News

Leading Insolvency & Restructuring Senior and Junior Counsel in Australia.We are pleased to congratulate Jack Hynes SC, Ben Koch, John Anderson and Frank Tao on their recognition the 2026 Doyle’s Guide rankings for Leading Insolvency & Restructuring Senior and Junior Counsel in Australia. View the Senior Counsel rankings here. View the Junior Counsel rankings here. [...] Read more...

Jack Hynes appointed Senior CounselNinth Floor Selborne Chambers is delighted to announce that our Jack Hynes has been appointed Senior Counsel today. We warmly congratulate Jack on his appointment and look forward to celebrating this significant achievement with him. Congratulations Jack Hynes SC on this very well deserved recognition. [...] Read more...

Doyle’s Guide – Leading Professional Indemnity Counsel in New South WalesCongratulations to Andre Zahra SC SC and Mark Newton on their inclusion in the Doyle’s Guide 2026 rankings for Leading Professional Indemnity Counsel in New South Wales. View the Senior Counsel rankings here. And the Junior Counsel rankings here. [...] Read more...

Welcome, Nicholas DarwenNinth Floor Selborne Chambers is pleased to welcome our new reader, Nicholas Darwen. Nick joins us from Meridian Lawyers, where he was a Senior Associate acting and advising on professional liability and insurance matters, with a specialisation in construction disputes. Nick accepts briefs in all areas of the law, with a particular emphasis on: 1. [...] Read more...

Pfizer Ireland Pharmaceuticals Unlimited Company v Samsung Bioepis Co., Ltd (Infringement and Validity) [2026] FCA 1244Katrina Howard SC acted for the 3rd to 8th respondents, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Organon and Arrow, in their successful defence of a patent infringement claim brought by Pfizer. The decision of Justice Burley, published on 15 September 2026, was the culmination of a near decade long dispute, which commenced with Pfizer’s application for preliminary [...] Read more...

Leading Wills & Estates Litigation Senior Counsel – New South Wales, 2026Congratulations to Michelle Painter SC for her inclusion in the Doyle’s Guide rankings for Leading Wills & Estates Litigation Senior Counsel – New South Wales, 2025. See the full list here. [...] Read more...

Re RD Beechworth Pty Limited [2026] NSWSC 1098On 11 September 2026, the Supreme Court of NSW delivered judgment in Re RD Beechworth Pty Limited [2026] NSWSC 1098 (Nixon J), in which Andre Zahra SC and Frank Tao (instructed by Tina Hua of Tahota Law Firm) appeared for the successful plaintiffs. The proceeding concerned a just and equitable winding up application brought [...] Read more...

Barel v Barel [2026] NSWCA 179On 4 September 2026, the New South Wales Court of Appeal delivered judgment in Barel v Barel [2026] NSWCA 179. Ben Koch, leading Andrew Berriman, appeared for the successful respondent instructed by Elias Yamine of ESY Lawyers Pty Ltd. The appeal concerned challenges to findings of fact about three oral loan agreements established by the [...] Read more...

Maroon v Wengel (Trustee), in the matter of Maroon (Bankrupt) (Trial Judgment) [2026] FCA 1129On Friday, 14 August 2026, the Federal Court of Australia (Needham J) delivered judgment in Maroon v Wengel (Trustee), in the matter of Maroon (Bankrupt) (Trial Judgment) [2026] FCA 1129, in which Ben Koch and Nicole Maddocks (instructed by Lewis Seelenmeyer and Demi Farah of Independent Legal) appeared for both the successful trustee in bankruptcy [...] Read more...

Leading Insolvency & Restructuring Junior Counsel, New South Wales, 2026We are pleased to congratulate the following barristers on their inclusion in the 2026 Doyle’s Guide rankings for Leading Insolvency & Restructuring Junior Counsel, New South Wales. Jack Hynes has been recognised as Preeminent, with Ben Koch, John Anderson and Frank Tao recognised as Leading. View the full rankings here. [...] Read more...

Leading Mediators – New South Wales, 2026We are pleased to congratulate the Hon. P A Bergin AO SC and the Hon. Fabian Gleeson SC on their inclusion in the 2026 Doyle’s Guide rankings as Leading Mediators in New South Wales. For enquiries relating to their availability and rates, please contact their clerk, Ella Baxendale, on (02) 8915 2101. See the full [...] Read more...

