Criminal Law – Sixth Floor

David Rowe

David was admitted to practice in 2013 and called to the Bar in September 2024. He has a public and commercial law practice and is open to considering briefs in all areas of law.

Before coming to the Bar, David worked as a Senior Lawyer at the Australian Government Solicitor. At AGS, David acted for the Commonwealth in a number of constitutional matters before the High Court and other courts, and had a broad advice practise spanning a range of areas of public law. David also worked as Associate to the Hon Justice Alan Robertson at the Federal Court of Australia and as a Senior Adviser to the Commonwealth Attorney-General.

David holds a Bachelor of Civil Law (Distinction) from the University of Oxford and a Bachelor of Law (Hons I, University Medal) and Bachelor of Arts from the Australian National University.

Ali Cheema

Ali has a broad practice and is briefed in a variety of areas with a particular focus on litigation in commercial, equity, contracts, real property and succession matters. He is an experienced junior counsel who appears in most state and federal courts and tribunals, usually unled.

After admission in 2009, Ali was a tipstaff to the Hon Justices Brereton and Buddin in the Supreme Court of NSW. Prior to his call to the bar, he worked in private practice as a solicitor in the areas of insurance and insolvency. Ali holds a Bachelor of Law/Arts from the University of Western Sydney.

Brendon Green

Prior to coming to the Bar, Brendon was a Senior Associate in the Commercial Litigation group of Norton Rose Fulbright Australia. He has experience acting in a broad range of complex commercial and public law (including regulatory) proceedings for both corporate and public sector clients.

Brendon was admitted as a solicitor in 2015 and called to the Bar in 2024. He has acted for clients in the High Court of Australia, Federal Court of Australia, NSW Supreme Court (including the Court of Appeal and Court of Criminal Appeal), NSW Land and Environment Court, NSW District Court, Administrative Appeals Tribunal and NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal.

Brendon accepts briefs in all areas of law, including commercial and public law proceedings. He is listed in Best Lawyers’ 2023, 2024 and 2025 editions of ‘Ones to Watch in Australia (Litigation)’.

John Birrell

John was admitted as a solicitor in 2013 and called to the bar in 2023. He has a diverse practice across commercial, public, and criminal law.

Before coming to the Bar, John was a Senior Associate in the litigation team at Arnold Bloch Leibler. He acted for companies and individuals on a wide range of commercial disputes, regulatory investigations and enforcement action, white collar criminal matters, and public inquiries.

Prior to joining ABL in 2020, John was a senior solicitor at the North Australian Aboriginal Justice Agency and in the Office of the Solicitor Assisting the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse, and a solicitor in the litigation team at MinterEllison.

John holds a Master of Laws from Columbia Law School, and a Bachelor of Laws (First Class Honours) and Bachelor of Economics from the Australian National University.

Naomi Wootton

Naomi has a diverse practice across commercial, public and criminal law. She appears regularly in courts across Australia, including the High Court of Australia, Federal Court of Australia, and State Supreme Courts, as well as in tribunals and inquiries (both led and unled).

Prior to coming to the Bar, Naomi was an Associate at the High Court of Australia, and tipstaff and Research Director to the Chief Justice of New South Wales, the Hon TF Bathurst AC KC. She also practised as a solicitor at Marrickville Legal Centre and taught Corporations Law at the Australian National University.

Naomi holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons I) and Bachelor of Arts from the Australian National University, where she was awarded the University Medal in Law. She is a co-author of Uniform Evidence in Australia (4^th ed, 2024).

Neil Williams

Neil Williams came to the Bar in 1989 and was appointed Senior Counsel in 2001. He appeared in a wide range of major cases both at first instance and on appeal including, major environmental and planning issues, major tax matters, major constitutional issues, a wide range of general administrative law matters, competition and consumer law matters, broadcasting matters, and criminal appeals. He appeared in all Australian jurisdictions, the Solomon Islands, Fiji and Nauru.

He now does advising work in those fields.

Daniel Ward

Daniel was called to the Bar in 2021. He has a BCL (Distinction) from the University of Oxford, and University Medals in Law and Arts from the University of Sydney.

He has represented corporate and individual clients, unled, in a range of civil and criminal matters in the High Court, Federal Court, and NSW Supreme, District and Local Courts, as well as the Fair Work Commission. Led by Senior Counsel, he has also appeared for clients in civil and criminal appeals in the High Court, Federal Court, and NSW Courts of Appeal and Criminal Appeal.

Immediately prior to coming to the Bar, Daniel was a Special Counsel in the Sydney office of Norton Rose Fulbright. Prior to that, he was General Counsel to the Prime Minister of Australia. Earlier in his career, he worked in the office of the Commonwealth Attorney-General. He was also an Associate to Chief Justice James Allsop AO, of the Federal Court of Australia.

Stephen Speirs

Stephen has a broad practice, with a focus on commercial and regulatory disputes, class actions and corporate crime. Stephen also regularly advises on regulatory investigations and search warrants.

Before coming to the Bar, Stephen was a Senior Associate at Ashurst and practised as an attorney at a leading law firm in New York. Before that, he was Tipstaff to the Honourable Ian G Harrison of the Supreme Court of New South Wales.

Stephen is a co-author of the textbook, Corporate Misconduct & White-Collar Crime in Australia: Regulation, Investigation & Enforcement (Thomson Reuters, 2022). He is also a Senior Teaching Fellow at the University of Melbourne and UNSW.

Stephen holds law degrees from Sydney University and Columbia University in New York, and a Bachelor of Advanced Arts (Hons 1) from Sydney University. He was admitted to practice as a solicitor in 2013.

Jordan Smith

Jordan accepts briefs in all areas of law. He has particular interest in contract, corporations, equity, insolvency, and intellectual property.

Prior to being called to the Bar in 2022, Jordan was a lawyer at Arnold Bloch Leibler where he practised primarily in commercial litigation and white-collar crime. In 2018, Jordan was Associate to the Honourable Justice Robertson of the Federal Court of Australia.

Jordan holds a Master of Laws degree from the University of Chicago and combined Bachelor of Laws / Bachelor of Science (Advanced) degrees from the University of Sydney, with Honours in nuclear physics.

Naomi Sharp

A silk since 2017, Naomi is known for her ability to master the facts, her careful forensic analysis, excellent written skills, persuasive oral advocacy and experience as a cross-examiner.

Naomi’s broad practice spans public law (judicial and merits review and constitutional law), competition and trade practices and environment and planning law. Naomi also acts in environmental and other regulatory prosecutions. She regularly appears for and against State and Federal regulators and other agencies.

Naomi has extensive experience in Royal Commissions, inquiries, inquests, and disciplinary matters, acting variously as Counsel Assisting or for interested parties. She was Counsel Assisting in the 2022 Bell Review into The Star Casino and in the 2020 Bergin Inquiry into Crown Resorts, as well as in a number of hearings of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

Naomi has lengthy experience in running complex and factually intensive proceedings and has appeared in some of the leading statutory unconscionability cases in recent years, including ACCC v Quantum and ACCC v Phoenix.

Prior to coming to the Bar in 2002, Naomi was an Associate at the High Court. She has an MCL from McGill University, which she attended on a Lionel Murphy Postgraduate Scholarship and Max Stern Recruitment Fellowship.