Ryan Harvey

Ryan was admitted as a lawyer in 2013 and called to the Bar in 2023, before which he was:

– Counsel Assisting the former Commonwealth Solicitor-General, Justin Gleeson SC;

– an Associate practising in commercial litigation/arbitration in Paris (Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer) and London (Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP);

– legal adviser to successive Commonwealth Attorneys-General during the COVID-19 pandemic; and

– most recently a Senior Lawyer (Executive Level 2 – Special Counsel equivalent) with the Australian Government Solicitor’s Administrative Law Team where his clients included the Department of Home Affairs and Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Selected matters (as a solicitor) include representing:

– the Republic of Cyprus in its successful defence of investment treaty claims arising out of the 2009/10 Eurozone financial crisis and valued in excess of EUR 1 billion;

– the State of Belize in its historic land and maritime boundary dispute with Guatemala in the International Court of Justice;

– a United Arab Emirates oil and gas consortium in its successful multi-billion-dollar commercial arbitration against the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq in respect of compulsorily acquired oil and gas fields; and

– together with REDRESS and local counsel, 7,000 of the victims of widespread human rights violations, including crimes against humanity, war crimes, and torture, committed by the Republic of Chad during the régime of Hissène Habré from 1982 to 1990. The proceedings were brought in the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

Ryan was also an Associate to the Hon Dyson Heydon AC as Justice of the High Court of Australia, and tutored undergraduate constitutional law (UK) at Trinity College, University of Oxford. He is a University Medalist in Law (Macquarie University) and has a Bachelor of Civil Law (Distinction) and Master of Philosophy in Law (both from St John’s College, University of Oxford).

Ryan accepts briefs in all areas of law.

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Callista Harris

Callista was admitted as a lawyer in 2012 and called to the Bar in 2023.

Before being called to the Bar, Callista practised at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, in Paris, London and Singapore. She was also an associate to the Honourable Justice Susan Kiefel AC at the High Court of Australia and research associate to Professor James Crawford AC SC.

Callista accepts briefs in all areas of law. She has particular expertise in international commercial arbitration, investment arbitration and public international law. She has acted as counsel in international commercial arbitrations under a range of arbitral rules, including the UNCITRAL and ICC Rules, and in investment arbitrations, including before ICSID tribunals. Callista also has experience in proceedings before the International Court of Justice, the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, UNCLOS Annex VII tribunals and the European Court of Human Rights.

Callista holds a PhD in law from the University of Sydney and a Master of Law (First Class Honours) from the University of Cambridge.

Stephen Puttick

Stephen has a broad commercial and public law practice.

Stephen has published almost 30 chapters, articles, and notes in legal books and journals on various subjects, including diversity in legal education and the profession. He is the co-editor of Current Issues in Competition Law: Context and Interpretation (The Federation Press, 2021) and Current Issues in Competition Law: Practice and Perspectives (The Federation Press, 2021).

Prior to coming to the Bar, Stephen was the Researcher to the Equity Division of the Supreme Court of New South Wales for Justice J K Ward, now President of the New South Wales Court of Appeal, and was a solicitor at Clayton Utz.

Stephen is a Reporter for the Commonwealth Law Reports, and previously for the New South Wales Law Reports and the Federal Law Reports. He has held various sessional academic positions and remains an Adjunct Research Fellow at The University of Western Australia.

Outside of practice, Stephen is completing his doctorate at the University of Sydney. His thesis re-evaluates the principles of equitable estoppel.

William Marshall

William accepts briefs in all areas of civil and commercial law, with a specialism in major infrastructure and construction disputes.

Prior to being called to the bar, William was a Partner in the Construction Advisory and Disputes team at Pinsent Masons in Sydney. As a Partner, William regularly provided strategic advice on major infrastructure and construction projects and disputes, and has appeared in NSW courts, in expert determinations, arbitrations, mediations and before Dispute Advisory Boards.

William has also worked as a solicitor and advocate in the Middle East and was a registered lawyer with the Dubai Legal Affairs Department. He has advised on, and appeared in, major international arbitrations in numerous jurisdictions under the ICC Rules, the ADCCAC Rules, the DIAC Rules, and in ad hoc arbitrations under the Singapore Arbitration Act and the UNCITRAL Rules.

William holds a Masters in Construction Law from the University of Melbourne (Hons 1 equivalent), as well as a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Media from Macquarie University. William earned academic prizes at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. William has also studied the Harvard model of negotiation at Harvard Law School.

William is currently studying for his LLM at the University of Melbourne.

William was recognised by Doyle’s Guide as a Leading Construction and Infrastructure Litigation Lawyer in 2019 and 2020, and as a leading barrister from 2021: Leading Construction & Infrastructure Junior Counsel – New South Wales, 2023

Most recently William was included in the inaugural Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch in Australia^™ 2024 for Construction/Infrastructure law

Rohit Sud

Rohit accepts briefs in all areas of law.

Before being called to the bar, Rohit was an Associate at Minter Ellison in Sydney, where he worked on a wide range of matters including representative proceedings, insurance law disputes and commercial litigation.

Rohit holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and a Bachelor of Commerce (Distinction) from the University of New South Wales and a Master of Laws (Hons 1 equivalent) from Columbia University Law School.

Rohit was previously the Associate to Justice Gleeson in the Federal Court of Australia.

David Birch

David has a BA and LLB from the University of Sydney, including being awarded a University Medal in Philosophy. He also has an LLM from the University of Cambridge and was awarded the Chancellor’s Medal for English Law. David was awarded the Christopher Gee QC Memorial Prize for Advocacy and Evidence for the May 2016 Bar Practice Course.

