issues and has a good grasp of the academic and the practical.’
4
Jane Taylor
Eleven Wentworth Barristers
‘Jane is a measured, calm and clear advocate.  She is skilled at explaining complex matters in a simple and easy to understand manner and she does not get ruffled.’
4
Hamilton Zhao
Frederick Jordan Chambers
‘Hamilton has excellent analytical skills and an understanding of the key issues in dispute. He provides relevant and practical advice during the course of the matter.  He also provides technically correct answers and practical solutions when dealing with opposing and difficult legal counsel.’
Rising stars
Rising stars at the Bar are defined as barristers between four and eight years’ call who are seen as up-and-coming members of the Bar in their respective practice areas by clients and peers alike. They will already be instructed in high-profile, complex, and high-value contentious and non-contentious matters, working with and opposite more experienced leading counsel.
Ronny Chen
Frederick Jordan Chambers
'Very clever and hard working. Always well prepared and well organized. Reliable. An excellent junior.'  
Miles Foran
5 Wentworth Chambers
‘Miles’ strengths include his technical expertise, advocacy and strategy. Miles provides excellent strategic guidance.’
Anna Garsia
12 Wentworth Selborne Chambers
‘Anna is a pleasure to work with. She is courteous with all levels of the team and able to effectively manage solicitor and counsel teams to meet demanding deadlines.’
Winsome Hall
Alinea Chambers
‘Winsome has very strong forensic skills, with an ability to digest a large volume of information and complex facts including in areas involving medical/scientific expertise. She is an outstanding communicator and timely in her delivery of work product.’

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