Trevor Withane
Partner
Trevor is a home-grown Allen & Overy lawyer, who trained and spent about 7 years at A&O in London, before spending time as a Senior Solicitor at Mishcon de Reya and then moving to the Commercial Bar as a Barrister. This pedigree and English law qualification (in addition to his Australian law standing) enabled Trevor to compete for top-tier work, and helped him garner a reputation for being an ‘international lawyer’ in Australia.
Trevor is ranked in The Legal 500 Australia and Doyles Guide New South Wales for litigation, and has built a reputation for being a thought leader in insolvency litigation in Australia, and a go-to lawyer for complex disputes and conflict referrals.
Trevor is regularly sought out to advise boards – and is known for his hands-on approach, attention to detail and speed at which he can deliver considered and dependable advice. This has led to Trevor and Ironbridge Legal becoming go-to lawyers for PwC, Deloitte liquidators, Bosch and other household names.
- Shareholder in a minority shareholder dispute with a substantial steel company involving whistleblowing claims
- Chinese shareholder in a mining dispute concerning two granite and marble mines in Queensland
- Large property developer who had been blackmailed by a rogue employee
- Large Canadian fund in obtaining freezing orders, and pursuing several claims for misleading and deceptive conduct and fraud-style claims
- Start-up in a significant complex contractual dispute, including issues as to whether there was ever a contract
- Shareholder of a company in defamation action
- Property company in a claim against Telstra for failure to provide a service
- Large accountancy firm defending allegations of breaches of restraint following a business sale
- Represented a secured mortgage lender in relation to enforcement proceedings following a loan default
- Acted for a significant Sydney based fund in hostile takeovers litigation before the Takeovers Panel
- Represented three related defendants in court proceedings instituted by a major bank in relation to personal guarantees of business loans. This matter resulted in a successful settlement at mediation
- Acted for a shareholder in relation to a dispute in relation to further funding obligations under a shareholders’ agreement
- Acted for a bankrupt in a claim against a Big 4 bank
- Acted for a construction company in a complex fraud dispute
- Successfully acted for a company in Queensland Supreme Court proceedings to urgently remove a caveat on a property
- Successfully acted for several directors in respect of challenging Director Penalty Notices (DPN) issued by the Australian Tax Office (ATO)
- Acted for claimant in a significant debt claim involving complex set-off and payroll grouping issues
- Successfully acted in several breach of contract claims
- Acted for purchaser of land in a misleading and deceptive conduct claim against the vendor and the agent
Former serving member of the New South Wales Law Society’s Litigation Law & Practice Committee.
- The New South Wales Law Society
- The Australian Restructuring Insolvency and Turnaround Association (ARITA)
- The Law Society of England & Wales
- The Honourable Society of Middle Temple (for barristers)
- In 2015, Thompson Reuters’ Super Lawyers recognised Trevor as a “rising star”.
- In 2021, Finalist: Lawyers Weekly Partner of the Year: Litigation
- In 2021, Finalist: Lawyers Weekly Partner of the Year: Insolvency
- In 2021, Recommended Doyles Guide Litigation Partner
- In 2021, Recommended Doyles Guide Insolvency Partner
- a first-class law degree, Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.) with Honours
- a distinction in the England & Wales Legal Practice Course
- a distinction in Australian Constitutional Law
- passes in several accountancy subjects awarded by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants