Frank Tao
Frank accepts briefs in all areas of law. He specialises in matters relating to insolvency and bankruptcy, banking and financial services, commercial disputes, and regulatory disputes.
Frank routinely advises and represents banks, financial services providers, insolvency and bankruptcy practitioners, directors, officers and shareholders in relation to external administrations, commercial litigation, civil penalty proceedings, and contentious regulatory actions.
Frank commands a deep understanding of financial institutions and a range of financial products. He has managed banking disputes from credit contracts and mortgages to CDOs, CFDs and ISDAs. He is also familiar with organisational and operational issues for financial institutions, including treasury/cost of funding disputes, compliance, and governance and management.
Before joining the Bar, Frank practised as a solicitor for 10 years in Sydney and London. Whilst in the UK, Frank managed several high-profile and multi-billion pound cases for the Joint Administrators of Lehman Brothers International (Europe), widely recognised as the world’s most complex administration, and defended contentious regulatory actions initiated by the UK Financial Conduct Authority and the Serious Fraud Office.
Frank was the Tipstaff to the Hon. Justice Henric Nicholas, Supreme Court of NSW in 2009.
Frank has been a member of the NSW Bar Association’s Diversity and Equality Committee since 2023.
Junior Counsel
Year of admission to practice in Australia: 2009
Year of admission to practice in England and Wales: 2016
Year of admission to the NSW Bar: 2019
Named as one of the Best Lawyers in Australia for Insolvency and Reorganisation Law in 2025 and 2026.