Regarded as ‘the goldilocks of firms’ by one client, Ashurst’s disputes bench is trusted to handle the largest, most complex matters across financial services, class actions and high-stakes commercial litigation. Practice head Ian Bolster is active in market-shaping class actions and major fraud proceedings. Nicholas Mavrakis is a go-to for investigations and follow-on litigation in the financial sector; clients praise him as a ‘great litigator’. Andrew Carter is a name to note for regulatory and corporate investigations, and John Pavlakis leads heavyweight class action defences and multi-party claims; one client says he is ’always 10 steps ahead in litigation’. The team’s financial services depth is reinforced by Felicity Healy’s contentious regulatory expertise, while Wen-Ts’ai Lim and Catherine Pedler handle complex, large-scale commercial disputes.
Legal 500 Editorial commentary
Testimonials
Collated independently by Legal 500 research team.
- ‘Ashurst provide a quality of service to match any top tier Australian firm, without over-servicing matters (which many others do). Their teams consistently provide depth and breadth of experience, and meet tasks with appropriate skill levels (not over or under covering). The goldilocks of firms!’
- ‘John Pavlakis is always 10 steps ahead in litigation. Mega litigation is managed gracefully and efficiently. Nicholas Mavrakis sees the forest for the trees with excellent strategic decision making; he can pivot quickly to respond to changing circumstances and make forensic decisions quickly. ’
- ‘Felicity Healy is an excellent partner - deeply knowledgeable about the financial services sector, practical and efficient in her approach towards litigation and regulatory investigations.’
- ‘I think Ashurst is technically excellent in litigation and has a huge team which can be leveraged for large matters. ’
- ‘Andrew Carter is one of the smartest lawyers I know. He is also highly responsive and does a lot of the work himself.’
- ‘Nick Mavrakis and Helen McGuire stand out as great litigators. I would gladly work with them again.’
Key clients
- AGL Energy AIA Insurance Airservices Australia Alcoa Corporation Australian Naval Infrastructure Pty Ltd ANZ Bank Australian Rail Track Corporation AxiCorp Bank of Queensland BMW Australia BOC BUPA CBRE Pty Limited Commonwealth Bank Commonwealth Government of Australia Downer EDI Energy Australia Gold Coast City Council Goldman Sachs Graincorp Hochtief AG HSBC Idemitsu Australia Resources Pty Limited JP Morgan KPMG LafargeHolcim Ltd Macquarie Bank McDonald’s MMA Offshore Limited MMI Indonesia Investments Pty Ltd Monadelphous Engineering National Australia Bank Nexus Infrastructure Pty Ltd Northern Oil & Gas Australia Pty Limited Northern Star Resources Ltd NorthWest Healthcare Australian Property Proprietary Limited NSW Government Optus Orica Limited Paladin Solutions PNG Ltd PIMCO Plus500 PricewaterhouseCoopers Queensland Government Resolution Life Rio Tinto Roads and Maritime Services S&P Global Shell International Limited Societe Generale SRG Global Limited Sydney Metro Sydney Trains Uber University of Sydney Veolia Recycling & Recovery Westpac Whitehaven Finance Company Pty Ltd White Oak Wiggins Island Coal Export Terminal Pty Limited Woodside Energy Ltd. Woolworths WorkPac Pty Ltd WSA Co Limited Yanzhou Coal Mining Company Limited
Lawyers
Hall of Fame
The lawyers at the very top of the profession, widely known and respected by peers and clients for their longstanding involvement in market-leading work.
Leading partners
The strongest partners in their field, leading on market-leading deals and endorsed by peers and clients alike.
Leading associates
Leading associates with regular involvement in their team's key work, and recognition from peers or clients as being ones to watch.
Philip Aquilina
Practice head
Ian Bolster
Other key lawyers
Nicholas Mavrakis; Andrew Carter; John Pavlakis; Felicity Healy; Wen-Ts’ai Lim; Catherine Pedler