Trevor Withane
Partner
Trevor is a highly regarded lawyer you want on your side. He is the founder and principal of Ironbridge Legal and is a specialist commercial litigator and insolvency lawyer with deep experience in his areas of practice. Prior to founding Ironbridge Legal, Trevor was a partner of a successful Sydney based boutique law firm.
Clients have described Trevor as extremely insightful, friendly, practical and pragmatic.
Trevor founded Ironbridge Legal to provide in-depth specialist and conflict free advice in the disputes space – starting a law firm with true specialism in just two key areas: Commercial Litigation and Insolvency and Bankruptcy.
Trevor started his legal career at global top three firm, Allen & Overy LLP, where he trained and spent several years advising a multitude of corporates and high-net-worth individuals in connection with complex disputes and regulatory matters often straddling more than one jurisdiction
Before moving to Australia from the UK for family reasons, Trevor was a barrister in London, acting for corporates and high-net-worth individuals in complex commercial litigation and insolvency matters in the High Court. This experience, coupled with Trevor’s accountancy studies and his earlier practice as an accountant, gives him a rare depth and breadth of experience to apply to his clients’ matters.
Experience
Trevor has acted for a wide variety of corporates, insolvency practitioners and private clients in a range of industries covering diverse subject matters. A sample of the matters he has been pivotally involved in include acting for a:
Insolvency
- 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
Litigation
- 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
Admissions
Trevor is admitted to practice law in all Australian courts, including in the High Court of Australia.
Committees
Trevor is currently a serving member of the New South Wales Law Society’s Litigation Law & Practice Committee.
Memberships
- 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)
Recognitions
- 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
Education
- 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