Archives

Michael Gvozdenovic



Michael was admitted to practice in 2019 and called to the Bar in 2023.  He accepts briefs in all areas of law, with a particular focus on commercial, competition and consumer, intellectual property, and corporations law.

At the Bar, Michael has advised and appeared, both led and unled, for commercial and public sector clients in State and Federal Courts, including in class actions, appellate, and regulatory matters.  Before being called to the Bar, Michael practised at Herbert Smith Freehills, Clifford Chance, and Clayton Utz, and in 2020 was the Associate to the Hon Justice Wigney of the Federal Court of Australia.

Michael has an extensive academic background.  He holds a Master of Laws (James Kent Scholar) from Columbia Law School, where he studied on a Fulbright Scholarship, and a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and Bachelor of Economics from the University of Sydney, where he remains an Adjunct Senior Lecturer.  His academic writing, including a two-volume competition law text, Current Issues in Competition Law (The Federation Press), has been cited by the Federal Court of Australia.

Michael is recognised in Doyle’s Guide as a Recommended Competition Law Junior Counsel, Australia (2024).

Timothy Smartt



Tim accepts brief in all areas of law, but the focus of his practice is commercial and defamation matters.

Before coming to the Bar, Tim was tipstaff to the Hon Justice Brereton AM RFD of the Supreme Court of NSW, the Associate to the NSW Attorney General and a solicitor in the commercial litigation team at Corrs Chambers Westgarth. He has also lectured criminal law at the University of Sydney and is currently a contributor to Robson’s Annotated Corporations Legislation.

Tim holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Sydney, and a Bachelor of Science (Psychology) and Bachelor of Arts (Economics and Plan II Honours) with Highest Honours from the University of Texas at Austin. At university, Tim won a number of academic prizes, including the Governor-General’s Prize in 2016.

Bradley Smith



Bradley has a broad practice and accepts briefs in all areas of civil law.  He has particular experience in commercial law, corporations law, insolvency, real property, equity, insurance law and inquests.  He was admitted to the legal profession in 2018 and called to the Bar in 2020.

Prior to coming to the Bar, Bradley was a solicitor at King & Wood Mallesons where he worked on a wide range of commercial disputes, with a focus on corporate insolvency.  In 2017, Bradley was Tipstaff to the Honourable Justice Rowan Darke, the Real Property List judge of the Supreme Court of New South Wales.  At university, Bradley won a number of prizes including first place in corporations law and evidence law, as well as best oralist in the Australian rounds of the Jessup Moot.

Bradley holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Sydney.

 

 

Rico Jedrzejczyk



Rico Jedrzejczyk (pronounced “Yen-Jay-Chik”)

Rico was called to the Bar in 2012 and has a broad commercial and taxation practice. He is listed in Best Lawyers 2026 for Information Technology Law and Defamation and Media Law. He also appears in the Doyle’s Guide 2024 to the legal profession as leading junior counsel for Technology, Communications and Media matters.

Rico’s recent experience includes:

  • Acting for GetSwift Ltd in proceedings brought by ASIC and related shareholder class action.
  • Acting for the successful taxpayer, Mr Andrew Greig, in a Full Court appeal considering the application of the Myer Emporium principle to trading in listed shares.
  • Acting for insurers in proceedings arising out of a claim for indemnity in excess of $1 billion by parties involved in the Queensland floods class action litigation.
  • Appearing for the Seven Network in various matters, including proceedings arising out of the termination of the Yahoo!7 joint venture.
  • Acting for reinsurers in litigation concerning a $750 million claim by the National Australia Bank in respect of losses incurred in selling interest rate hedging products in the United Kingdom.

Rico regularly appears for taxpayers and the ATO in taxation matters.

Rico completed his law degree at Sydney University and has a Master of Laws from Columbia University in New York.

Dean Stretton



Professional Associations
New South Wales Bar Association

Prior Experience
Dean was admitted to practice in 2006 and worked as a Lawyer at Mallesons Stephen Jaques (now King & Wood Mallesons) in Canberra and as a Senior Associate at Henry Davis York in Sydney before being admitted to the NSW Bar in 2012.

Experience at the Bar
Dean appears regularly in interlocutory and substantive hearings in the Local, District, Supreme and Federal Courts across a range of practice areas including contract, tax, equity, negligence, misleading and deceptive conduct, and family provision.

