Trevor Withane

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.

Trevor has acted for a wide variety of corporates, insolvency practitioners and private clients in a range of industries covering diverse subject matters.

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 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:

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