Slater & Gordon - Lawyers, Lawyers Australia, Law Firm

Board & Management

In 1987 Anna became the first woman National Secretary of the Clothing and Allied Trades Union of Australia. She has been a vice president of the Australian Council of Trade Unions and a member of the boards of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia and the NRMA.

She was also a member of the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG). Anna is a non-executive director of Members Equity Bank and an executive director of CoSolve where she also consults in workplace relations. She is a fellow of the Macquarie University Labour-Management Studies Foundation and chairs the Mothers Day Classic Sydney Organising Committee which stages an annual event to raise funds for the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

^back to top^

Peter Gordon - Executive Director and Deputy Chair

Internationally renowned for his work on numerous landmark cases, Peter conducted the first successful asbestos related cancer claim in Australia in 1984 and led the litigation against CSR in relation to medically acquired HIV, breast implants, claims of sexual abuse against the Christian Brothers, Ok Tedi and the Kraft peanut butter and Wallis Lake Oysters contamination cases. More recently Peter represented the ACTU and asbestos support groups in the James Hardie Inquiry and also assisted the United States of America Department of Justice in ts successful litigation against the tobacco industry.

Peter also led the rescue of the Footscray Football Club in 1989(serving as its President for the next seven years). Peter currently divides his time between
tobacco litigation, asbestos litigation and class action litigation. Peter is also a
Board member of the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation.

^back to top^

Andrew Grech – Managing Director

Andrew joined Slater & Gordon in 1994 and has worked as a litigator in most areas of the Company’s litigation practice. Andrew also spent three years in the then fledgling Sydney office. Since he became Managing Director in 2000, the Company has enjoyed substantial growth and has opened or acquired new offices in Canberra, Parramatta, Newcastle, Wollongong, Broken Hill, Geelong and Ballarat.

In the same period Andrew also opened offices in Adelaide and Brisbane which operates under the Slater & Gordon name through Service Agreements with the company. Andrew has been the architect of the next phase of growth for the company and has successfully managed the acquisition and integration of five
smaller firms over the past two years.

^back to top^

Ken Fowlie – Executive Director

Ian Court – Non-Executive Director

Ian has over 30 years experience in senior executive positions and as a non-executive director of private and public companies. Ian has worked in superannuation administration and investment, infrastructure and private equity funds management, financial services, industrial relations/human resources, industry development and public policy at the national and state levels. His experience covers a wide range of industry sectors.

Ian is currently a non-executive director of Pacific Hydro Pty Ltd, Victorian Funds Management Corporation, Bennelong Funds Management Pty Ltd and ACTU Member Connect Pty Ltd. He was a former chief executive of Development Fund Management Ltd and a former executive chairman of the trustee of Cbus.
Earlier in his career, Ian was a senior ACTU industrial officer.

^back to top^

Erica Lane - Non-Executive Director

Erica Lane was appointed as Non-Executive Director at Slater & Gordon in December 2008. She is also a member of the Nomination & Remuneration and Audit, Compliance and Risk Management Committees.

Erica has been a Non-Executive Director and Chair of the Remuneration and Human Resources Committee for Victorian Funds Management Corporation since 2002 and was on the Board of Eastern Health and Chair of the IT Committee from 2000-2004.

Erica currently runs her own professional services firm which provides consulting and advisory services in relation to business strategy, structure and performance management. Previously she has spend over 25 years in senior executive roles with ANZ Bank, CS First Boston (New York), Booz Allen & Hamilton, RACV and Arthur Andersen. more>>

^back to top^

Management Structure

Slater & Gordon’s senior leadership team, the National Executive, is made up of leaders of the largest National Practices, State Practice Group Leaders and senior functional managers. The members of the National Executive are:

Peter Gordon - Executive Director and Deputy Chair and National Practice Group Leader, Asbestos Litigation and Project Litigation

Internationally renowned for his work on numerous landmark cases, Peter conducted the first successful asbestos related cancer claim in Australia in 1984 and led the litigation against CSR in relation to medically acquired HIV, breast implants, claims of sexual abuse against the Christian Brothers, Ok Tedi and the Kraft peanut butter and Wallis Lake Oysters contamination cases. More recently Peter represented the ACTU and asbestos support groups in the James Hardie Inquiry and also assisted the United States of America Department of Justice in ts successful litigation against the tobacco industry.

Peter also led the rescue of the Footscray Football Club in 1989(serving as its President for the next seven years). Peter currently divides his time between
tobacco litigation, asbestos litigation and class action litigation. Peter is also a
Board member of the Victorian Health Promotion Foundation.

^back to top^

Andrew Grech – Managing Director

Ken has taken a lead role in establishing Slater & Gordon’s presence in New South Wales. One of two original Slater & Gordon employees in that State in 1996, Ken now leads a team of 80, the majority of whom have joined the company through the acquisition of smaller firms. Ken remains a highly regarded asbestos lawyer.

