Recent senior appointments in OGC
AGS is proud to announce 4 senior executive promotions for lawyers in our Office of General Counsel. They demonstrate a wide range of experience and proven skills in both advisory and litigation roles. We welcome them to our senior ranks and commend them to our clients.
Senior General Counsel Adam Cason (left) advises on constitutional law, statutory interpretation, administrative law and legislative development. He has experience in developing and implementing complex legislation, such as the regulatory framework for the structural reform of the telecommunications industry and amendments to the telecommunications-specific access arrangements under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010. He has also provided constitutional advice on the risk associated with spending programs following the decisions in Williams (No. 1) and (No.2), as well as issues in implementing cost recovery for environmental impact assessments under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999.
Senior General Counsel Helen Chisholm (second from left) is a well-regarded adviser on constitutional and administrative law, with particular expertise in environmental and natural resources law. She advises on complex statutory interpretation issues and has worked closely with clients on major legislative reform projects in employment law, health law, maritime law and environmental law. She has advised on Commonwealth–State initiatives in environmental law, the application of Australian Consumer Law in the not-for-profit sector and the level of constitutional risk attached to new policy proposals. Her outposted roles have enhanced a strong focus on client service and she is the Client Service Manager for the Department of the Environment and Energy.
Senior General Counsel Paul Marshall (second from right) is experienced in advising on administrative decision-making, national security, secrecy and privacy laws, constitutional law, access to information and employment issues, responding to litigation and inquiries, and advising on the powers, obligations and responsibilities in investigations. His advice has a strong practical focus, drawing upon his broad background, which includes experience in operational law enforcement, and policy development and implementation. As in-house counsel with the Australian Crime Commission for 4 months, he dealt with issues including the application of a wide variety of secrecy laws to information, biometrics, the application of Australian spent convictions laws, and the effect of privacy laws on access to data.
Senior General Counsel Simon Thornton (right) acts for the Commonwealth in constitutional litigation matters, advises on constitutional issues relating to those matters and instructs the Solicitor-General in significant constitutional cases in the High Court. He has also provided high-level written advice on issues of constitutional law, statutory interpretation and international law. He has advised clients on corporate governance and funding agreements. He has also prepared an extensive legal risk audit for Tourism Australia, which encompassed the breadth of their business operations, and a legal evaluation of the documentation for Defence's Public Key Infrastructure. One of the many matters in which he acted for the Attorney-General was a High Court challenge to the validity of 'paperless arrest' laws in the Northern Territory.