Insolvency & Reconstruction.

He’s almost always the youngest person in the room but when Stipe speaks, even the oldest hands listen. Stipe has earned the gratitude and respect of many established company directors and individuals who he has helped through financial hardship, insolvency and business reconstruction.

He speaks fluent accountancy and insolvency practitioners enjoy his repartee on topics ranging from extending convening periods or remuneration approval to recovering voidable transactions and public examinations.

With a pedigree that boasts large British and Australian multinationals across the consumer goods, manufacturing and retail space, Stipe has worked on complex and high-profile cases that most lawyers will only ever read about. His professional mantra is that being a lawyer is easy, but being a good lawyer is hard.

We know Stipe is better than good. He’s won many awards and accolades for being both young and quick-witted, so if you need the best and brightest to rescue your distressed assets, Stipe’s your man (unless someone whisks him away for a coffee, and then you may find he’s distracted for a minute or two).

Sayward’s practical, methodical and focused approach to legal practice consistently brings her clients the results they seek.

These are traits she has cultivated not only through studying the law, but from her background in equine science and her work in the horse industry, where efficiency and commerciality are also key issues for clients.

In addition to her insolvency work with personal clients, SMEs and insolvency practitioners, Sayward heads up Chamberlains’ specialist equine law service.

One of the few Canberra-based specialists in this field, Sayward offers legal advice on everything from buying and selling horses to dispute resolution.

She is also a keen dressage rider and is producing her own young dressage prospect.

Michael has extensive experience in resolving commercial disputes, particularly those arising from personal and corporate insolvency.

Michael regularly acts for insolvency practitioners, companies, directors, related parties and creditors and applies his comprehensive knowledge of insolvency laws to provide accurate and straightforward advice.

For Hugh litigation lawyers are guardians who, while may not be liked, are the unsung heroes of protecting people from others and sometimes themselves. He describes great lawyers as those who can engage with clients on a personal and intellectual level in order to humanise what can be a lengthy, tedious, frustrating and mechanical process.

As someone who works in a field where framing arguments and steering debates is a constant state of mind, Hugh strives to be true to his own moral code alongside providing his clients with the best legal position.

When not steering debates, Hugh may be found working on his car steering while pursuing his interest in mechanics which was partially fostered after completing a TAFE welding course. He’s also fluent in Spanish, so if anyone needs a Spanish-speaking certified welder and litigation lawyer, Hugh’s your man.

James is a corporate and commercial litigator based primarily in Chamberlains’ Sydney office. However, he spends much of the week working from his home on the NSW Central Coast.

In 2018, after a decade in the profession, James kicked off a revolutionary series of videos called “Coffee and a Case Note” giving casual, brief reports on recent legal cases over a cup of coffee. The series continues to this day. It is an approach that has been occasionally mimicked, though never for very long.

Aside from managing a YouTube channel, Instagram page, Twitter account, Facebook page, TikTok page and podcast sharing knowledge about recent decisions, James also regularly gives talks and papers for leading legal education providers and universities.

However, sharing his legal knowledge far and wide is not the only string to his bow. James also prides himself on being approachable.

While knowledge is all well and good, approachability is fundamental to James’ practice. Whether he’s before a judge, dealing with an opponent, assisting a colleague, or advising a client – he prides himself on making sure the right message gets through.

His approachability, combined with his knowledge, sees James regularly recognised as a prominent member of the legal profession.

James uses his skills to help companies, trusts and partnerships (and the people in and around them like directors, trustees, shareholders, partners and beneficiaries) protect and, where necessary, project their interests. This will often involve Court work where James is equally happy “on his feet” before the judge, or serving as part of a team, along with a barrister or two.

In his off time, you might find James recording his horror movie podcast “Spooko” or reminiscing about the days when he used to make rap music.

Neil started at Chamberlains Law Firm as a paralegal in early 2016, and is now working as a lawyer within the Litigation & Restructuring Team in our Canberra office. He was admitted as a solicitor in the ACT Supreme Court in October 2019 and his areas of specialisation currently include corporate & personal insolvency, debt recovery and commercial litigation (including professional negligence, nuisance and unit title management disputes).

Being one of our youngest solicitors in the office, Neil developed a deep interest in his areas of specialisation at a very young age. He recognises the important role that lawyers play in serving individuals and corporations during times of need, and prides himself in assisting his clients in a creative and efficient manner to resolve their disputes. He has earned the respect of his clients and colleagues, with his hard work and dedication over the years both at university and in our office, earning him a spot as a finalist in the Law Student of the Year category of the 2018 Lawyers Weekly Australian Law Awards.

Neil’s witty humour and enthusiasm in the office is cherished by his colleagues. He is not only the go to litigation lawyer within our Canberra office, but he is also the fire warden and is responsible for running the annual Pool Tournament at Chamberlains Law Firm. During his spare time, Neil is an avid hiker and traveller and he remains deeply involved with his global Hare Krishna community. When not stuck in Canberra because of a pandemic, Neil spends his annual leave with his family between India and Slovenia. He can also fluently speak 4 languages with Croatian as his next mission.

Neil knows that being a good lawyer requires a commitment to ongoing development in this field and he intends to use his high values and passion for his work to carve his own path in this industry.