Dispute Resolution - Australia
What the team is known for
Arnold Bloch Leibler offers a highly regarded, independent practice, long renowned for its representation of high net worth and other prominent individuals and increasingly seen handling matters for leading corporates, including high-profile regulatory investigations and prosecutions, where it attracts specific praise for its familiarity with Royal Commission processes. The team is active for both defendants and plaintiffs in class actions and valued by clients for its combination of a boutique-style approach to service with a readiness to engage with large and complex issues, notably including those involving high levels of reputational risk. It is particularly admired for its handling of insolvency-related matters, robust advocacy on behalf of clients and employment of small, carefully selected teams to manage mandates with maximum efficiency. Notable clients include Aveo Group, the Major Transport Infrastructure Authority and Rolleston Coal.
Strengths
"Arnold Bloch Leibler are highly effective, strategic, and offer a very high level of advice to manage complex issues with a commercial approach. They are very outcome-focused and strong at reaching and exceeding expectations."
"The depth of expertise and experience of its partners are apparent and they are accessible and responsive to any requests for advice or assistance, often going above and beyond to assist. The partners have detailed knowledge of our business and have built personal relationships with key stakeholders."
"The team brought not only excellent service levels and impeccable responsiveness, but a genuine concern and compassion."
Work highlights
Arnold Bloch Leibler acted for two former senior executives of Deutsche Bank in criminal proceedings commenced by the ACCC alleging criminal cartel conduct in connection with a AUD2.5 billion institutional placement of ANZ shares in 2015.
Notable practitioners
Jonathan Milner, based in Sydney, stands out for his representation of individual businesspeople in a variety of contentious or potentially contentious contexts, including regulatory investigations, class actions and criminal prosecutions. "Jonathan Milner is experienced and highly capable."
Susanna Ford's background as a former official in the Commonwealth Attorney-General’s Department is acknowledged by market sources to give her an uncommon advantage in the disputes space, where she is active across a wide range of investigatory and contentious mandates. "She's client-focused and savvy. Susanna understands the law but knows that litigation and finding solutions to difficult situations is as much an art, and that's a craft which she has mastered."
John Mitchell represents both individual executives and companies in high-stakes cases, including regulatory investigations and class actions. He is based in Sydney. "John is very good, especially for individual directors."
Leon Zwier leads the practice from the Melbourne office, acting across the full range of issues handled by the team and regularly taking the helm on key mandates. "His knowledge for the intricacies of the matter, the external factors that may influence the outcome and the law are incomparable. He made everyone involved feel comfortable that they were being looked after and guided us through what could have been a very difficult matter." "Leon is a sophisticated operator and formidable adversary."