Stephen practises in the Supreme and Federal Courts throughout Australia in most areas of commercial law, but particularly in contractual disputes and claims for misleading or deceptive conduct.
In more than 20 years at the Bar, Stephen has extensive experience in acting for major corporations in significant and long-running complex commercial disputes, for example acting:
- For CITIC Ltd and related corporations since 2012 in numerous related proceedings in Western Australia in the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal against Mineralogy Pty Ltd and Clive Palmer concerning the Sino Iron Project, including a 33 day trial of one of those proceedings in 2022;
- For Viterra Ltd and related corporations between 2014 and 2022 in a proceeding in the Supreme Court of Victoria brought by Cargill Australia Ltd concerning a sale of business, including a trial of 113 days in 2018 and 2019; and
- For Rio Tinto Ltd and related corporations between 2007 and 2013 in proceedings in the Australian Competition Tribunal, Federal Court, Full Federal Court and High Court brought by Fortescue Metals Group Ltd concerning access to rail infrastructure, including a 42 day hearing in 2009 and 2010.
Stephen has appeared in a number of other significant trials and appeals, and he regularly provides advice in relation to commercial and regulatory issues. In addition to commercial clients, he has also acted for the ACCC, the AER and ASIC. He is currently acting for ASIC in relation to a number of proceedings arising out of the collapse of the Shield Master Fund; and for Paper Australia (Opal) in its claim against the State of Victoria following the end of white paper production at its Maryvale Mill.
His particular areas of interest include competition, conflicts of laws, contracts, corporations, equity and trusts, mining, energy and resources, restitution and superannuation.
Prior to coming to the Bar, Stephen obtained a Bachelor of Civil Laws degree from the University of Oxford, where he studied conflicts of laws, corporate insolvency and restitution. He is also a former editor of the Melbourne University Law Review. He was a Senior Associate in the litigation department of Arthur Robinson & Hedderwicks (now Allens), and an associate to the former Chief Justice of the Federal Court, the Honourable Michael Black AC KC.
Stephen regularly works as part of a large team with other counsel, solicitors and client representatives. He enjoys working with others, and had seven readers before taking silk. He acts diligently and with dedication, and seeks to proffer strategic solutions, in order to obtain the best possible results for his clients.
*Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards legislation