Paul has a broad commercial practice, with over 20 years of experience acting in major commercial litigation in both Australia and London.
He has particular expertise in:
- class actions, in particular in continuous disclosure class actions, and superannuation matters
- regulatory proceedings (both for and against regulators), in particular matters involving cybersecurity, directors’ duties, consumer protection, superannuation and industrial / union matters
- directors’ duties and corporations / insolvency matters
- sale of business cases
- banking and finance litigation
- trade practices / consumer protection
- legal professional privilege disputes
- construction and engineering disputes (including arbitral proceedings)
- professional negligence
Paul has regularly been recognised in Doyle’s Guide for both Commercial Litigation and Insolvency & Restructuring, and also Best Lawyers in Australia for litigation.
Paul graduated BCL with distinction from the University of Oxford, including being awarded the Allen & Overy prize for Corporate Insolvency Law. He attained first class honours in law at the University of Melbourne, and was an Editor of the Melbourne University Law Review.
From 2004-2008 Paul was a Senior Associate at Herbert Smith (now Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer) in London. Prior to that he was a solicitor at Mallesons Stephen Jaques (now King & Wood Mallesons).
Example recent cases
Class Actions
- Toyota diesel emissions class action: ongoing (eg. [2024] VSC 269)
- OnePath Superannuation class action – Janssen v OnePath Custodian Pty Ltd (settled, Federal Court)
- Fonterra class action (incl. Iddles v Fonterra Australia Pty Ltd [2021] VSC 609): breach of contract / misleading conduct / unconscionable conduct
- Myer shareholders class action: continuous disclosure / misleading conduct
- TPT Patrol Pty Ltd v Myer Holdings Limited (2019) 293 FCR 29
- Melbourne City Investments Pty Ltd v Myer Holdings Limited (2017) 43 VR 709
- Melbourne City Investments Pty Ltd v Myer Holdings Limited (No 2) [2016] VSC 655
- Vocation class action: continuous disclosure (acting for partners of Johnson Winter & Slattery)
- Banksia class action and related proceedings: misleading conduct / breach of Corporations Act general conduct obligations / breach of trust
- Australian Funding Partners Ltd v Botsman [2019] HCA Trans 102
- Botsman v Bolitho (2018) 57 VR 68
- Re Banksia Securities Limited (No 2) [2018] VSC 47
- Banksia Securities Limited v The Trust Company [2017] VSC 583
- Re Banksia Securities Limited (Rec & Mgr appt) [2017] VSC 148
- Casey landfill class action: negligence / nuisance
- Wheelahan v City of Casey [2012] VSC 10
Regulatory proceedings
- ASIC v HSBC Australia Limited (ongoing, Federal Court): cybersecurity / scams
- ASIC v ANZ Banking Group Limited: continuous disclosure
- Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited v ASIC [2024] FCAFC 128
- ASIC v Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited (No 3) [2023] FCA 1565
- ASIC v Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited (No 2) [2023] FCA 1217
- ASIC v Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited (2019) 138 ACSR 42; [2019] FCA 964
- ASIC v Retail Employees Superannuation Pty Ltd [2024] FCA 1081: superannuation
- ASIC v RI Advice Group Pty Ltd: cybersecurity
- ASIC v RI Advice Group Pty Ltd (2022) 160 ACSR 204; [2022] FCA 496
- ASIC v RI Advice Group Pty Ltd [2021] FCA 1193
- Registered Organisations Commissioner v Australian Workers’ Union & Cesar Melhem: contraventions of Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009
- Registered Organisations Commissioner v Australian Workers’ Union (No 2) [2020] FCA 1148
- Registered Organisations Commissioner v Australian Workers’ Union [2019] FCA 1852
- ASIC v Mariner Corporation Limited (2015) 241 FCR 502; [2015] FCA 589: directors’ duties
Sale of business cases
- Pact Group Industries (ANZ) Pty Ltd v TIC Group Pty Ltd (ongoing, Supreme Court of Victoria)
- Australian Money Exchange Pty Ltd (in liq) v Llewellyn & ors – arising from a sale of a short term loans and cheque cashing business (eg. [2024] VSC 207)
- Gecko Australia Pty Ltd v Montagnese – arising from the sale of the New Age Caravans business (eg. [2022] FCA 488)
- Lochard Energy (Iona Operations Holding) Pty Ltd v EnergyAustralia Investments Pty Ltd – arising from the ~$2 billion sale by EnergyAustralia of the Iona gas facility
- Lochard Energy (Iona Operations Holding) Pty Ltd v EnergyAustralia Investments Pty Ltd [2018] VSC 539
General
- Mishra v NBN Co Ltd [2024] VSC 146
- Jess & Jess (No 10) [2023] FedCFamC1F 1013
- Bianco (Trustee), in the matter of the bankrupt estate of Jones (Deceased) (No 2) [2022] FCA 1470
- McDermott and ASIC [2020] AATA 3362
- Re Freestyle Technology Limited (admins apptd) [2020] VSC 36
- Midland Metals Overseas Pte Ltd v Powercor Network Services Pty Ltd (No 2) [2019] VSCA 90
- DC Payments Pty Ltd v Next Payments Pty Ltd [2016] VSC 315
- Tabcorp Holdings Limited v Victoria (2016) 328 ALR 375; [2016] HCA 4
- Vic Hotel Pty Ltd v DC Payments Australasia Pty Ltd (2015) 321 ALR 191; [2015] VSCA 101
*Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards legislation
