Stephen Lloyd

Stephen came to the Bar in 1998, taking silk ten years later.  His practice ranges across all areas of public law, with a particular emphasis on Constitutional Law, Judicial Review, International Law and Revenue Law.  He also practices extensively in Native Title (in which field he is a co-author of the leading textbook) and in regulatory pricing and economic matters.

Stephen has an extensive appellate practice, having appeared in the Full Court of the High Court in over 70 proceedings (not counting special leave applications).  He has appeared before the Federal Court in over 500 cases, as well as appearing in the Supreme Courts of several States, and other courts and tribunals.  He acts in proceedings in all Australian states and (internal) territories. Prior to coming to the Bar, Stephen held senior executive positions in the Commonwealth public service (including as a diplomat based in Washington DC, and as the Director of Research of the Administrative Review Council).  He was also the co-head of the Constitutional and Native Title Unit, in the Commonwealth’s Office of Litigation.

David Thomas

David Thomas SC appears across Australia in a broad range of commercial and civil matters.  He is widely recognised as a leading silk and has a particular interest in class actions, commercial, regulatory, revenue and constitutional law.  David appears at both trial and on appeal, including in the High Court.

Class actions: Recent clients include AMP Life, BT and NULIS in superannuation class actions; Jaguar UK, GM, Hyundai, Kia and Mitsubishi in vehicle defect claims; Westpac, NAB and Suncorp in consumer insurance matters; IC Markets and Plus500 in consumer claims; Star in a continuous disclosure action; PwC in audit claims; and BHP, Rebel Sport and Merivale in Fair Work Act claims. David has been appointed amicus by the Federal Court and NSW Supreme Court in novel matters.

Commercial and corporate law: Recent clients include IAL in the $7 billion Greensill disputes, HSBC on appeal in the Dick Smith litigation, Channel Seven in claims against Cricket Australia, the Rinehart children in litigation against Gina Rinehart, NAB in proceedings concerning the Bank Bill Swap Rate and Brickworks in a landmark oppression action.

Regulatory and civil penalty: David regularly acts for companies and individuals in proceedings brought by ASIC.  Recent clients include Macquarie Bank, AustralianSuper, Equity Trustees, Netwealth, Westpac, Rio Tinto, PayPal, MLC Nominees, NAB and MLC Insurance.  David also acts for individual defendants, including the former CEO of Nuix and directors of Rex Airlines.  David has acted for ASIC and the ACCC respectively in High Court appeals concerning the operation of the MIS and cartel regimes.  David represented NAB in the Banking Royal Commission.

Revenue law: David appears for both taxpayers and the Commissioner.  Recent matters have involved Whitehaven Coal, Crown, Hannover, Tabcorp, Tatts and Uber.  David has also appeared for the Commissioner in High Court appeals concerning franking credits and charitable trusts, and for high net-worth individuals in income and tax residency matters.

Constitutional law: Notable matters include High Court challenges to the mining tax, carbon tax and the reform of parliamentary pension entitlements.  He recently appeared in the first High Court challenge under s 90 of the Constitution since Ha.

David has been recognised as a leading silk in a range of professional publications, including Chambers & Partners(Commercial Disputes), Doyle’s Guide(Commercial Disputes, Class Actions, White Collar Crime and Regulatory Investigations, and Taxation), Best Lawyers in Australia(Litigation, Class Actions and Commercial Law), Legal 500 and Lexology(formerly Who’s Who Legal).  He has twice been recognised as Best Lawyers’ Class Action Lawyer of the Year.

David is Chair of the NSW Bar’s Practice Development Committee, Convenor of the Bar’s Commercial Law Section, Chair of the Bar’s Cyber Resilience Working Group, and a member of a Professional Conduct Committee.

David was awarded University Medals in both Law and History at the University of Sydney.  David subsequently received a BCL (with Distinction) from the University of Oxford, while holding the Menzies Memorial Scholarship in Law.  Prior to coming to the Bar, David was Associate to Justice Gummow at the High Court of Australia and a solicitor at Mallesons.

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.

Julia Roy

Practice Areas

Julia practices primarily in commercial, competition and criminal law. She appears frequently in the High Court of Australia, the Courts of Appeal and Criminal Appeal in New South Wales, Western Australia, Victoria and the ACT, the Full Court of the Federal Court and in lower Federal and State courts and inquiries across Australia.

Current Listings

Recent matters

Recent matters in which Julia has been briefed include:

Julia also regularly advises in relation to regulatory (ACCC, ASIC, OAIC, etc), liquidator, and criminal investigations and proceedings for Big Tech, Big Four banks, Big Four accounting firms and other listed entities and executives, initial public offerings, compulsory examinations and witness preparation, and appeal merit.

