Partner, London
Growing up on the east coast of Australia, my career dream was to play cricket for Australia and/or to study wildlife. I did not manage either. My career as a global investigations, government enforcement and criminal defence lawyer in London has been an unlikely one for a ‘bush’ lawyer who initially came to play cricket for a season in England. From unorthodox beginnings, my legal career has been shaped by global economic events. While ‘big law’ in London was not my primary ambition, my curiosity and love of travel and global affairs led me towards complex cross-border corruption, and cartel and market manipulation investigations.
At law school, I worked as a courthouse car park cashier and security attendant. I was also a paralegal in the public interest legal centre at the University of Newcastle, New South Wales, which ran free legal advice clinics, sometimes on the main beach to raise awareness! Both jobs allowed me to connect with local barristers, judges and a few recidivists in the car park who later became clients after I qualified as a criminal defence lawyer in 2006.
Our university legal centre secured many remarkable results for vulnerable clients, including ‘David and Goliath’ victories against governments and multinationals. Most recently there was the pardoning of Kathleen Folbigg, who was wrongly convicted of quadruple infanticide, after 20 years in prison. That period taught me about the flawed justice system, while also reaffirming the power of law as a force for good in the hands of lawyers with passion, integrity and knowledge.
This aligns with Dechert’s culture and commitment to pro bono excellence. There is our fight for compensation for British Caribbean victims of the Windrush scandal, and protection of Afghan asylum seekers, among many other worthy causes across our global network.
My legal cases are often unique in their complexity, scale or significance. From the great financial crisis bank investigations (post-2008) to the more recent oil futures crash and storage crisis in April 2020, which sent oil prices below zero for the first time in history.
Other prominent cases included the marine rubber cartel case – the first dual UK and US criminal indictment for cartel offences. There was also the historic Airbus global bribery settlement. This was the largest-ever settlement for alleged corruption at the time and the first agreed by US, UK and French authorities.
'There are parallels between playing competitive cricket and being a lawyer. Both have their own strange language, conventions and dress codes and require individual accountability in a team context'
While my cricket career was not quite as serious, I have had the thrill of playing cricket against six national teams, three of which are currently playing in the World Cup in the US. I have played on the sacred turf at Lords, representing Marylebone Cricket Club at home and abroad, an unusual privilege for an Aussie. For all its quirks and dampness, over the years London has given me the chance to pursue a demanding legal career and still play competitive club cricket with and against many international players and childhood heroes. I have also broken a few run-scoring records along the way (which I like to remind my professional teammates about, much to their dismay).
I even had a fleeting role in a Bollywood movie, aptly playing a failed English cricketer, before deciding that my talents were best utilised in ‘big law’. It is great to reminisce about the many legal and cricketing victories (and the odd tough loss) over the years, particularly with close teammates in both disciplines. There are parallels between playing competitive cricket and being a lawyer. Both have their own strange language, conventions and dress codes and require individual accountability in a team context, tenacity, managing pressure, prolonged frustration and some pain. One particularly enjoyable aspect of both is the rich tapestry of diverse personalities they attract from all over the world, many of whom have become lifelong friends.
Next year will be my 20th season for the mighty North Middlesex Cricket Club. Like Dechert, it was founded in 1875 and is celebrating its 150th anniversary next year. Two esteemed institutions and two worlds intertwined.
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