Welcome Maja CvjetanovicNinth Floor Selborne Chambers is delighted to welcome Maja Cvjetanovic as a reader on the floor. Prior to coming to the Bar, Maja was a Senior Associate at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, where she acted in a wide range of complex commercial disputes over an eight year period. Her experience includes large scale commercial [...] Read more...

Leading Commercial Litigation & Dispute Resolution Junior Counsel – New South Wales, 2026We are pleased to congratulate Jack Hynes and Ben Koch on their inclusion in the 2026 Doyle’s Guide rankings as Leading Commercial Litigation & Dispute Resolution Junior Counsel in New South Wales. See the full rankings here. [...] Read more...

Best Lawyers 2027We are pleased to celebrate eleven of our barristers who have been recognised in the 19th edition of Best Lawyers for their expertise across a broad range of practice areas. Congratulations to: 1. The Hon P A Bergin AO SC, Alternative Dispute Resolution 2. The Hon Fabian Gleeson SC, Alternative Dispute Resolution 3. Katrina Howard [...] Read more...

Crown Group Holdings Pty Ltd [2026] NSWSC 295The Supreme Court (Black J) recently dismissed an application by the provisional liquidators of the property development group known as the Crown Group. The provisional liquidators sought orders to enable them to cause a payment $3.99m to a company wholly owned by one of two directors of the Crown Group. Amir Chowdhury led by Christian [...] Read more...

The Owners – Strata Plan No 87231 v 3A Composites GmbH (No 10) [2026] FCA 351The Federal Court of Australia (Anderson J) has delivered judgment in The Owners – Strata Plan No 87231 v 3A Composites GmbH (No 10) [2026] FCA 351, in which Sam Adair appeared (lead by Nicholas Owens SC, now a Judge of the Federal Court, and instructed by Wesley Rose of Wotton Kearney Lawyers) for the successful [...] Read more...

Welcome John AndersonWe are delighted to welcome John Anderson back to Ninth Floor Selborne Chambers. Over his nine years at the Bar, John has built a strong and busy commercial practice, with particular expertise in corporations law, corporate and cross border insolvency, banking and finance, and equity and trusts. He is regularly briefed in complex commercial disputes [...] Read more...

𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘧 𝘌𝘹𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘖𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘈𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘷 𝘌𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘮 [2026] FCA 147The Federal Court of Australia (Hespe J) in 𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘧 𝘌𝘹𝘦𝘤𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘖𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘋𝘪𝘴𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘈𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘷 𝘌𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘮 [2026] FCA 147 dismissed an appeal by the National Disability Insurance Agency (NDIA) from a decision of the Administrative Review Tribunal. The primary ground of appeal centred around the construction of s 34(1) of the 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 [...] Read more...

Leading Transport Law Junior Counsel – Australia, 2026Congratulations to Michael Swanson for his inclusion in the Doyle’s Guide rankings for Leading Transport Law Junior Counsel – Australia, 2026. [...] Read more...

Legal 500 Asia Pacific Guide 2026We are delighted to announce the inclusion of our barristers in the Legal 500 Asia Pacific Guide 2026. Katrina Howard SC is recognised for her expertise in Intellectual Property, while Andre Zahra SC and Thomas Bagley are ranked in Commercial Disputes. Clients and peers have highlighted Andre’s sharp analytical skills: “He has a very quick [...] Read more...

End of YearAs the year comes to a close, Ninth Floor Selborne Chambers thanks our members, solicitors and clients for your continued support. We wish you a happy, restful and festive holiday. Please note that Chambers will operate on reduced hours over the festive period. Our last day of operating will be Tuesday 23 December 2025. Chambers [...] Read more...

X-ExaminationWe are pleased to share the latest episode of X-Examination, in which Giles Stapleton sits down with his Ninth Floor Selborne Chambers colleague, Richard Gration, Barrister and Specialist Reserve Legal Officer with the Royal Australian Air Force. Their discussion explores how international law operates in practice, far beyond the headlines and public assumptions. Key topics [...] Read more...

Welcome Brodie MillingtonNinth Floor Selborne Chambers is pleased to welcome our new reader, Brodie Millington. Brodie joins us from Banton Group, where he was a Senior Associate specialising in complex litigation. He has particular experience in class actions, construction and commercial disputes, including the S&P Global, Heavy Plant Leasing, Forge Group and Arrium proceedings. He holds a [...] Read more...