Professional History

Prior to commencing practice, Julia was Research Director to the Hon Chief Justice Bathurst AC and Tipstaff to the Hon Justice Hodgson AO of the Supreme Court of New South Wales. She has lectured in law and business at the University of New South Wales where she graduated with first class Honours in 2009. Prior to her legal career, Julia she worked in international humanitarian advocacy with a focus on genocide prevention. Julia has co-authored three editions of Uniform Evidence Law in Australia (LexisNexis Butterworths). She was admitted to practice in 2011 and called to the Bar in 2013.

Guy Reynolds

Guy Reynolds SC has appeared in many leading cases across a broad range of areas, including constitutional law, administrative law, commercial law, common law and media law.  He commenced practice at the NSW Bar in 1987 (after working as an Associate to Sir William Deane of the High Court of Australia).  He took silk in 1998 at the age of 38.

Tamara Phillips

Tamara Phillips SC is briefed in a wide range of commercial and public law matters, with a focus on complex revenue, regulatory and planning and environment cases.  She appears at first instance and on appeal in New South Wales and Federal courts, as well as in tribunals and inquiries.  Her clients include multinational corporate groups, private companies, revenue authorities and government agencies.  In addition to advocacy, Tamara’s practice involves opinion and advisory work for corporate and government clients. 

Tamara has been recognised in Doyle’s Guide in the areas of administrative and public law and taxation, by Legal 500 in the commercial disputes category and by Chambers Asia & Pacific  ‘Tax: The Bar’.  Feedback has included: “Tamara Phillips is fantastic – a combination of very technical, great attention to detail, very thoughtful and strategic”.

Tamara is a member of a Professional Conduct Committee of the New South Wales Bar Association.

Michael O’Meara

Michael was called to the Bar in 2005 and was appointed Senior Counsel in 2019. He has a wide practice, specialising in the areas of revenue law, commercial law, Corporations law and public law.

Michael acts for a diverse range of corporate, private and government clients. He frequently appears both for and against the Commonwealth and its regulatory agencies, including the Commissioner of Taxation, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission and the Australian Securities and Investment Commission. 

Michael regularly appears in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, the Federal Court of Australia, the Supreme Court of New South Wales, the High Court of Australia, together with other State and Territory Supreme Courts. Michael has appeared in a large number of significant constitutional and revenue cases in the High Court of Australia and the Full Court of the Federal Court of Australia.

Michael graduated from the Australian National University in 2000 with a University Medal in Law and the Supreme Court Judges’ Prize. He has a Masters in Law and a Masters in Taxation from Sydney University. Prior to coming to the Bar he was a Senior Associate at Minter Ellison.

Donald Mitchell

Donald is an experienced commercial counsel who regularly appears in the superior courts and tribunals of New South Wales and the Commonwealth. His practice encompasses a wide spectrum of commercial law, including insurance, professional negligence, insolvency, corporations and general equity matters. Donald has also been involved in a number of commissions of inquiry (including as counsel assisting) and class actions.

Donald regularly appears for and advises large corporations, insurers and their insureds and government bodies, but also smaller private companies and individuals. He was admitted to the Bar in 2007. Prior to that he was a solicitor with Mallesons Stephen Jaques and the Tipstaff/Research Assistant to the Hon. Justice JC Campbell in the Equity Division of the Supreme Court of New South Wales.

David Hume

David specialises in all aspects of commercial and public law. He appears led and unled in appeals, trials and arbitrations, particularly in courts and tribunals in NSW, but also throughout Australia and overseas for foreign-seated arbitration. He has appeared in more than 40 matters in the High Court and in many intermediate appellate courts around Australia.

David commenced practice at the Bar in 2013. Prior to commencing at the Bar, David worked at Freehills and Australian Government Solicitor, and as an Associate to Chief Justice Gleeson. David has co-authored three books on Australian constitutional law and public law and is a regular speaker at conferences in constitutional law, public law and construction and infrastructure law.

Timothy Hale

Tim was appointed Senior Counsel in New South Wales in 1999 and Queens Counsel for Western Australia in 2000. Prior to coming to the Bar, he had been a solicitor at Allen Allen & Hemsley. He has a broad practice in New South Wales and other States and Territories, with an emphasis on development and property related litigation and advice, administrative law and defamation.

Over the years, Tim has represented major participants in the property development and resources sector in general commercial matters. He has appeared in many of the leading cases in these areas. He is also very experienced in representing witnesses before ICAC, both in compulsory examinations and public inquiries, and he has appeared in many high profile inquires.