Litigation & Dispute Resolution.

He’s almost always the youngest person in the room but when Stipe speaks, even the oldest hands listen. Stipe has earned the gratitude and respect of many established company directors and individuals who he has helped through financial hardship, insolvency and business reconstruction.

He speaks fluent accountancy and insolvency practitioners enjoy his repartee on topics ranging from extending convening periods or remuneration approval to recovering voidable transactions and public examinations.

With a pedigree that boasts large British and Australian multinationals across the consumer goods, manufacturing and retail space, Stipe has worked on complex and high-profile cases that most lawyers will only ever read about. His professional mantra is that being a lawyer is easy, but being a good lawyer is hard.

We know Stipe is better than good. He’s won many awards and accolades for being both young and quick-witted, so if you need the best and brightest to rescue your distressed assets, Stipe’s your man (unless someone whisks him away for a coffee, and then you may find he’s distracted for a minute or two).

Sayward’s practical, methodical and focused approach to legal practice consistently brings her clients the results they seek.

These are traits she has cultivated not only through studying the law, but from her background in equine science and her work in the horse industry, where efficiency and commerciality are also key issues for clients.

In addition to her insolvency work with personal clients, SMEs and insolvency practitioners, Sayward heads up Chamberlains’ specialist equine law service.

One of the few Canberra-based specialists in this field, Sayward offers legal advice on everything from buying and selling horses to dispute resolution.

She is also a keen dressage rider and is producing her own young dressage prospect.

Injury cut short his water polo career, but it definitely didn’t impede his competitive spirit. Since becoming a lawyer, Michael has carved an impressive career predominantly in construction litigation at large commercial law firms where he is well known for his aggressive approach which balanced by his ability to identify and achieve commercial outcomes for his clients.

While his will to win is admirable, it is his team mentality that now makes Michael a perfect member of Chamberlains. Based in Sydney, Michael heads up our Building and Construction Litigation team in both Sydney and Canberra and can be found regularly in the Supreme Courts of both jurisdictions.

As an elite athlete, Michael’s main complaint was often directed at the referee. Perhaps ironically, in his professional career Michael has become the legal equivalent of a referee in the construction industry as he is an accredited adjudicator under the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 1999 (NSW).

Clients rave about Michael’s ability to deliver plain English advice and his tenacity in pursuing or defending claims. Michael’s experience as an advocate and as an adjudicator assists him to consistently deliver exceptional results to his clients.

When not practicing law, Michael maintains an avid interest in sport (particularly the NRL and his beloved Wests Tigers) and can usually be found playing sport, watching sport or thinking about sport.

Michael is also a member of the Society of Construction Law Australia.

Lachlan has extensive experience as a commercial litigator, with a focus on insurance and debt recovery related issues. He has demonstrated expertise in litigation involving insurance, heavy motor and transport issues, debt recovery, contractual interpretation, corporations law, and commercial fraud. Lachlan has advised and assisted in a number of high profile litigation matters. He understands the impact litigation has on the individuals and businesses involved and provides professional, tailored advice to help his clients in their time of need.

Angela has over 10 years’ experience as a commercial and property solicitor and has been involved in a wide range of matters including conveyancing, corporate/business transactions, commercial litigation, bankruptcy & insolvency, wills and probates, and financial services.

Angela focusses in servicing the wide ranging legal needs of business operators and owners and takes a commercial and common sense approach to giving legal advice.

Originating from Araluen NSW, a small country town near Braidwood with a population of around 200 people. From her small town origins Angela understands the importance of building and maintaining good relationships with everyone she has dealings with.

Angela values the importance of education and supports students in various aspects. For many years Angela has been working as a mentor for the ANU Legal Workshop providing guidance to law students who want to be admitted to practice law. Angela is also the President of the Braidwood Preschool Committee.

Angela believes that education about the law should not be limited to law students. There are so many small business owners who don’t have access to education about their legal obligations and advice about how best to set up and operate their business. It is for this reason that Angela also regularly volunteers at the Legal Advice Clinic for Small Business in Canberra, operated by the University of Canberra, in conjunction with Legal Aid ACT.

Angela was the 2017 Canberra Business Woman of the Year.

Angela has extensive experience in various property related transactions, business transactions, complex wills and estates planning matters, and employment law.

