Tessa practises in commercial and public law, working with clients across a range of sectors, particularly in the mining, energy, infrastructure and banking and finance sectors.

Since coming to the Bar in 2020, Tessa has acted for both private sector and government clients in matters involving:

• Contract disputes, interpretation and enforcement
• Trade practices, unconscionable conduct, and misleading or deceptive conduct disputes
• Regulatory matters involving ASIC and the ACCC
• Restraints of trade
• Workplace investigations
• Complex statutory interpretation in a variety of contexts
• Judicial and merits review of government decisions, including in the areas of taxation, environment, planning, compulsory acquisition of land, and workplace safety
• Negligence
• Alleged contraventions of the Victorian Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities
• Constitutional law

Tessa draws upon her experience as a Senior Associate in the commercial litigation group at Allens, where she worked on large-scale commercial, tax and regulatory proceedings, and as a Principal Solicitor in the public law team at the Victorian Government Solicitor’s Office, where she advised on all aspects of administrative decision-making, constitutional law and statutory interpretation. She has also practised as a solicitor with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in London and Tokyo and has worked in-house as a secondee to the regulatory and compliance team within ANZ Bank.

Tessa read with Emrys Nekvapil.  Her senior mentor was her Honour Orr JA (as the then Solicitor-General for Victoria).

Some of Tessa’s recent matters include:

• Mt Cottrell Properties Pty Ltd v Minister for Environment S ECI 2022 01774 (reserved, led by Lisa Hannon KC) — challenge to the compulsory acquisition of land 
• Dridan v Stockyard Hill Wind Farm [2024] VSC 91 (led by David Batt KC) — application for strike out of nuisance claim
• Dridan v Stockyard Hill Wind Farm [2024] VSC 773 (led by David Batt KC) — application for split trial of nuisance claim
• Medibank Private Ltd v Australian Information Commissioner (2024) 301 FCR 517 (led by Frances Gordon KC) —interaction between class action proceedings and regulatory investigation; contempt
• Official Trustee v Shaw (No 4) [2024] FCA 1345 and (No 5) [2024] FCA 1490 (led by Oren Bigos KC) — effect of discontinuance on extant interlocutory application for an inquiry under Div 90 of the Insolvency Practice Schedule (Bankruptcy)
• Wilkinson v Commissioner of State Revenue (Review and Regulation) [2024] VCAT 807 (led by Kateena Gorman SC) — review on objection to assessment of duty under the sub-sale provisions of the Duties Act 2000 (Vic)
• Official Trustee in Bankruptcy v Shaw (No 3) [2023] FCA 1178 (led by Christopher Brown KC) — authority of the Official Trustee under the Bankruptcy Act 1966 (Cth) to apply for a vexatious proceedings order
• Wilson v State of Victoria [2023] FCAFC 204 (led by Liam Brown SC, then Crown Counsel for Victoria) — constitutional law, administrative law
• Mondib Group Pty Ltd v Coral Rise Pty Ltd [2023] VSCA 237 (led by Susan Brennan SC) — judicial review of planning decision
• Zeally Investments Pty Ltd v Minister for Planning [2023] VSC 755 (led by Susan Brennan SC) — judicial review of planning decision
• ACCC v SmileDirectClub LLC [2022] FCA 1343 (led by Nicholas De Young QC) —misleading or deceptive conduct
• Bob Brown Foundation Inc v Minister for the Environment (No 2) [2022] FCA 873 (led by Kathleen Foley SC) – application of the precautionary principle under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Cth)

*Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards legislation

Areas of Practice

Cases