Current practice

Mark has wide experience in complex commercial disputes with particular expertise in professional negligence, company insolvency and administration and corporate trusts.

Mark has had a prominent role in many of the recent major Australian insolvency administrations, including Cinema Plus, Ansett, One.Tel and United Medical Protection.

In the area of professional negligence, Mark has acted for major accounting firms in professional negligence actions and has acted (for plaintiffs and defendants) in a number of complex multi-party disputes involving professional negligence claims against accountants, solicitors and valuers.

Mark has also acted extensively for trustees, managers and responsible entities of unit trusts and schemes (including listed trusts) advising on such matters as powers, rights and duties of trustees and managers, takeovers of listed trusts and winding-up insolvent trusts. His experience includes disputes relating to the Rural Property Trust, Aust-Wide Trust, Astor Goldsbrough Trust and Global Property Fund.

Industry experience

Mark acted for the provisional liquidator of United Medical Protection (UMP). Mark was responsible for negotiating the indemnity arrangements with the federal government to enable UMP to continue operating until 31 December 2002 and for obtaining Court approval of those arrangements.

Mark was the lead insolvency partner advising Air New Zealand in relation to the administration of its subsidiary, Ansett Australia Limited.

Mark acted for the administrators of One.Tel and continues to advise the liquidators of One.Tel in relation to various issues arising in the liquidation.

Mark advised one of the bidders for the Century zinc mine in relation to the acquisition of assets from the administrators of Pasminco Limited. This included advising on the potential acquisition of assets pursuant to deeds of company arrangement.

Mark acted for one of the major creditors of Cinema Plus, IMAX Corporation, which is the owner and lessor of the IMAX® projection systems. In this capacity, Mark was extensively involved in the negotiation of the acquisition of assets of Cinema Plus from the administrators and the negotiation of various agreements with MTM Entertainment Trust, the owner of a number of IMAX Cinemas in Australia.

Mark acted for the administrators and liquidators of WorldxChange Limited. In this role, Mark was responsible for advising in relation to the sale of the business of WorldxChange to NewTel Limited.

Mark is the Australian legal representative of the US receivers and worldwide provisional liquidators of the Princeton Economics group. In this role, Mark has been involved in the identification, protection and recovery of assets of the group located in Australia.

Mark has represented numerous financial institutions, including National Australia Bank, Commonwealth Bank, Bank One, ABN Amro, Bank of America, Korea First Finance and KEB Australia in relation to debt recovery, corporate receivership and administration and insolvency matters.

Professional background

He holds degrees in Commerce and Law from the University of New South Wales and was awarded the University Medal in law in 1987.