Junior Counsel – Sixth Floor

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.

Eugene Chan

Eugene has a broad practice in tax and commercial litigation, and accepts briefs in all areas of law. Immediately before coming to the Bar, Eugene was a solicitor in litigation at King & Wood Mallesons, the international arbitration team at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer in Frankfurt, and the disputes team at the ATO. In 2019, Eugene was the Associate to the Hon Justice Steven Rares of the Federal Court of Australia.

Eugene has a BCL from the University of Oxford, and a BSc (Adv)/LLB (Hons I) (majoring in Physiology) and a LLM from the University of Sydney. He is a contributor to Robson’s Annotated Corporations Legislation and a reporter for the New South Wales Law Reports.

Scott Aspinall

Scott is an experienced junior counsel with a broad commercial practice and regulatory practice. He has been recognised in Doyle’s guide and Best Lawyers in the field of insolvency and restructuring and regularly acts and advises in simple and complex corporate insolvencies and restructures. He is a fellow of INSOL International and a professional member of ARITA. During 2019-2020 he was counsel assisting the NSW Casino Inquiry into Crown Casinos with a special focus on money laundering.

Prior to coming to the Bar, Scott was a medical practitioner, Associate to Justice Emmett in the Federal Court of Australia and a litigator at Allens Arthur Robinson in Sydney.

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.

Meg O'Brien

Meg has a diverse practice in public, regulatory and commercial law. In 2022 and 2023 she was briefed as Counsel Assisting in the Special Commission of Inquiry into LGBTIQ hate crimes. Meg was admitted to practice in 2009 and called to the Bar in 2017.

Prior to being called to the Bar, Meg was a Supervising Associate in the litigation group at Simmons & Simmons LLP in London, a solicitor in the Dispute Resolution group at King & Wood Mallesons and a solicitor in the Litigation group at Arnold Bloch Leibler in Melbourne. Meg has also served as an Associate in the Supreme Court of Victoria. As a solicitor, she was involved in a range of commercial, regulatory and public law matters.

Meg holds a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and Arts from Monash University, and a Master of Laws from the University of Cambridge.

Alice Zheng

Alice has a broad practice in commercial litigation, including in contract, corporations law, equity, insolvency, and consumer law, as well as a regulatory and administrative law practice. She acts regularly for both corporate and government clients. She appears both led and unled in the NSW Supreme Court and the Federal Court of Australia, as well as other courts and tribunals.

Alice was admitted to practice in 2011 and called to the Bar in 2018. Prior to coming to the Bar, Alice was a Senior Associate in the Commercial Litigation group at Clayton Utz. Alice was also tipstaff to her Honour Justice J K Ward of the Supreme Court of New South Wales.

Alice has a BEcSocSci (Hon 1) and LLB (Hons 1) from the University of Sydney and an LLM (Class 1) from the University of Cambridge, where she was awarded the Gareth Jones Prize for Restitution.

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).

Celia Winnett

Celia practises primarily in commercial and public law. She appears in courts and tribunals at all levels, including the High Court, where she has been junior counsel in 15 final hearings and multiple special leave hearings. Her practice also involves advice work and appearances in compulsory examinations for and against regulators.

Celia joined the Bar in 2016. Prior to that, she served as Counsel Assisting the Commonwealth Solicitor-General, Justin Gleeson SC. In that role, she drafted legal opinions, assisted in preparing cases for hearing in domestic and international tribunals, and appeared as junior counsel for the Commonwealth. Celia previously worked as a lawyer within the Australian Government Solicitor, in the Banking & Finance and International Arbitration teams of Mallesons Stephen Jaques (Sydney), and as Associate to Justice Crennan of the High Court of Australia.

Celia has an LLM from Columbia Law School, which she attended on a Fulbright Scholarship. She also holds a BA/ LLB (First Class Honours, University Medal) from the Australian National University. Celia is a Centre Fellow of the UNSW Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law, and NSW Co-Convenor for the Australian Association of Constitutional Law.

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.

Geoffry Underwood

Geoff was called to the Bar in 1983. He has practised extensively in the Equity and Probate Divisions of the Supreme Court and also practices in other jurisdictions, such as the Land & Environment Court. His principal areas of practice are will disputes, Family Provision claims and general equity matters.