Over his ten year career with Slater & Gordon, Ken has also led several high profile class actions with Peter Gordon. He is currently working on the Telstra class action. Since 2004 Ken has acted for the ACTU and asbestos support groups in negotiations with James Hardie and the New South Wales government which resulted in the establishment of a compensation fund for future asbestos victims.

^back to top^

Wayne Brown - Chief Financial Officer and Company Secretary

Prior to joining the Company in 2004, Wayne was the financial controller of the ASX listed Grand Hotels Group. Prior to that Wayne spent ten years with Arthur Andersen where he specialised in corporate recovery and restructuring.

Wayne is now the Chief Financial Officer of Slater & Gordon and has been heavily involved in the implementation of the Company’s growth strategy.

^back to top^

Mike Feehan – Chief Operating Officer

Mike joined the Company in 2006 after having consulted to it for three years.
He was instrumental in the development of the Company’s strategic plan and the Employee Ownership Plan.

Mike had previously worked for Orica in several senior executive roles, including as General Manager of its Adhesives division, General Manager of its largest petrochemical site at Botany in Sydney and Group Corporate Affairs Manager.

^back to top^

Paul Henderson - Principal Lawyer

Paul has led or worked in most of the Company’s personal injury practices with cnsiderable success. Paul is regarded as an authority in the field of catastrophic njury claims and currently practises in the Medical Negligence and Workers compensation practices.

In addition, Paul has extensive experience in the design and implementation of precedent and workflow systems and is responsible for overseeing the development of the Company’s workflow and knowledge management platform, key component of the Practice Management System.

^back to top^

Marcus Clayton - National Practice Group Leader - Industrial
and Employment Law

Marcus is the National Practice Group Leader for the Industrial and
Employment law practice.

Highly regarded in the union movement, he leads the Company’s national Industrial and Employment Law practice, with overall responsibility for dealings with the many unions for which the Company acts.

^back to top^

Cath Evans - National Practice Group Leader - Motor Vehicle Accident

Cath is the National Practice Group Leader for the Motor Vehicle Accident practice. Cath oversaw rapid growth in the Melbourne Motor Vehicle Accident practice, and now leads that practice nationally.

Cath also has responsibility for the development and implementation of the Company’s National Practice Standards, which play a pivotal role in quality assurance, risk management and the training of staff.

^back to top^

Hayden Stephens - National Practice Group Leader – Workers Compensation

Hayden is the National Practice Group Leader for the Workers Compensation
practice. In his previous role Hayden was instrumental in the rapid growth of the
Perth practice.

Hayden has now returned to Melbourne to take national responsibility for the growth of the Workers Compensation practice.

^back to top^

James Higgins - Principal Lawyer - Asbestos and Project Litigation

James is a Principal lawyer specialising in asbestos litigation and the
conduct of class actions.

James has recently returned from the Brisbane office where he was State Practice Manager during a period of rapid growth in that practice.

^back to top^

Mark Walter – National Practice Group Leader - Commercial Litigation

Mark is the National Practice Group Leader for the Commercial Litigation practice.

Mark has overseen the expansion of the company's range of legal services into the commercial area in the Melbourne practice and now, as National Practice Group Leader, has the responsibility for the growth of commercial law services nationally.

^back to top^

Chris Prast – State Practice Group Leader – Western Australia

Although not a lawyer, Chris has 30 years experience in the law, and has been involved in litigation in all jurisdictions in Western Australia.

Chris has a particular interest in the rights of injured workers and has appeared regularly as an advocate in all compensation Tribunals in Western Australia over the last 20 years.

^back to top^

Stuart Barnett - Practice Group Leader - Newcastle | Gosford

Stuart Barnett Stuart is the Practice group Leader for the Newcastle and Gosford Offices. Prior to joining Slater & Gordon he was the managing partner of a leading Newcastle law firm until its merger with Slater & Gordon in 2006.

Stuart oversees the growing Newcastle and Central Coast offices and is responsible for growing the firms personal injury practice on the Far North Coast of New South Wales.

He is an accredited specialist in Personal Injury Law and has a particular expertise in coal miners personal injury matters, serious injury claims and coronial work.

^back to top^

Gerard Peter Rees - Practice Group Leader, Canberra

Gerard Rees’ strong communication skills, effective method of preparation and easy going nature are only few of the components behind the selection to have Gerard as the practice group leader in the Canberra office of Slater & Gordon.

Gerard’s vast experience has been gained not only by his position in the legal field but also through being involved in areas outside of the law. Those various roles include:
    · President and Chairman of Directions – the largest drug and alcohol agency in the ACT
    · Chairman of the ACT AFL Appeals Board and Appeals Committee
    · Honorary ambassador of the ACT as appointed by the Chief Minister.

^back to top^

Board & Management

Board Members

National Executive Team

Board Members

Management Structure

Stuart Barnett - Practice Group Leader - Newcastle | Gosford

Gerard Peter Rees - Practice Group Leader, Canberra