Biography

With 20 years of domestic and international experience, he trained and practised for close to a decade in London at leading “magic circle” firm, Slaughter and May, before moving to Australia in 2013, during which time Scott has assisted numerous blue-chip clients in landmark contentious matters. His broad and versatile practice spans large-scale, high-stakes and urgent litigation in all Australian jurisdictions, including class action defence, multi-party and cross-border disputes; international and domestic arbitration; corporate and regulatory investigations (including white collar criminal matters) and enforcement proceedings; inquiries; and contentious insolvency.

He has acted for numerous multinational corporates; investment and retail banks; governments and sovereign wealth funds; funds, asset managers, corporate advisors and traders; global professional services firms; insurers, reinsurers and brokers; leading private companies; boards and C-suite directors and officers, operating across a wide range of sectors and industries. Scott's experience includes matters concerning corporations law (including, for example, directors' duties; continuous disclosure obligations; shareholder disputes); contractual disputes including warranty claims; tort; misleading or deceptive conduct; fraud and insider-trading; competition and consumer law (including responding to regulatory "dawn raids", mergers, cartels, price-fixing, abuse of dominant position); AML/CTF and sanctions; international trade and aviation; insurance and reinsurance; taxation and transfer pricing; property and land; public law (judicial review and constitutional); professional negligence; and insolvency.

During his career, Scott has also gained valuable insights from multiple client secondments including at British Airways, HSBC and ACE/Chubb. He is dual-qualified as a Solicitor-Advocate in the Senior Courts of England & Wales and admitted in both the Supreme Court of New South Wales and High Court of Australia.

Clients describe Scott in the legal directories as a "rising star partner who is smart, responsive and strategic" who is "highly skilled at navigating the ups and downs of a major case, and marshalling the evidence required to win it" with an "up and coming growing practice and reputation". He is considered to be "very user friendly from a client perspective and considered in everything that he does".

Scott's experience

Complex commercial and financial services litigation

Herbert Smith Freehills

Acting for Herbert Smith Freehills in its successful defence of claims brought against it by former directors of mining group, Arrium (formerly part of BHP Billiton), in major Supreme Court proceedings pursued against them by the liquidators of Arrium and a syndicate of Arrium lenders and other financial institutions (including Anchorage Capital, CBA, Deutsche Bank, Davidson Kempner) for insolvent trading and negligence/negligent misstatement in relation to facility drawdowns shortly before Arrium's $2.8 billion collapse, one of the largest administrations in Australian corporate history.

Dick Smith Proceedings

Successfully defending Deloitte in multiple high-profile class action proceedings (heard concurrently with proceedings brought by liquidators and former lenders) (NSW Supreme Court) arising out of the collapse of electronics retailer, Dick Smith, resulting in a successful discontinuance against Deloitte: DSHE Holdings (Receivers & Managers Appointed)(In Liquidation) v Nicholas Abboud (No 3); National Australia Bank Limited v Nicholas Abboud (No 4) [2021] NSWSC 673.

Air Cargo Litigation

Acting for British Airways Plc in its defence of GBP 1 billion proceedings in the English High Court brought by 500+ freight shippers in relation to alleged cartels in the global air cargo market including BA suing over 20 carriers around the globe for contribution in parallel to proceedings brought against BA and other airlines in multiple jurisdictions, which followed long-running, cross-border regulatory investigations (Emerald Supplies Ltd & Ors v British Airways Plc [2015] EWCA 1024) and assisting BA at an unannounced “dawn raid” by the European Commission).

Bank Fees Litigation

Acting for Nationwide Building Society in its, and other UK retail banks’, successful defence of GBP 9 billion English High Court proceedings concerning the legality of certain bank fees, culminating in a landmark appeal in the House of Lords (Office of Fair Trading v Abbey National Plc & Ors [2009] UKSC 6), the subject of which was subsequently litigated in Australia (Andrews v ANZ Group Ltd [2012] HCA 30.

Pinsent Masons

Acting for law firm Pinsent Masons in its successful defence of injunction proceedings (NSW Supreme Court) brought by Spanish contractor, Tecnicas Reunidas, to restrain it from acting for Downer against Tecnicas Reunidas in an international arbitration for, among other grounds, breach of fiduciary duty of loyalty: Tecnicas Reunidas SA v Andrew [2018] NSWC 192.

Tower Insurance

Acting for Tower Insurance in relation to NZD multi-million, highly complex New Zealand High Court proceedings against the NZ Earthquake Commission in connection with liabilities for widespread property loss and damage arising from multiple earthquakes in 2010/2011 in Christchurch.

Porsche

Acting for Porsche in its defence of proceedings brought in the London Commercial Court, in Germany and in the US by certain hedge funds in connection with Porsche’s alleged misconduct in trading Volkswagen shares including urgent jurisdiction challenges.

