Current practice

In a professional career spanning more than three decades, Kevin has gained unusually wide experience—in Australia and internationally—ranging from major commercial disputes to criminal law, as a litigator, a negotiator, in legal office management, risk management and acting as an expert management legal consultant to government at all levels.

Kevin has defended a number of major product liability class action cases and has developed considerable expertise in this area.

Industry experience

Recent cases in which Kevin has been involved include:

• managing the defence of a number of class action product liability claims for a female sterilisation product in Federal, Supreme and District Courts in two states
• acting for a mining company in two large contractual disputes in Indonesia—creating appropriate ADR strategies and implementing them leading to a successful arbitration and a resolution of both issues
• acting for an international mining company in defending a large claim in the Papua New Guinea National Court
• acting for a steel manufacturer in a large claim for damages based on allegedly defective materials
• preparing analyses then discussing negotiation and mediation strategies for successfully settling a number of large insurance claims disputes for a national life assurance company
• advising companies involved in the royal commission into the building industry and the royal commission arising from the Sydney water crisis
• training for governments of Indonesia and Brunei and for major South-East Asian oil companies in alternative dispute resolution techniques.

Professional background

Kevin was admitted to practice in 1965, after working with the State Attorney-General's Department and Director of Public Prosecutions Office. He then served as deputy public solicitor for Papua New Guinea, in which role he supervised a large general litigation practice with an emphasis on criminal, land, mining and compensation law. In 1972 he joined Freehills and in 1976 was admitted to the partnership.

Kevin is trained in arbitration, in negotiation at Harvard Law School, and in various forms of alternate dispute resolution. He participated in developing the firm's Total Dispute Management system. He is also a member of the firm's product liability practice.

Kevin is a former managing partner of the firm's Sydney and national offices, former chairman of the firm's litigation practice, and is currently working as a consultant. He is a regular contributor to risk management publications and has written articles published in the Sydney Morning Herald and the Law Society Journal.