Biography
Andrew is a partner in Gilbert + Tobin's Disputes + Investigations group.
He advises clients on resolving complex disputes, navigating regulatory investigations and prosecutions, and minimising reputational risk.
Andrew has acted on a number of significant disputes and regulatory investigations in matters across a variety of industry sectors from banking and finance, retail, technology, energy, entertainment, manufacturing, education, airlines and health before superior State and Federal Courts and Tribunals and before regulators.
Andrew also has extensive expertise in engaging with and responding to Royal Commissions. His experience includes acting as Solicitor Assisting in the Robodebt Royal Commission; acting for Telstra in the Bushfires Royal Commission; the Commonwealth Government and multiple departments in responding to both the Disability Royal Commission and Aged Care Royal Commission; the Westpac Group in its response to the Financial Services Royal Commission; and as Solicitor Assisting the Northern Territory Royal Commission into Don Dale, amongst others.
Andrew has achieved successful outcomes in significant disputes and investigations across a range of sectors including financial services, energy, telecommunications, ecommerce, health, education, retail, entertainment, manufacturing and resources for clients such as Westpac, Google, Telstra, the Commonwealth Government, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Anglo American, AGL, APA, Orica, Patrick and Garuda Airlines.
Experience
Andrew's experience includes:
- Acting as Solicitor Assisting the Robodebt Royal Commission.
- Acting for Patrick Stevedores in connection with large scale proceedings brought against the Port of Melbourne in the Federal Court of Australia, alleging that the Port of Melbourne made misrepresentations about the future development of the Port prior to Patrick’s entry into two long-term leases causing Patrick to suffer loss and damage.
- Advising Westpac on its response to the Banking Royal Commission.
- Acting for the Commonwealth and its departments and agencies in their response to the Disability Royal Commission.
- Acting for Westpac in a regulatory investigation and civil penalty proceedings in relation to debt sale.
- Acting for individuals attending compulsory examinations of regulators such as ASIC, the ACCC and Fair Trading.
- Acting for Financial Services entity in relation to an ASIC investigation in retail sector.
- Acting for multiple entities in various investigations by the ACCC.
- Acting for Orica in relation to a range of commercial disputes relating to contractual warranties and accounting issues and freezing orders.
- Advising a hotel chain in relation to the Board of Inquiry into the COVID-19 Hotel Quarantine Program.
- Acting for Telstra in responding to the 2020 Bushfires Royal Commission, and in relation to various commercial and regulatory disputes and investigations.
- Advising AGL in successfully prosecuting a large scale factually complex commercial dispute in the Supreme Court of Queensland and the Court of Appeal.
- Acting for the Commonwealth and its departments and agencies in their response to the Aged Care Royal Commission.
- Advising Google in its successful High Court appeal in enforcement action by the ACCC in relation to its search results page. This was an important strategic case in relation to the application of consumer protection provisions to the online environment and search marketing.
- As Solicitor Assisting the Northern Territory Royal Commission into Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory arising out of Don Dale incident.
- Advising a tertiary education institution in a dispute in relation to its application for renewal of its registration and course accreditations to the education regulator (TEQSA).
- Acting for Anglo Coal in relation to a multi-billion dollar action against power stations in the Supreme Court of Queensland.
Awards and Recognition
Andrew was named as a Best Lawyer in Class Action Litigation, Competition Law, Information Technology Law, Telecommunications Law and Litigation.
Andrew is recommended for Dispute resolution and Regulatory compliance and investigations.
Legal 500 Asia Pacific notes he is ‘attentive, strategic and results-oriented,’ ‘analytical, calm in a crisis’ and has ‘the gut instinct of a great litigator’.