Leading independent Australian law firm McCullough Robertson Lawyers recently announced the appointment of David O'Farrell as a Partner in the national insolvency and restructuring team.
This appointment supports McCullough Robertson across a number of areas:
- forecasted growth in demand for restructuring services;
- additional strength in the areas of financial and regulatory investigations and disputes; and
- bolsters their Queensland State Government offering.
Mr O'Farrell joins McCullough Robertson from national law firm HWL Ebsworth Lawyers (HWL) where he was a partner for over 5 years. Prior to his role at HWL, David was a partner at Minter Ellison in Brisbane and spent much of his earlier career at Blake Dawson (now Ashurst) in Sydney.
David has over 25 years' experience as a litigator with a focus on financial and regulatory disputes with particular expertise in reconstruction and insolvency. He has been recognised as a 'leading' Lawyer in Insolvency & Reconstruction and Commercial Litigation & Dispute Resolution by Doyle's Guide, and named in Best Lawyers" Australia for Insolvency and Reorganization Law.
He is a Fellow of the Australian Reconstruction Insolvency & Reconstruction Turnaround Association (ARITA) and has been long-standing committee member and former Vice-Chairman of the ARITA Queensland state committee.
David brings extensive experience in both contentious and non-contentious matters and has represented a wide variety of stakeholders in distressed financial circumstances including secured financiers, debt and equity participants, directors, insolvency practitioners and regulators. He has been involved in several of Australia's most complex insolvencies and restructures (both public and private) over the past two decades.
"We are delighted to welcome David O'Farrell to strengthen our dispute resolution practice as we work with our clients to navigate these uncertain times. David's experience and expertise complements our existing offering and will help ensure that, as these skills become more in demand as the global economic situation shifts, we are well-placed to continue providing the highest quality advice "
Reece Walker, Chair of Partners, McCullough Robertson
Mr O'Farrell also brings a great deal of expertise acting for the Queensland State Government which supports the Firm's recent appointment to the Queensland State Government Legal Panel.
"This is a fantastic appointment for the Firm and coincides with the predicted lift in demand for this skillset. We believe that David's background, and the depth of insight he and his team brings, will be of great value to our clients and we look forward to introducing David to them."
Guy Humble, Partner and Head of Litigation, McCullough Robertson
Mr O'Farrell commented on the move: "The opportunity to develop my practice amongst one of the strongest brands within Queensland and at a firm with significant national growth is very appealing. I have no doubt McCullough Robertson will offer the right culture and opportunities as the market continues to evolve."
The appointment of Mr O'Farrell is effective 1 July 2020. He will be based in the Brisbane office.
