Australia

Bird & Bird’s dispute resolution team provides excellent intellectual property services, particularly in the technology, media and telecommunications sectors. Besides these, the team is active in general commercial disputes including cross-border matters. The team also has substantial experience representing clients at leading arbitral institutions such as the International Chamber of Commerce, London Court of International Arbitration and the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes. IP specialist Jane Owen is a key figure of the firm who covers a wide range of IP disputes with extensive experience litigating in the life sciences patent arena. The firm handled several complex intellectual property disputes across diverse sectors. In a patent appeal before the Federal Court of Australia, the firm represented Abbey Laboratories in challenging Elanco Australasia's patent application for a sheep dip product.

Client feedback

“They are technically very strong, very responsive and good at project managing cross boarder responses.” – Intellectual property

Julie Cheeseman

“She is a very strong technical lawyer, but also take the time to understand client's businesses, which means the quality of her advice is excellent. Julie is very nice, a pleasure to deal with, and a great communicator.”

Gilbert + Tobin is renowned for handling complex, strategically significant, and bet-the-company disputes across the commercial, financial services regulatory, and class action arenas. The firm also has deep experience in participating in Australia's highest levels of public inquiry. The team is particularly active in advising Royal Commissions, both government bodies and the organizations being scrutinized. Richard Harris leads a team of 11 partners and specializes in commercial disputes, including class actions and regulatory compliance. Key figures to note include Dianne Banks, Kate Harrison, Philippa Hofbrucker and Crispian Lynch. In a landmark regulatory case, the firm successfully defended Auto & General Insurance in Federal Court proceedings brought by Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) challenging a term in its home and contents insurance product disclosure statements.

Client feedback

"They are commercial in their approach to resolution and were extremely responsive." – Commercial and transactions

Philippa Hofbruker

"Philippa is thoughtful in her responses, friendly, and always happy to help."

Janet Whiting

"Known for her strong communication skills and ability to build trust."

With offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, boutique intellectual property firm Griffith Hack specializes in all areas of IP and is one of the most active IP litigation firms by the number of IP cases before the Federal Court or IP Australia. Kellie Stonier heads the firm’s Law & Trademarks team. She is an enforcement committee member of the International Trademark Association (INTA), and a national committee member for the Intellectual Property Society of Australia & New Zealand and the Business Law Section of the Law Council of Australia. Emma Mitchell is the non-traditional marks committee member of the INTA. Derek Baigent and Leanne Oitmaa are other key partners to note. In an intellectual property dispute, the firm is representing Sony Interactive Entertainment against an authorized dealer of PlayStation products.

Herbert Smith Freehills boasts a substantial dispute resolution practice with over 1,000 fee earners across 27 offices, renowned for exceptional capabilities in government and regulatory, intellectual property, and class action disputes. The team consistently handles Australia's most complex litigation mandates, with notable partners like damian grave leading commercial and class action work, and jason betts and luke hastings specialising in regulatory issues. Their expertise extends to cross-border litigation, demonstrating sophisticated capabilities in managing high-stakes international legal challenges across multiple jurisdictions, with a particular strength in representing complex corporate disputes involving significant regulatory and environmental considerations.

Marque Lawyers presents a focused dispute resolution practice comprising 11 partners and over 50 lawyers specializing in complex litigation domains, with key partners Damian Sturzaker, Michael Bradley, Nathan mattock, and Kiera peacock leading significant legal challenges. The firm's litigation expertise is exemplified by a sensitive international aviation matter involving anonymous applicants challenging a major airline and aviation authorities. Stemming from a deeply troubling 2020 Doha Airport incident where passengers were subjected to invasive examinations, the proceedings investigate potential human rights violations and institutional accountability. By addressing complex legal questions around cross-border passenger rights, the case represents an important challenge to potential misconduct in international travel contexts, attracting substantial international legal attention.

Mills Oakley’s commercial dispute resolution team is composed of 19 partners and 52 qualified lawyers across five offices throughout Australia. The team is well versed in commercially significant and high-profile commercial disputes, including class actions, investigations and royal commissions, across a broad range of industry sectors.

Some key partners of the team include Darren James, Andrew Brown, Stuart Walter, Dale Cliff, Graham Maher, Brendan Taylor and Mark Wenn.

Among the commercial disputes, the firm acted for MSS Securities in its defence of class action proceedings brought against it in respect of claims by the relatives of over 840 persons who died after being infected with Covid-19, and over 22,000 Australians infected with Covid-19, following outbreaks of the coronavirus in the Victorian State Government hotel quarantine programme. This was one of the first class action proceedings to emerge from the outbreaks of Covid-19 from the quarantine programme. The proceeding was very high profile, attracting ongoing media and government interest.

Another ongoing matter sees the firm acting for RP Data in a breach of copyright case related to photographs of residential property across Australia as they appear on the RP Professional and realestate.com.au webpages. The outcome of the appeal has the potential to dramatically change the property data landscape in this country if all historical photographs of residential property need to be removed.

In October 2022, the firm hired Ben Patrick from Patrick and Associates as partner.

Marina Square Retail, Nissan Financial Services Australia, Quest Serviced Apartments and Real Estate Tool Box are key clients.

Phi Finney McDonald, a class action boutique law firm established in 2017, specializes in complex large-scale litigation across institutional investor disputes. Founded by leading class action lawyers ben phi, Tim Finney, and Odette McDonald, the firm represents significant global clients including major pension schemes, sovereign wealth funds, and investment platforms. The firm's profound expertise in class action litigation is exemplified by a groundbreaking climate change case representing First Nations leaders from the Torres Strait in a landmark action against the Commonwealth of Australia. Challenging governmental inaction on climate change impacts, the proceeding alleges breach of duty to protect indigenous culture and environment from rising sea levels, potentially establishing critical precedents for environmental protection and indigenous rights while drawing substantial international legal attention to climate crisis challenges.

Client feedback

"Unparalleled dedication to client needs, with expertise in class actions and litigation in general. They are extremely responsive, well-versed in the federal court process, and available to meet client needs, often at short notice. The firm excels in cross-cultural communication, is well-respected, and develops highly productive working relationships with counsel." – Class actions

Brett Spiegel

"Extremely responsive and excels at strategic litigation. Brett is an excellent communicator, including in cross-cultural communication with First Nations clients. He demonstrates expertise in class actions and court procedures and is highly skilled at relationship development."

IP specialist firm Spruson & Ferguson acts in a range of IP infringements and is experienced in defending breaches of consumer protection provisions and trade secrets. The firm has deep expertise in the information technology, telecommunications, mining, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and consumer goods sectors. IP litigator Katrina Crooks is the principal and head of the firm. She has a particular interest in the life sciences sector, acting for numerous global leaders in pharmaceuticals, animal health, food tech, nutraceuticals, medical devices and biotechnology. Francesca Colubriale is another name to note for trademark disputes. In a high-stakes intellectual property dispute, the firm is representing Hytera Communications Corporation in a complex multi-jurisdictional litigation involving copyright allegations with Motorola Solutions.