Publications
“The Birth Torts: Damages for Wrongful Birth and Wrongful Life” (2005) 10 Deakin Law Review 319
“Wrongful Life and the Logic of Non-Existence” (2006) 30 Melbourne Law Review 972

Jason Spinak



Jason has a broad commercial practice. He has extensive experience in contractual and equity disputes as well as matters involving the Competition and Consumer Act, appearing on behalf of domestic and international litigants.

Education

University of NSW: Bachelor of Laws (Honours equiv.)

  • Butterworths Prize for Best Performance in Constitutional Law
  • UNSW Academic Paper Prize
  • First place in Contemporary Legal Theory

University of Sydney: Bachelor of Arts (First Class Honours in History)

Previous Experience

Prior to commencing practice at the Bar, Jason worked as a lawyer at Gilbert +Tobin; as a Tipstaff/Researcher to the Hon. David Ipp AO QC, former Judge of Appeal, Supreme Court of NSW; as a member of the Secretariat of the Commonwealth Review of the Law of Negligence; and as lecturer in law at the University of NSW Law School.
Jason also completed studies in Comparative and International Law at the Sorbonne, Paris.

Experience at the Bar

Cases of note include:

  • Appearing for Prysmian Power Cables & Systems Pty Ltd, the world’s largest electrical cable manufacturer in defending cartel and bid rigging proceedings brought by the ACCC: Australian Competition and Consumer Commission v Olex Australia Pty Ltd & Ors [2017] FCA 222.
  • Appearing for major wine producer Wine Insights in a dispute over a contract of supply: Wine Insights Pty Ltd v. OneBev Pty Ltd [2016] VCC 1603.
  • Appearing for Aldi Foods Pty Ltd in Supreme Court proceedings in 2014 for breach of contract arising from a development agreement: Aldi Foods Pty Ltd v Ifould Pty Ltd.
  • Appearing for global foreign exchange company the Change Group International Plc in a passing-off and misleading and deceptive conduct case against a competitor: Change Group International Plc v City Exchange Mart Pty Ltd [2013] FCA 1048; The Change Group International Plc v City Exchange Mart Pty Ltd [2012] FCA 1188.
  • Appearing for the plaintiff in a dispute over the sale and dissolution of a joint venture maritime business: Antzen Pty Ltd v Mastercraft Marine Pty Ltd and Ors [2013] NSWDC 124.
  • Appearing for Lifehealthcare Distribution Pty Ltd in Supreme Court proceedings for damages for breaches of the Fair Trading Act 1987 and breach of warranty arising from the sale of shares in a medical device supplier: LifeHealthcare Distribution Pty Ltd v Stewart Nicholas and Ors [2011] NSWSC 661.
  • Appearing for Aldi Foods Pty Ltd in Supreme Court proceedings for alleged breaches of s 52 the Trade Practices Act 1974 arising from failed lease negotiations with a supermarket developer: BBB Constructions Pty Ltd v Aldi Foods Pty Ltd [2010] NSWSC 1352 and on appeal BBB Constructions Pty Ltd v Aldi Foods Pty Ltd [2012] NSWCA 224.
  • Appearing for a Federal Member of the House of Representatives against whom injunctive relief was sought pursuant to s 383 of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918, to restrain the distribution of postal voting application material during the 2010 Federal Election: Peebles v Honorable Tony Burke [2010] FCA 838; Peebles v Honorable Tony Burke (No 2) [2010] FCA 861.
  • Appearing for the NSW Trustee and Guardian in respect of the liability of an incoming tutor for the costs associated with the previous tutor’s tenure: Al Mousaway bht Imelda Margaret Dodds v Howitt Stevens Construction Pty Ltd & Ors (No 2) [2010] NSWSC 1398.
  • Appearing in the NSW Court of Appeal, in an appeal against a finding that during negotiations for the sale of a magazine business the appellant vendors engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct: Culligan and Anor v Aco Pty Ltd [2009] NSWCA 290.
  • Appearing for a national real estate agent in a dispute over an agent’s authority to accept less than a 10% deposit on a Contract for Sale of Land: Markson v Cutler and Anor [2007] NSWSC 1515; (2007) 13 BPR 25,127; and on appeal to the Court of Appeal: Vameba Pty Ltd v Markson [2008] NSWCA 266.
  • Appearing for a discretionary beneficiary seeking to prevent the dissipation of trust assets arising from a complex securitization scheme: Crossman v PILT Nominees [2009] NSWSC 393; Crossman v PILT Nominees Pty Ltd [2008] NSWSC 557; PILT Nominees v Baltarna [2009] NSWSC 656.