Leading Wills & Estates Litigation Senior Counsel – New South Wales, 2025Congratulations to Michelle Painter SC for her inclusion in the Doyle’s Guide rankings for Leading Wills & Estates Litigation Senior Counsel – New South Wales, 2025. See the full list here. [...] Read more...

Leading Class Actions Barristers – Australia, 2025Congratulations to Mark Hoffmann KC, Thomas Bagley and Blake O’Connor for their inclusion in the Doyle’s Guide rankings for Leading Class Action Barristers, Australia 2025. See the full list here. [...] Read more...

Leading Insolvency & Restructuring Junior Counsel – New South Wales, 2025Congratulations to Jack Hynes, Ben Koch and Frank Tao for their inclusion in the Doyle’s Guide rankings for Leading Insolvency & Restructuring Junior Counsel – New South Wales, 2025. See the full list here. [...] Read more...

Yeng & Sun [2025] FedCFamC1A 106The Appeals Division of the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia Div 1 (McClelland DCJ, Gill & Brasch JJ) has delivered judgment in Yeng & Sun [2025] FedCFamC1A 106 in which Giles Stapleton appeared (instructed by Jason Neo of Longton Legal) for the successful appellant. The appeal was from an exercise of discretion resulting in final orders that divided a c.$18 million [...] Read more...

Doyle’s Guide 2025 – Commercial Litigation & Dispute Resolution NSWCongratulations to Jack Hynes and Ben Koch on their inclusion in the 2025 Doyle’s Guide as Leading Junior Counsel in Commercial Litigation & Dispute Resolution – New South Wales. We are pleased to see two members of Ninth Floor Selborne Chambers recognised for their expertise. View the full listing here. [...] Read more...

Welcome, the Hon Fabian Gleeson SCWe are pleased to welcome back The Hon Fabian Gleeson SC to Ninth Floor Selborne Chambers, following his recent retirement from the NSW Court of Appeal. Mr Gleeson SC is now available to accept appointments with respect to arbitrations, mediations, expert determinations and facilitations. For all enquiries relating to Mr Gleeson SC’s practice, please contact [...] Read more...

Global Law Experts 2025We are delighted to share that Katrina Howard SC has been named Patent Law Expert of the Year in Australia – 2025 by Global Law Experts. This prestigious recognition is a testament to Katrina’s outstanding expertise, unwavering dedication and deep commitment to excellence in intellectual property law. All of us at Ninth Floor Selborne Chambers [...] Read more...

Best Lawyers 2025Congratulations to our eight barristers who were featured in 2025 edition of Best Lawyers for their expertise in various areas of law: 1. The Hon P A Bergin AO SC – Alternative Dispute Resolution 2. Katrina Howard SC – Intellectual Property Law 3. Jack Hynes – Insolvency and Reorganisation Law 4. Mark Newton – Insurance Law 5. Michael Swanson – Shipping and Maritime Law [...] Read more...

Andrews & Andrews Construction Pty Ltd v Yao; Yao v Andrews & Andrews Construction Pty Ltd [2025] NSWSC 322On Friday, 4 April 2025, the Supreme Court of NSW (Stevenson J) delivered judgment in Andrews & Andrews Construction Pty Ltd v Yao; Yao v Andrews & Andrews Construction Pty Ltd [2025] NSWSC 322, in which Andre Zahra SC and Nicole Maddocks appeared (instructed by Chris Freeman of Christopher C Freeman & Co) for the successful plaintiff/cross-defendant, [...] Read more...

Naaman v Jaken Properties Australia Pty Limited & Ors [2025] HCA 1Today, in a decision of great significance for the law of trusts, the High Court dismissed an appeal from a decision of the New South Wales Court of Appeal. John Kelly SC, Simon Shepherd and Adrian Maroya appeared for the successful respondents (who succeeded as appellants in the Court of Appeal). The High Court appeal [...] Read more...

Chambers and Partners 2025 Asia Pacific GuidePlease join us in congratulating Katrina Howard SC for being recognised in Chambers and Partners 2025 Asia Pacific Guide. Katrina continues to be the only female silk ranked in Band 1 of the Intellectual Property: The Bar – Australia listings. See the rankings here. [...] Read more...

