Ben Hardwick

Ben brings more than 24 years’ experience to his role as a Practice Group Leader for Slater and Gordon. Since joining the firm in 2001, Ben has worked on more than 25 class actions or group proceedings in the Federal Court of Australia and the Supreme Courts of Victoria, New South Wales and Western Australia.

As one of Australia’s most experienced class action lawyers, Ben is proud to work with a successful team of experts at Slater and Gordon to champion his clients’ cases. Ben is focused and passionate about getting the best outcome for his clients. Ben is currently conducting a number of Native Title matters and class actions including:

• The Optus Data Breach Class Action
• The IAG and NRMA Insurance Loyalty Tax Class Action
• The WA Housing Class Action

Ben’s class action successes include:

• The Consumer Credit Insurance Class Actions against CBA, Westpac and ANZ. The class actions against these three banks settled for a combined value of $126 million in 2022.
• The NAB Consumer Credit Insurance Class Action, a proceeding brought on behalf of hundreds of thousands of Australians who were sold junk credit and personal loan insurance which they would never have been able to claim against. The class action settled for $49.5 million.
• The Provident Class Action against Australian Executor Trustees Limited, a representative proceeding brought in the NSWSC on behalf of investors in Provident Capital that settled for $28.5 million, one of the top 10 class action settlements of 2018.
• The GPT class action, a Part IVA proceeding brought on behalf of shareholders in GPT which was settled for $75 million in 2013.
• The Sigma Class Action, a Part IVA proceeding brought on behalf of shareholders in Sigma Pharmaceuticals, which was settled for $57.5 million in 2012.
• Wheelahan v City of Casey, a Part 4A proceeding in the Supreme Court of Victoria brought on behalf of property owners who suffered economic loss as a consequence of the escape of landfill gas in the estate where they lived, which was settled for $23.5 million in 2011.
• The Australian Finance Direct Limited, a Part 4A proceeding in the Supreme Court of Victoria brought on behalf of 1,300 participants in Henry Kaye’s National Investment Institute property advice courses, which was settled for $3 million worth of debt relief and $500,000 in compensation in 2008.
• Harrison v Kerrili Pty Ltd, a Part 4A proceeding in the Supreme Court of Victoria brought on behalf of retirees who alleged negligence against the law firm who provided them with advice prior to them entering into the Money for Living Scheme which was settled for a sum of approximately $6 million in 2007.