Publications
“Common Law Liability of Clubs for Injury to Intoxicated Patrons”: Cole v South Tweed Heads Rugby League Football Club Ltd” (with Rosalind Dixon) University of New South Wales Law Journal, Vol 27 No 3 2004 pp 816-825. (Cited by the High Court in Roncevich v Repatriation Commission (2005) 222 CLR 115.)

Julian Sexton SC



Mr Sexton is listed in Doyle’s Guide 2024 as Leading Professional Indemnity Senior Counsel NSW and previously as Recommended Insurance Law Senior Counsel New South Wales.

He is also recognised in Best Lawyers in Australia 2026 for his work in:

  • Insurance Law
  • Class Action Litigation
  • Litigation
  • Shipping and Maritime Law

James Lee



James was called to the Bar in May 2013 after working for 18 months as tipstaff to the Honourable CRR Hoeben AM RFD, both in the Court of Appeal and in the Common Law Division of the Supreme Court of New South Wales.

James practices largely in common law and insurance.

Patrick Knowles SC



Memberships of Professional Associations:

  • New South Wales Bar Association
  • Australian Association of Constitutional Law


Experience

  • 2009 – Present: Barrister, 10th Floor Chambers
  • 2004 – 2009: Solicitor, Freehills (Commercial litigation group)
  • 2003 – 2004: Associate to the Hon. Justice Beaumont, Federal Court of Australia

 

Education

University of Cambridge – Master of Laws (First class)
Chevening Scholarship
Pegasus Scholarship
University of New South Wales – Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Laws

Lachlan Gyles SC



Lachlan Gyles SC is recognised in Best Lawyers Australia 2026 for his practice in Insurance Law, Sports Law, Litigation, Commercial Law and Personal Injury Litigation.

Best Lawyers Australia 2026 recognises him as “Lawyer of the Year” in Sports Law.

He is recommended in Doyle’s Guide as Leading Professional Indemnity Senior Counsel – New South Wales, 2024.

 

Charles Colquhoun SC



Charles has a broad commercial practice, including competition and consumer protection, corporations and insolvency, equity and trusts, insurance, professional negligence, banking law, property law and private international law.  Within these areas, he has worked extensively in commercial arbitrations, class actions and regulatory proceedings.

Charles holds a Master of Law from the University of Cambridge (with First Class Honours) and a Bachelor of Arts/Laws (with First Class Honours) from the University of Sydney.  Prior to coming to the Bar, Charles was a senior associate at Herbert Smith (now Herbert Smith Freehills) in London and a solicitor at Mallesons Stephen Jaques (now King & Wood Mallesons) in Sydney and worked as an associate at the Federal Court of Australia.

Charles is ranked in Chambers and Partners’ Asia-Pacific Guide 2025 in Dispute Resolution: The Bar.  He is also recognised in Best Lawyers 2026 in the categories of Class Action Litigation, Commercial Law and Litigation.  Charles has previously been listed in Doyle’s Guide as a Leading Commercial Litigation & Dispute Resolution Junior Counsel (NSW), Leading Class Action Barrister (Australia) and Leading Insolvency & Restructuring Junior Counsel (NSW).

Hilbert Chiu SC



Prior to commencing practice at the Bar, Hilbert was tipstaff to the Hon. Justice Peter Garling RFD in the Supreme Court of NSW. Before that, he worked as a solicitor at Freehills.

He is listed in Doyle’s Best Barristers Guide as: “Preeminent” Professional Indemnity Junior Counsel NSW 2023; “Leading” Insurance & Personal Injury Law Junior Counsel NSW 2023; and “Leading” Construction and Infrastructure Junior Counsel NSW 2024.

Hilbert is also recognised in Best Lawyers Australia 2026 for his practice in the areas of Insurance Law, Litigation, Medical Negligence, Personal Injury Litigation and recongnised as Best Lawyers Australia 2026 “Lawyer of the year” for Product Liability Litigation.