Dispute Resolution: The Bar

Anthony Bannon SC commands respect at the Sydney Bar, being nearly as celebrated for his versatile general commercial practice as he is for his mastery of the full range of intellectual property work.

"Tony Bannon is amazing on his feet in IP litigation."

Brendan Sullivan SC is a highly respected player in the tax law space, with extensive experience representing both taxpayers and the tax authorities.

Frances St John is active across all the key intellectual property disciplines and regularly acts unled in superior court litigation.

"Her level of insight, technical knowledge and strategic thinking is outstanding."

"Frances is an amazing lawyer, gets right to heart of things and is a very good oral advocate."

John Hennessy SC offers some 25 years' experience, covering all areas of the discipline, at the intellectual property Bar, and enjoys a reputation as a silk of great strategic insight who is particularly well regarded for his handling of copyright and trade mark issues. His skills are particularly sought after where IP issues arising in the broadcast media sector are concerned.

"He is just exceptional at court craft."

Matthew Darke SC features on several Sydney solicitors' lists of the barristers they would most want to instruct on a major piece of litigation, being particularly well known for his handling of financial services-related briefs, but cited also for competition and consumer law, and intellectual property work.

"Matthew is widely regarded as a leading advocate in the country."

"I regard him as, without any exaggeration, one of the top five senior counsel in the country."

Neil Murray SC stands out for his assured handling of patent and copyright litigation cases, offering particularly noteworthy experience where disputes arising in the life sciences and media sectors are concerned.

"He has a really well-deserved reputation for being a very capable and honourable opponent."

"He is good at adapting his style to particular situations and judges."

Steven Finch SC is noted for his handling of large-scale corporate disputes, including high-profile class actions, and for a breadth of practice which covers such diverse areas as financial services, insurance and product liability.

"Steven is very highly regarded for big commercial matters. He is a 'Bet the company' litigation kind of person."

"He is a very able advocate."

Angus Lang SC is active in all areas of IP work, with a particularly busy practice where patent litigation in the pharmaceutical and TMT sectors is concerned.

Amelia Smith has a strong reputation as an impressive litigator. Her practice covers a wide range of areas with a noted strength in commercial disputes.

"Her analytical skills are strong."

James Lockhart SC maintains a varied commercial practice, extending across - but by no means confined to - such areas as competition, insolvency, insurance and professional liability, and incorporating substantial experience in the handling of class action briefs.

"James is a very safe pair of hands and has a nice demeanour in court."

Charles Colquhoun SC has a varied practice which often sees him represent and advise clients on commercial matters. He is well versed in competition and consumer protection matters, as well as in insolvency and insurance issues. He has further experience in arbitrations.

Stuart Lawrence SC has earned praise for his expertise in commercial matters. He has a diverse practice which sees him represent his clients on a variety of matters including banking, insurance and competition matters, and he has experience acting in class actions.

"Stuart is very smart and prepares well."

"He is one of the up-and-coming commercial silks."