Michael A. Email & Phone Number

New South Wales, Australia

Group General Counsel responsible for providing strategic and legal advice to the Wisdom Group of companies.Represented Group in addressing and overcoming disputes and complaints, including representation within Court and NCAT.Redrafted the building Contract, changing the internal processes and providing training to stakeholders on the new Contract and process.Led the internal project team focusing on expansion and growth opportunities.Provided training to the Management team on leadership.Redrafted the suite of procurement Agreements.Drafted company policy on ecological sustainability.

Melbourne, Australia

Employed as a Manager (Legal) in the Alternative Legal Services (ALT) team of Herbert Smith Freehills.Manages a team of up to 18 legal professionals, including: day to day administrative tasks, performance management, coaching and mentorship. Some success include coaching a developing a members my team to become the leading performers at their level.Lead multiple projects simultaneously, including a project that has continued for in excess of 12 months and brought in revenue of in excess of $4m to the practice. This included leading a team spread across three (3) states, all working remotely during the COVID pandemic. The result has been a team that has remained engaged during challenging times and produced high quality work and satisfied client.Spearheaded various strategic projects, including (but not limited to) developing best practice processes for implementation across the global network.

Sydney, Australia

Employed as a lawyer within the Property Litigation team of the Insurance arm of the Suncorp Group.Provided advice on issues such as: risk, compliance, liability, policy interpretation, dispute resolution and how legislation may effect decisions made by various business units within the Group.Contributed to the Groups bottom line: indirectly savings of millions of dollars in claim payments, through policy interpretation advice; and directly, by recovering millions of dollars each year in subrogated claims against other insurers and liable third parties.Demonstrated exceptional project management, file management, negotiation and alternative dispute resolution skills, resulting in me exceeding quantitative KPI’s by over 300% in each financial year.Took a leadership role within the legal team to lead design thinking and process improvement workshops to improve workplace performance and employee satisfaction.Mentored legal and non-legal personal within the legal, claims and recovery teams to upskill them and assist them achieve their targets, resulting in being nominated for an award for Stakeholder engagement.Acted as legal counsel and the Group’s legal representation in Court.

Mumbai

A 2 month project, embedded within Aditya Birla Retail Limited, the company that managed the Supermarket and food processing side of the Groups business'.Analyzed the existing processes, cost structures and resources allocation within the 7 food reprocessing centres in India and proposed changes to make the centres more productive and cost efficient.The proposed changes were tested and resulted in significant cost reductions and process improvements that lead to increased output within the same period of time. Implemented and executed my recommended changes and managed the process to ensure a smooth transition and resolve any other issues that arose.

Madrid Area, Spain

Masters of Business Administration (MBA) awarded

Sydney, Australia

Employed as a solicitor at Crisp Legal, focusing on construction disputes and advice.As one of the most senior members of staff, managed and mentored a team of junior employees, both legal and paralegal.Took ownership of a large volume of matters, ensuring that actions were constantly being taken to resolve the client’s problems.Advised construction companies on changes in their processes, and assisted them to make these changes.Led seminars and information days on legal and project management concepts.Advised and assisted Project Managers with the project management of multimillion dollar construction projects in order to ensure prompt, safe and cost effective construction of the project.Built and developed client relationships, becoming the first point of contact for many clients who needed advice on any legal issue.

Ashfield

Employed in an in-house legal capacity for Chubb Fire & Security, part of the multinational corporation United Technologies. Drafted, reviewed and negotiated contracts and other procurement agreements. Provided advice business unit leads and project managers on risk, compliance and other legal issues.Made redundant after a corporate restructure.

Sydney, Australia

Employed as a solicitor in the Disputes practice under the supervision of two (2) Partners.Utilized analytical and critical thinking skills for multinational clients on issues that related to allegations of faulty products, property disputes, insurance disputes and insolvency issues.Drafted, using appropriate, plain English language, various Contracts, Agreements, Deeds and other legal documents, always ensuring that the documents reflected the client’s needs and interests.

Sydney, Australia

Employed originally as a Law Clerk, and promoted to Solicitor when admitted. Took carriage and responsibility over all aspects of over 50 personal injury insurance matters.Negotiated settlements, through settlement conferences, mediation and/or through informal discussions with opposing Counsel (or client) cases worth from thousands to over a million of dollars

Master Of Business Administration (Mba), Masters Of Business Administration

Activities and Societies: IE Rugby Club (Social Captain) IE Ambassador

Bachelor Of Laws (Llb), Law

Higher School Certificate