Chambers Review
Provided by Chambers
Dispute Resolution: The Bar - Australia
What the Team is Known For
Tenth Floor Wentworth Selborne Chambers is noted for the high proportion of senior counsel in its membership and for an especially strong group of barristers acting across the full range of intellectual property issues. Other areas of noted strength are the taxation and insurance fields, and the set also hosts noteworthy class action prowess and a wealth of international experience, putting it on more than one instructing solicitor's list of most favoured sets, with one interviewee saying: "Their considered advice combined with top-notch advocacy and range of experience sets them apart from other distinguished chambers." Emma Hoolahan is the clerk and chief contact for enquiries.
Strengths
Emma Hoolahan is exceptional and very lovely to work with.
Emma is brilliant. She is very organised and on top of counsel's diaries. She is a pleasure to deal with.
The clerks are extremely responsive and provide alternatives which are useful in considering other options where our preferred barrister is unavailable.
Emma Hoolahan, the senior clerk, is exceptional.
Notable practitioners
Anthony is an outstanding barrister. His advocacy skills are second to none.
Anthony is a persuasive advocate. He is highly effective in trial and appellate work.
Tony Bannon is very much at the height of his powers, very much the market leader in high-stakes 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.
Brendan Sullivan is an excellent top-tier barrister.
Frances St John is active across all the key intellectual property disciplines and regularly acts unled in superior court litigation.
Frances is an astute junior barrister who works seamlessly with senior barristers and also acts exceptionally well in matters unled.
She makes great judgement calls. Her written work and capacity to give clear oral submissions are brilliant.
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.
John is my go-to senior counsel for complex intellectual property disputes. He is a fierce advocate, highly intelligent and great to work with.
He is a brilliant advocate who provides clear advice.
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 an excellent senior barrister with highly persuasive oral and written advocacy.
Matthew is top drawer. He always provides good service to clients.
Neil Murray is a fantastic advocate.
Steven Finch is a sophisticated counsel.
Steven Finch is a titan of the Bar.
Amelia Smith has a strong reputation as an impressive litigator. Her practice covers a wide range of areas, including insurance and construction disputes, with a noted strength in commercial matters.
Amelia is an experienced junior barrister. She is easy to work with and has attractive advocacy skills.
Amelia is amazing. She has an incredible intellect and works really hard.
James Lockhart SC maintains a varied commercial practice that spans competition, insolvency, insurance and professional liability, while also drawing on substantial experience in handling class action briefs.
James Lockhart is excellent.
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.
Charles is incredibly intelligent and a pleasure to work with.
Charles is fantastic in IP law. He is sharp, always frank, talks openly and understands everything.
Charles Colquhoun's advocacy is very strong and he is superb to deal with.
Stuart Lawrance 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 Lawrance is an outstanding advocate.