David principally practises in commercial and public law. David has appeared led in the High Court, and has appeared led and unled in various federal and New South Wales courts and tribunals.

David is a contributor to Robson’s Annotated Corporations Law.

Prior to coming to the Bar, David practised as a solicitor in the Commercial Litigation group at Clayton Utz for 4 years and was the tipstaff for Justice J C Campbell in the NSW Court of Appeal.

David has also been a casual tutor at the University of Sydney in public law, constitutional law and equity.

Jonathan Adamopoulos

Jonathan was called to the bar in 2018 and accepts briefs in all areas of law. He has particular expertise in intellectual property, building and construction, employment and safety, and commercial and corporate disputes.

Prior to being called to the bar, Jonathan was a senior associate at Allens, where he maintained a diverse litigious and advisory practice. He also acted for clients in response to regulatory investigations and prosecutions. He has acted for and advised government departments and private sector clients in a variety of industries and sectors including financial services, telecommunications, pharmaceutical, transport, property investment and FMCG.
Jonathan is a sessional lecturer in law at Western Sydney University where he lectures in civil procedure and arbitration, and work health and safety law. He is also an adjunct lecturer in advocacy at the College of Law. Jonathan is a co-author of Zuckerman on Australian Civil Procedure, one of the leading texts on civil litigation, and a contributor to National Work Health and Safety Law. He is also a headnoter for the Intellectual Property Reports.

Jonathan was again recognised as a recommended junior in Doyles Guide’s latest Leading New South Wales Construction & Infrastructure Junior Counsel – New South Wales, 2023.

Rhea Thrift

Rhea accepts briefs in all areas of law.

Prior to coming to the Bar, Rhea worked as a solicitor at King & Wood Mallesons. As a solicitor, Rhea worked on a wide range of commercial matters, specialising in insolvency litigation. She has acted for insolvency practitioners, public companies and government clients.

Rhea has a Bachelor of Civil Law with Distinction from the University of Oxford.

Rhea was previously a Tipstaff in the New South Wales Court of Appeal.

Mark Sheldon

Mark specialises in major construction and engineering matters, including large infrastructure projects and mining disputes. He is also regularly briefed in large-scale, complex commercial and property matters. He regularly appears unled for a diverse range of clients comprising top-tier Australian and international construction contractors, sub-contractors, multi-national corporations, overseas mining operators, local councils, certifiers, developers and strata owners.

Mark has increasingly been selected as Counsel of choice in commercial matters that arise from, or relate to, construction or engineering. In such matters, Mark is often relied upon to manage parts of the case where his technical expertise is sought, and he takes an active role as advocate in those parts of the case.

Mark’s experience extends beyond the court room to domestic and multi-million-dollar international arbitrations in the Asia-Pacific region. Complementing his litigation practice, Mark has considerable experience helping clients to achieve pragmatic and commercial solutions by way of expert determination, adjudication and mediation.

Mark has a strong reputation for applying a strategic, practical and commercial approach to resolving disputes. He enjoys working collaboratively with teams of lawyers and experts to analyse, distill and resolve complex legal issues and is valued for his approachability, thorough preparation and strong work ethic.

Mark has been consistently recognised in several legal directories, including, The Legal 500 Asia-Pacific, Doyles Guide and Who’s Who Legal for his expertise in the field of construction and infrastructure.

Prior to being called to the Bar in 2015, Mark practised as a solicitor at Corrs Chambers Westgarth and Arnold Bloch Leibler and before that was Tipstaff to the Honourable Justice Einstein in the Supreme Court of New South Wales (Commercial and Technology and Construction Lists). While at Corrs, Mark was seconded to the Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (ACICA) to assist in the drafting of the ACICA Arbitration Rules.

Mark holds a Bachelor of Laws with Honours and a Bachelor of Commerce with Distinction from the University of New South Wales. Previously, he was a headnote author for the New South Wales Law Reports and co-authored the catchwords for Domestic Commercial Arbitration for the New South Wales Law Reports.

Nuala Simpson

Nuala accepts briefs in all areas of commercial law, but has special expertise in representative (class-action) proceedings and complex, high–value engineering and construction disputes.

She regularly appears in the Federal Court of Australia, Court of Appeal New South Wales, the Supreme Court of New South Wales and in private arbitrations and in mediations.

Nuala is also a Fellow of the Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration.

Chambers & Partners ranks Nuala in the Asia Pacific Guide, Construction & Infrastructure – Band 1, as “a very highly regarded junior” who regularly appears on complex construction and engineering cases with clients describing her as “excellent” and “a very bright and very thorough lawyer” (Chambers & Partners Asia Pacific, 2022-2020).

She is recognised as one of Australia’s best lawyers in the areas of “Construction and Infrastructure” (Best Lawyers Australia, 2022 – 2013) “Litigation” (Best Lawyers Australia, 2022 – 2016) International Arbitration (Best Lawyers Australia 2022), Leading Arbitration Barrister – Australia (Doyles Guide 2023) and also rated as “preeminent” in the area of “Construction Law” in Australia (Doyles Guide, 2023 – 2016).

Who’s Who Legal’s latest Construction 2021 – Future Leaders – Legal Marketplace Analysis, reports that Nuala is highly thought of as the “best junior” in the market, known for being “formidable at cross examination”.

Most recently, Nuala was listed as a Leading Junior in Legal 500 – Asia Pacific
‘ Nuala is sharp, agile and immensely hard-working. Her construction law expertise, including in complex issues of delay, disruption and quantum, is market-leading. A fantastic team player and a genuine pleasure to work with. A very diligent and clever junior counsel. Works very hard and is very responsive. ’