New Chambers has been ranked as Band 3 in the Chambers & Partners Asia-Pacific Dispute Resolution: The Bar in Australia Legal Rankings. It was noted that:
New Chambers is a Sydney set home to over 50 barristers, practising in over 50 practice areas and appearing in court, administrative tribunal and public inquiry proceedings and a variety of alternative dispute resolution processes across Australia and abroad. The chambers’ versatile offering includes strong concentrations of expertise in the financial services and insolvency spheres, and its members include a star of the appellate Bar and pre-eminent providers of advice and advocacy on taxation and shipping issues. Interviewees are quick to praise the exceptional quality of the advocacy and advice that the set offers, one stressing the presence of “real standout superstars in tax and employment,” and another noting more broadly that “the quality of counsel is such that you can’t go wrong.” A third speaks of “a very strong set from the top barristers with leading individual status down to the newest juniors” and of “a great diversity of backgrounds not seen in some other sets,” summing up: “It’s a go-to set to find a team who know and like working with each other and who bring strong legal skills and an ease of working not seen at other sets.” Clerk Michael Wilcox is a recommended contact.
Furthermore, 12 of our barristers were specifically named in the individual rankings:
Dispute Resolution: The Bar
David Jackson AM QC – Star Individual
David Jackson QC is regularly identified by sources as Australia’s pre-eminent appellate silk, with an unrivalled record of High Court practice. Interviewees continue to acclaim him as a “terrific appellate counsel,” one simply noting: “He is fantastic.” In addition to his appellate work at both state and Commonwealth levels, he is also a popular choice to head high-profile inquiries and a highly experienced arbitrator.
Neil Young QC – Star Individual
Neil Young QC has long been regarded as one of Australia’s leading corporate silks, with expertise and experience spanning the widest range of practice areas, being particularly noted where corporations law, trade practices and taxation issues and matters before the Courts of Appeal are concerned. Interviewees confirm that “he would be regarded as one of the best counsel in the country” and that “his extensive experience as an appellate advocate is highly valued.”
David McLure SC – Band 4
David McLure SC is active across an impressive range of practice areas, including, but by no means limited to, those of corporate crime, financial services, insolvency, taxation and shipping. He is praised by one source for his ability “to deal effectively with complex legal arguments while providing advice which also addresses the numerous commercial issues that arise,” while another calls him “thorough and strategic” with “a surgical mind that’s very good for difficult and highly sensitive matters.”
Sonia Tame – Band 3
Sonia Tame focuses principally on corporate commercial disputes incorporating financial services, regulatory or contentious contractual components. A number of interviewees emphasise the point that, having been a solicitor, “she came to the Bar very experienced,” with ready-made “excellent judgement.” A source who calls her “exceptional on all fronts” and “a future leader of the Bar without a doubt,” adds: “Her years as a solicitor and partner in a big law firm mean that, in addition to first-rate advocacy skills, she is client-friendly and understands commercial drivers better than less experienced juniors. Clients love working with Sonia.”
Employment: The Bar
Kate Eastman AM SC – Band 1
Kate Eastman SC brings some 30 years of experience to the comprehensive range of employment law matters she handles for individuals and both public and private sector organisations, often in the Federal Court or before other tribunals at state or Commonwealth level. Commentators describe her as “a leader in the discrimination area,” and she also draws praise for her work when instructed in connection with key inquiries, including Royal Commissions.
Restructuring/Insolvency: The Bar
Adam Bell SC – Band 2
Adam Bell SC maintains a broad commercial practice within which restructuring and insolvency issues feature significantly and acts extensively on behalf of both liquidators and receivers. Interviewees recommend him for “matters of the more complex kind” in the space, one remarking: “He is a very fine, insightful barrister with an incredible attention to detail and I consider him to be a very, very safe pair of hands.”
Emma Beechey – Band 2
Emma Beechey is highly experienced in the representation not only of leading liquidators and insolvency practitioners but also of major banks, and also offers noteworthy experience of having acted on cross-border insolvency mandates. Instructing solicitors testify extensively to her popularity, one noting that she “gets great reviews from everyone,” while another calls her “an absolute go-to for many people in our team.” She also wins praise for being both “good technically and a good advocate who doesn’t get rattled before the judges.”
Shipping: The Bar
Gregory Nell SC – Band 1
Gregory Nell SC devotes the greater part of his practice to maritime law issues, an area in which he has worked for nearly 40 years and continues to receive universally laudatory feedback from interviewees for his unrivalled knowledge and experience. One commentator identifies him without hesitation as “the very best shipping barrister in Australia by some margin,” while another testifies: “Greg has an incredible knowledge of shipping and trade matters and is one of my first choice barristers when it comes to complex shipping and trade disputes. He is extremely thorough and great to work with.”
Catherine Gleeson – Band 1
Catherine Gleeson devotes a substantial proportion of her practice to shipping matters, notably including cargo, delay and demurrage claims, and is widely regarded as a barrister of increasing prominence in this highly specialised space. One interviewee says: “She is the go-to junior counsel in Sydney for shipping or maritime-related matters and may be briefed with regard to a complex matter and manage without a leader. She’s also a really great team player, smart and hard-working.”
Jesse Kennedy – Band 1
Jesse Kennedy ‘s close focus on maritime issues forms a substantial component of a practice largely concerned with international disputes, an aspect of his work which instructing solicitors operating in the shipping space find particularly helpful. He is praised as “one of the best junior barristers” in his field, being both “able to grasp complex legal issues quickly” and “great to work with,” and further noted for his “good insights in terms of the likely legal outcome.”
Tax: The Bar
David Bloom QC – Band 1
David Bloom QC has acted on behalf of both taxpayers and the taxation authorities for some four decades and continues to appear in key appellate cases considered by the High and Federal Courts. Instructing solicitors revere him as “an encyclopedia of tax knowledge” who can “answer just about any question,” one observing: “It’s important to have someone of his stature to give robust advice – and then offer a solution as well!” He is further described as “meticulous, efficient and a pleasure to work with.”
Chris Peadon – Band 1
Chris Peadon‘s broad tax law practice embraces mandates both for taxpayers and for the ATO and incorporates noted expertise in transfer pricing and the taxation of capital and revenue and foreign investments. Interviewees rate him, not only as “a good sort of person to have on the team for large matters,” but also as a “very experienced junior barrister” who combines a hands-on approach with “a similar level of experience and expertise to, and a lot of the softer skills of, a QC.”
Congratulations to all the New Chambers members for their recognition.
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