Mercer

Acting for Mercer in its defence and settlement of professional negligence test case proceedings in the Irish Courts by over 300 former pension portfolio clients in connection with the collapse of Waterford Crystal.

Class action defences

Blue Sky Class Action

Successfully defending major ASX-listed media company, Nine Entertainment Co Holdings (Nine) and high-profile former AFR financial journalist, Joe Aston, in a securities class action in the Supreme Court of Queensland arising out of the collapse of Blue Sky Alternative Investments, an ASX-listed investment fund once valued at $1.2 billion, following allegations of coordinated short-selling by US-based shareholder activists. The multi-party proceedings were brought against some13 defendants including ASIC, a number of investment banks, brokers and hedge funds, a law firm US shareholder activist, Glaucus. The allegations included tortious conspiracy, insider-trading, misleading or deceptive conduct and statements and various statutory contraventions. The plaintiff class were seeking at least $445 million and further exemplary damages. Following a series of strike out and interlocutory applications, the claims against Nine and Mr Aston were discontinued entirely with costs orders in their favour, with court approval granted on 17 June 2025.

Mitsubishi Fuel Labelling Class Action

Defending Mitsubishi Motors Australia Ltd and its Japanese parent, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, in a diesel emissions consumer class action in the Federal Court of Australia brought for misleading and deceptive conduct and breach of statutory guarantees arising from alleged representations regarding fuel efficiency of certain of its utility vehicles.

Clydesdale Development Class Action

Defending a property developer in a class action brought in the Federal Court of Australia by a class of 152 lot purchasers in relation to a high-profile dispute concerning a residential development project in Sydney, the subject of much media reporting including by Channel 9’s A Current Affair. The multi-million dollar representative proceedings were brought against 9 defendants and involved allegations of contractual breach; tortious inducement of breach of contract; unconscionable conduct; and unlawful means tortious conspiracy and a claim for exemplary damages. The case settled and received court approval from Jackman J on 29 May 2025.

Beach Energy Class Action

Acting for a former director in relation to a securities class action commenced against Beach Energy in the Supreme Court of Victoria. The proceedings, brought on behalf of affected Beach shareholders, arise out of a profit downgrade in FY21 following revised estimates of oil and gas reserves in its Western Flank oil field. The case recently settled for $43.5 million.

Leighton Holdings Class Action

Acting for Leighton Holdings (now CIMIC) in its defence and $70m settlement of a securities class action arising out of a $1 billion profit downgrade in connection with Airport Link in Brisbane, a Desalination Project in Victoria and investments in the Middle East: Inabu Pty Ltd v Leighton Holdings Limited [2014] FCA 622.

QBE

Acting for QBE in its defence of a securities class action (Federal Court of Australia) arising out of $1billion profit downgrade and “common fund” application (Money Max Int Pty Ltd v QBE Insurance Group Ltd [2016] FCAFC 148).

Regulatory investigations, enforcement proceedings, "white collar" matters

Independent Non-Executive Board Directors

Acting for multiple Independent Non-Executive Board Directors of a "Big Four" Bank in their successful response to ASIC's investigation into AML/CTF compliance and directors duties following the bank's settlement with AUSTRAC and $700 million civil penalty. ASIC formally concluded and dropped its investigation with no enforcement action taken against bank directors or officers.

Global Investment Bank

A global investment bank and, separately, a leading FX trader in their successful response to ACCC and ASIC investigations (in parallel to regulatory investigations on foot in US, UK and Singapore) into alleged cartels between banks trading in global FX markets.

Big Four accounting firm

A “Big Four” accounting firm in ASIC, ATO, AFP and Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission investigations arising from allegations of complex international fraud and tax evasion by a former client identified during the Commonwealth cross-agency taskforce, Project Wickenby.

Global Consultancy Group

A global consultancy group: acting in relation to civil and criminal proceedings commenced against a former financial controller and other parties arising from allegations of corporate fraud against the group. The mandate involved pursuing freezing orders and recoveries of misappropriated monies in civil proceedings and advising the client in relation to a criminal prosecution by the NSW DPP for multiple counts of fraud resulting in a 5 year custodial sentence.

British Airways

Acting for British Airways in relation to a criminal prosecution of former BA executives for alleged price-fixing of passenger fuel surcharges with Virgin Atlantic, the UK’s first criminal prosecution by the then Office of Fair Trading (OFT), the trial of which collapsed very publicly, and advising BA in relation to its subsequent renegotiation of civil fines imposed by OFT.

Awards, recognition and ranking

• Legal 500 Asia Pacific — Recommended Lawyer, Dispute Resolution and Litigation (2024-2025)