Doyle’s Guide – Leading Wills & Estates Litigation Senior Counsel – NSW 2024Congratulations to Michelle Painter SC for her inclusion in the Doyle’s Guide rankings for Leading Wills & Estates Litigation Senior Counsel – New South Wales, 2024. See the full guide here. [...] Read more...

Doyle’s Guide – Leading Class Action Barristers – Australia, 2024Congratulations to Thomas Bagley for his inclusion in the Doyle’s Guide rankings for Leading Class Action Barristers – Australia, 2024. [...] Read more...

Australian College of Strata Lawyers 2024 conferenceDavid Knoll regularly presents updates for the profession in the field of Strata and Community Title. His most recent paper, presented on 6 March 2024 at the Australian College of Strata Lawyers 2024 conference was entitled: “Liability for Breach of Statutory Duty”. The focus was primarily on water ingress cases and the capacity of Tribunals to [...] Read more...

Justice of the Piece – AFRMichelle Painter SC receives a feature in the The Australian Financial Review‘s latest article “Justice of the Piece”. Her curated chambers and collection of Asian-origin headpieces are displayed alongside the grand collections of The Hon Chief Justice Andrew Bell, The Hon Justice John Sackar KC, The Hon Justice Richard Weinstein SC and Laina Chan of 2 Selborne Chambers. Explore the [...] Read more...

Liprini v Thirdi William Street Pty Ltd [2023] NSWSC 1375Junioring Frank Hicks SC, Michael Swanson successfully defends his client against security for costs in a representative proceedings. Justice Ball was asked to considered whether security for costs should be awarded against the lead applicant in a representative proceedings arising out of a residential construction development. The lead applicant and group members did not have the benefit of [...] Read more...

Doyle’s Guide Leading Professional Indemnity Senior Counsel and Junior Counsel – New South Wales, 2023We are pleased to announce Andre Zahra SC and Mark Newton have been listed in the latest edition of Doyle’s Guide‘s Leading Professional Indemnity Senior Counsel and Junior Counsel – New South Wales, 2023. [...] Read more...

Leading Insolvency & Restructuring Senior and Junior Counsel in Australia.

We are pleased to congratulate Jack Hynes SC, Ben Koch, John Anderson and Frank Tao on their recognition the 2026 Doyle’s Guide rankings for Leading Insolvency & Restructuring Senior and Junior Counsel in Australia.

View the Senior Counsel rankings here.

View the Junior Counsel rankings here.

Jack Hynes appointed Senior Counsel

Ninth Floor Selborne Chambers is delighted to announce that our Jack Hynes has been appointed Senior Counsel today.

We warmly congratulate Jack on his appointment and look forward to celebrating this significant achievement with him.

Congratulations Jack Hynes SC on this very well deserved recognition.

Welcome, Nicholas Darwen

Ninth Floor Selborne Chambers is pleased to welcome our new reader, Nicholas Darwen.

Nick joins us from Meridian Lawyers, where he was a Senior Associate acting and advising on professional liability and insurance matters, with a specialisation in construction disputes.

Nick accepts briefs in all areas of the law, with a particular emphasis on:
1. Building & Construction
2. Commercial Disputes
3. Professional Negligence
4. Insurance
5. Mediation & ADR
6. Strata Liability
7. Consumer Protection
8. Class Actions

Nick can be contacted on 02 8915 2160 or darwen@selbornechambers.com.au, or through his Clerk, Ella Baxendale on 02 8915 2101. More information on Nick, including his CV, can be found at here.

We all look forward to working with Nick during his reading year and in the years to come.

Pfizer Ireland Pharmaceuticals Unlimited Company v Samsung Bioepis Co., Ltd (Infringement and Validity) [2026] FCA 1244

Katrina Howard SC acted for the 3rd to 8th respondents, Merck Sharp & Dohme, Organon and Arrow, in their successful defence of a patent infringement claim brought by Pfizer.

The decision of Justice Burley, published on 15 September 2026, was the culmination of a near decade long dispute, which commenced with Pfizer’s application for preliminary discovery in 2017.

The case concerned a patent relating to a method for producing etanercept, a drug used to treat autoimmune diseases. The patent was held to be invalid for obviousness, save for one claim, and the process used by Samsung Bioepis to produce etanercept was held not to infring e the patent even if the patent had been valid.

Read the judgment here.

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