Thomas Smithurst Email & Phone Number

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

Shanghai, China

Litigation attorney.My practice focus was on white collar defense and corporate internal investigations. Much of my work had an anti-corruption or accounting-integrity dimension under the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, but my matters also touched upon market manipulation, antitrust, food and drug law, and senior executive impropriety issues.Beyond white collar matters, I also assisted with arbitration and general litigation. The issues arising in these cases included fraud, breach of contract, fiduciary-duty breaches, sovereign immunity, and enforcement of judgments against third parties.Industries I gained experience with included software sales, offshore and marine construction, commodities trading, private and general banking, renewable energy, rail infrastructure, pharmaceutical generics, and pharmaceuticals R&D. I was home-based in Mainland China but on occasion traveled to Switzerland, Taipei, Singapore, Hong Kong, and India to assist clients. I also spent a year-and-a-half seated at the firm's Sydney office.

Interpreter for Australia-China military engagements—which included interpreting on five occasions for Australian three-star senior officers visiting Chinese counterparts in Beijing.Ad hoc operations staff work for divisional and operational headquarters in Australia, and curriculum assistance to the Defence School of Languages.

Royal Australian Armoured Corps officer.I served five years in regimental postings, incl. tank training and appointments as a squadron technical officer, troop leader, regimental headquarters operations officer, and squadron second-in-command—appointments first at a tank regiment and then at an armoured-reconnaissance regiment. (Australian armoured troops, squadrons, and regiments correspond to U.S. armored platoons, companies, and battalions respectively.)That period of regimental service included a brief operational assignment to Headquarters Multi-National Division Southeast in Basrah, Iraq while on exchange to the British Army in 2003.After those five years, Army put me through a year and a half of Chinese language training at the Defence School of Languages and a school in Beijing, and I also served for close to two years in staff-officer postings at a doctrine unit and an operational headquarters. Toward the end of my Army service, I took over half a year of long-service leave plus two years of leave without pay for self-funded language and law studies in Beijing and Taipei.I resigned my regular commission at the rank of major.

J.D.

2021-23

Ll.M.

2014-15 Vis East Moot 2015 (with honourable mention as a speaker)

Juris Master

2010-13 Chinese law degree akin to a U.S. JD, taught in Chinese

Graduate

1998 Graduated 12th of 182 Royal Australian Armoured Corps Prize (Cambrai Trophy)

B.A. (Hons.), English

1995-97, 1999 H.P. Heseltine Prize for English Honours in Dec. 1999