Ruth Higgins

Barrister information

Practice Areas

Ruth Higgins is a leading commercial silk specialising in competition law, class actions, energy, corporate criminal and corporations matters.

Competition law: Ruth successfully acted for TPG, Pacific National and AGL in contested merger proceedings against the ACCC. For the ACCC and the Commonwealth, she successfully acted in the High Court in Flight Centre and the CMFEU case concerning agreed civil penalties, alongside other cases. Ruth appeared in the first two modern criminal cartel prosecutions.

Consumer and regulatory matters: Ruth has acted for parties including Telstra, Qantas, Woolworths, Westpac and the ACCC, ASIC, and APRA. Ruth's wider regulatory experience includes advising CBA and acting for Tabcorp and Westpac anti money laundering matters..

Class actions: Ruth has acted for various defendants in major class actions, including: Woolworths; Westpac; VW, Audi and Skoda; Nissan; Infigen, and for IOOF.

Energy law: Ruth has acted for clients including: AGL, ActewAGL, BP, Origin, Epic Energy, Energy Australia, South Australia Power Networks, and Hydro Tasmania. She also acts for the AER. Ruth accepts appointments as an expert in energy disputes, and has chaired an expert panel under the National Gas Rules.

Corporations law: In insolvency related matters, Ruth is acting for the Administrators of Virgin Australia.