Jon has been a lawyer in the Australian Capital Territory since 2007, during which time he has run some of the largest litigation in the ACT.

Jon has extensive advocacy experience and routinely appears before the Federal Court of Australia, the ACT Supreme Court and ACT Magistrates Court as a solicitor advocate.

Jon applies a practical client-focused approach to each case, which means that he works closely with his clients to achieve the best result in each case. This approach is borne out of Jon’s ability to problem solve difficult legal issues in highly litigious circumstances.

Jon is known for his ability to run complex estate litigation matters and also medical negligence claims. He has run some of the most complex medical negligence litigation in the ACT and in doing so has achieved many great results for his clients.

Gary has been a practising solicitor since 1976, after graduating in Arts and Law from the University of Sydney. He undertakes work on behalf of the NSW Trustee and Guardian and the State Legal Representation Office, as well as private sector clients. Gary also appears as a solicitor advocate in proceedings before ICAC, PIC and other regulatory tribunals.

Gary is an Accredited Specialist in Advocacy, Dispute Resolution, and Personal Injury Law, and an Assessor and DRS Decision Maker of the Claims Assessment and Resolution Service (CARS), appointed by the State Insurance Regulatory Authority of NSW.

He is a member of the Law Society Specialist Accreditation Dispute Resolution Committee and Personal Injury Advisory Committee, and is accredited as a Mediator by the NSW Law Society.

Gary has been an Arbitrator in the Supreme Court, District Court and the Local Court, is a member of the Council of Australian Tribunals, and was a part-time tutor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Western Sydney.

For Bobby, the law is an instrument that he professionally wields to help business clients carve out commercial outcomes.

He views it as part of a triangle of success that melds legal frameworks with practical considerations and commercial goals.

Bobby has effectively applied this thinking to many cases, from complex pre-insolvency restructures, to the ultimate buy-out of a shareholder in a family-owned company where emotions had risked derailing the transaction.

This strategic mindset also underpins his advice to industry associations, small to medium businesses and financial consultancies.

Known around the office as ‘The Fixer’, Bobby is always looking for opportunities to solve challenging, complex problems, but privately wishes he could use the same skills to improve his golf handicap.

For Hugh litigation lawyers are guardians who, while may not be liked, are the unsung heroes of protecting people from others and sometimes themselves. He describes great lawyers as those who can engage with clients on a personal and intellectual level in order to humanise what can be a lengthy, tedious, frustrating and mechanical process.

As someone who works in a field where framing arguments and steering debates is a constant state of mind, Hugh strives to be true to his own moral code alongside providing his clients with the best legal position.

When not steering debates, Hugh may be found working on his car steering while pursuing his interest in mechanics which was partially fostered after completing a TAFE welding course. He’s also fluent in Spanish, so if anyone needs a Spanish-speaking certified welder and litigation lawyer, Hugh’s your man.

Neil started at Chamberlains Law Firm as a paralegal in early 2016, and is now working as a lawyer within the Litigation & Restructuring Team in our Canberra office. He was admitted as a solicitor in the ACT Supreme Court in October 2019 and his areas of specialisation currently include corporate & personal insolvency, debt recovery and commercial litigation (including professional negligence, nuisance and unit title management disputes).

Being one of our youngest solicitors in the office, Neil developed a deep interest in his areas of specialisation at a very young age. He recognises the important role that lawyers play in serving individuals and corporations during times of need, and prides himself in assisting his clients in a creative and efficient manner to resolve their disputes. He has earned the respect of his clients and colleagues, with his hard work and dedication over the years both at university and in our office, earning him a spot as a finalist in the Law Student of the Year category of the 2018 Lawyers Weekly Australian Law Awards.

Neil’s witty humour and enthusiasm in the office is cherished by his colleagues. He is not only the go to litigation lawyer within our Canberra office, but he is also the fire warden and is responsible for running the annual Pool Tournament at Chamberlains Law Firm. During his spare time, Neil is an avid hiker and traveller and he remains deeply involved with his global Hare Krishna community. When not stuck in Canberra because of a pandemic, Neil spends his annual leave with his family between India and Slovenia. He can also fluently speak 4 languages with Croatian as his next mission.

Neil knows that being a good lawyer requires a commitment to ongoing development in this field and he intends to use his high values and passion for his work to carve his own path in this industry.