Corrs Chambers Westgarth‘s commercial litigation team is a ’well-oiled machine‘. Led by ’standout litigator’ Mark Wilks in Sydney, it acts for a range of banks, energy and resources companies and government entities, and emphasises its lawyers' trial advocacy strength. Wilks’ practice focuses on financial services and resources disputes, especially those which are of particularly high value. Also in Sydney, Simon Johnson and senior associate Frieda Chan form a ‘dream team’ for commercial disputes, with notable strength for both in the technology space, while James Whittaker is adept at corporate and white-collar crime work; the former is also an area of expertise for David Anthony. Perth’s Kirsty Sutherland is noted for her capability in large-scale disputes in the energy and natural resources sector, acting for both Australian and global mining and energy companies.

Legal 500 Editorial commentary

Testimonials

Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.

'The team communicates well and provides advice that is balanced and takes account of cultural issues in different organisations.'
'Simon Johnson and Frieda Chan are basically a dream team for handling commercial disputes. Simon is unflappable in a crisis, and his deftness in dispute handling strategy can make even the most dire situation feel calmly surmountable. Frieda, similarly, is an even keel, giving excellent and thorough commercial advice. She easily sees through to the heart of the issues and how to resolve them in the most effective manner.'
'The Dispute resolution team at Corrs provide expert and timely advice. The team are always available and deliver advice that integrates client strategy with legal nous. The team is particularly conscious of providing support that is culturally sensitive and are open to engaging with clients to ensure their services are tailored to exactly what the client needs.'
'The Corrs litigation practice are recognised as market leaders in this area. They routinely work on high profile and extremely complex matters and have the depth to manage multiple large matters at any one particular time.'
'Mark Wilks is a standout litigator with exceptional commercial nous. For someone working on some of the largest and most complex matters in the country, Mark is always approachable and down to earth. He has a presence that commands the room which is extremely useful when negotiating/settling outcomes on matters.'
'The team is excellent. It is a well-oiled machine.'
'Chris Pagent is a deep thinker who is also highly commercial, and achieves great results. Katrina Sleiman is an excellent junior partner, meticulous grasp of the detail, very easy to work with. Frieda Chan is a very high performing senior member of the team, capably takes the running on complex and high value cases.'
'The team at Corrs are extremely responsive and have a depth of resources available to address any problem at any time. There is never any hesitation for the primary partner to dial in other parts of the team where needed.'

Key clients

Meta Platforms, Inc (Meta)
Hancock Prospecting Pty Ltd
Google
National Australia Bank (NAB)
Members Equity Bank Limited
Victoria Environment Protection Authority

Work highlights

Representing Meta (Facebook) in its defence of a class action claim brought on behalf of members of the cryptocurrency industry alleging that Meta and Google engaged in cartel conduct.
Defending Hancock Prospecting, Australia’s largest private company, in multiple high stakes disputes worth A$30-40bn.
Advising search giant Google to defend the company in a landmark piece of litigation commenced by Epic Games, the $30bn gaming leader responsible for the popular “Fortnite” game.

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