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Russells

Stephen Russell

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Managing Partner

Key Practice Fields

  • Arbitration
  • Banking and Finance: Securities Advice and Enforcement
  • Bankruptcy; High Value Administrations
  • Commercial Property Disputes
  • Corporate Governance
  • Corporate Insolvency and Restructures
  • Corporate and Business Disputes
  • Corporations Law
  • Directors and Officers; Fraud, Misconduct and Insurance
  • Energy, Mining and Resources Disputes
  • Financial Services
  • Financial Services and Insurance
  • Government and Administrative Law
  • Insurance and Risk Management
  • Intellectual Property; Patents and Trademarks
  • Media Law
  • Partnership and Shareholder Disputes
  • Professional Negligence
  • Tax Litigation and Disputes
Download Résumé

Stephen Russell is the Managing Partner of Russells, a specialised corporate and commercial law firm.

He is a solicitor of the Supreme Courts of Queensland and Victoria; his name is on the roll of the High Court of Australia. Since his admission in 1983, he has practised continuously and exclusively in commercial litigation. He has been called as an expert witness in commercial litigation practice in the Supreme Court of Queensland.

Commercial Litigation

Stephen’s commercial litigation experience includes:

  • All aspects of corporate law litigation, including:
  • major corporate insolvency litigation
  • Australian financial services advice and regulatory infringement claims
  • large case bankruptcy litigation
  • substantial class action litigation in the Federal Court of Australia
  • mergers and acquisitions litigation in the Takeovers Panel and, prior to its establishment, in the State Supreme Courts
  • representing public and proprietary company directors in D&O and professional indemnity claims
  • professional negligence claims involving engineers, architects, valuers, accountants, auditors and lawyers
  • planning and environment appeals, involving engineering, hydrological and other issues
  • representing claims managers and loss adjusters in proceedings in the Supreme Court of NSW against the underwriters of a public liability book
  • commercial property disputes
  • intra company and shareholder disputes
  • trading and other trusts
  • partnership dissolutions, joint venture disputes
  • intellectual property litigation.

Insolvency

In addition to his litigation experience, Stephen has an extensive advisory practice for corporations, their boards, insolvency practitioners, and banks and financiers. He has experience in cross-border insolvency matters, including international insolvencies involving cross-border issues in the UK, USA, Hong Kong, Canada and the Middle East.

Commercial Property

Stephen’s commercial property experience includes:

  • property joint ventures, trust, financing disputes
  • commercial lease disputes
  • major infrastructure projects
  • specific performance, restitution and other specialty remedies
  • valuation negligence; rent review issues.

Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Arts, University of Queensland, 1981
  • Bachelor of Laws, University of Queensland, 1982

Professional Admissions

  • Admitted as solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland, 1983
  • Admitted as solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria, 1984
  • Admitted to practise in the High Court of Australia
  • Commercial Litigation specialist (accredited by Queensland Law Society), 2006

Professional Recognition

  • Leading Commercial Litigation & Dispute Resolution Lawyer – Queensland, Doyles Guide 2023
  • Recommended Insolvency & Restructuring Lawyer – Queensland, Doyles Guide 2023
  • Leading Commercial Litigation & Dispute Resolution Lawyer – Queensland, Doyles Guide 2022
  • Recommended Insolvency & Restructuring Lawyer – Queensland, Doyles Guide 2022

Professional Publications and Committees

  • Member, Queensland Law Society Specialist Accreditation Committee, Commercial Litigation
  • Member, Law Council of Australia Insolvency and Reconstruction Committee
  • Founding Member, Queensland Law Society Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee
  • Lecturer for professional insolvency year for the Insolvency Practitioners Association of Australia
  • ‘Bankruptcy and Insolvency: The Rights and Remedies of Foreign Creditors in Australia’, published in the International Law Review of the Centre for International Legal Studies in Vienna
  • ‘Unfair Preferences: Putting an end to the Peak Indebtedness Rule’ (2016) 24 Insol Law Jnl 111 (with Sean Russell)
  • Papers presented to seminars convened by Queensland Law Society Inc. Continuing Legal Education Dept on Court Practice and Procedure
  • Former Member, Queensland Law Society Proctor Editorial Committee
  • Former Member, Queensland Law Society Court Practice and Procedure Committee

Professional Experience

  • Managing Partner, Russells (formerly Russell and Company), 1993 to present
  • Consultant, Deacons Graham and James, Brisbane,1992–93
  • Partner, Clarke and Kann, Brisbane, 1985–92
  • Solicitor, Clarke and Kann, Brisbane, 1984–85