AGS a finalist in Australian Law Awards Dispute Resolution Team of the Year 2018
Lawyers Weekly, in partnership with the University of NSW, revealed the finalists for this year's Australian Law Awards on Thursday 12 July. Winners will be announced in Sydney on 31 August. AGS is a finalist in the category 'Dispute Resolution Team of the Year' in what is an impressive and competitive field of 10 legal practices.
Our Dispute Resolution team represents Commonwealth entities in a wide range of matters, including high-profile national security matters, Australia's largest class actions, and litigation relating to competition, employment law, information protection, tax and administrative law.
The team comprises 312 expert litigators and advisers with a range of professional expertise and support and legal technology staff located in offices in each capital city across the country. Its leadership and management team are spread across these offices. It operates as an integrated national team with a flexible structure and provides expert quality legal services to clients without geographic or individual team constraints.
They concluded a number of landmark matters in the 2018 financial year:
- assisted the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, including a senior practitioner seconded as the Solicitor Assisting, with complex investigations, high-profile hearings and ensuring fairness to those impacted by case studies and royal commission reports, including the final report; and also made a critical contribution to the Royal Commission into the Protection and Detention of Children in the Northern Territory
- acted for AUSTRAC in its proceeding against the Commonwealth Bank of Australia in which a penalty of $700 million was imposed by the Federal Court, the largest civil penalty in Australian corporate history. The proceedings concerned serious breaches of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing laws. We advised AUSTRAC on the investigation, strategy for enforcement options and the institution and conduct of the proceeding
- worked with ASIO and the AFP in the Inquest into the Death of Ahmed Numan Haider in which the knowledge and conduct of several State and Federal agencies was investigated.
Current significant cases in which we represent the Commonwealth include:
- Roo-Roofing & Anor v Commonwealth: a class action heard over 33 days arising out of the Home Insulation Program alleging repudiation of contract, negligence, negligent misrepresentation, and misleading and deceptive conduct
- ACCC v Volkswagen AG & Audi AG: proceedings in which the ACCC alleges consumers were misled about the diesel emissions of Volkswagen and Audi vehicles
- Brett Cattle v Senator Ludwig and Cth: a class action alleging misfeasance in public office over the temporary ban on live animal exports to Indonesia
- ACCC v Air New Zealand; ACCC v Garuda: determination by the Federal Court of relief, including penalties, following the High Court's decision that Air New Zealand and Garuda had contravened the Trade Practices Act 1974, holding that price-fixing conduct took place in a 'market in Australia'.
We also have over 20 lawyers supporting the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry.
We would like to congratulate the whole team on being named finalists.