Current practice
Professor Robert Baxt has been in the public eye for a large part of his career as a lawyer and legal academic in trade practices, corporate law and taxation law. He was a solicitor with Freehills in 1965 and re-joined the firm as a Partner in January 2005 after 13 years as a partner in another major law firm.Industry experience
Professor Baxt has worked extensively on matters relating to the Trade Practices Act and competition policy and more recently in relation to corporate governance and the duties of directors.Before joining practice Professor Baxt was the Chairman of the Trade Practices Commission and prior to that, the Dean of the Monash University Law Faculty for a number of years.
Major projects and clients
Professor Baxt has been an adviser to governments and clients on the impact not only of the Competition Policy Reform Act, the Trade Practices Act and related legislation, but also on the Corporations Act and most recently on initiatives being taken by the Federal Government with respect to the vesting of additional powers on the Australian Securities and Investments Commission in the form of infringement notices.
Apart from advising many private organisations, he has also advised the Queensland Department of Treasury in relation to issues facing company directors arising from the privatisation of that State's electricity industry.
Professional background
Professor Baxt is Chairman of the Law Committee of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and a member of The Executive of the Business Law Section of the Law Council of Australia. He was the founder of the Banking Law Association and is the General Editor of both the Company and Securities Law Journal and the Australian Business Law Review. He is an editorial adviser to CCH Australia and the author of The Australian Institute of Company Directors' Law Reporter. Professor Baxt is also the General Editor of The Baxt Report.He was honoured in the Queen's Birthday Honours Awards in 2003 by being awarded an Order of Australia for services to the law and has been awarded the Centenary Medal. He is also a Professorial Fellow of the University of Melbourne.
