William "Bill" Ryan

Chris’ major area of practice is intellectual property litigation. He has more than 30 years experience in patent, trade mark, design, copyright, trade practices and confidential information litigation on behalf of both applicants and respondents. He has also acted in patent and trade mark oppositions before IP Australia. Chris joined the firm in 1989, becoming a partner in 2001. Chris has successfully acted in a number of significant matters before State Courts and the Federal and High...

Alex has extensive experience in the preparation and prosecution of patent applications in a wide range of biotechnology-related disciplines, including immunology, antibody therapeutics, vaccines, molecular biology, cell biology, stem cells, medical diagnostics and protein fractionation. He assists local clients in developing commercially-focused patent strategies for the global and domestic markets. He also advises clients in contentious and non-contentious patent matters and has extensive e...

Adele Katzew is our Head of Family Law, a Principal, and Law Institute of Victoria Accredited Specialist in Family Law. Adele’s strength is helping people feel comfortable whilst they're dealing with the legal complexities and emotional strain of separation and divorce . She achieves this by helping clients identify and get a positive outcome, sorting things out on their behalf - and most importantly, providing people with as much certainty as possible when their lives may feel out of t...

Nicole Norris is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Insurance Law, Personal Injury Litigation and Product Liability Litigation. Nicole, who practices law in Melbourne, Australia, has been recognized since 2021. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Nicole is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Kate is a Principal at Harwood Andrews in the Planning, Environment and Local Government team. She recently joined Harwood Andrews from a national law firm where she was a Senior Associate in the Public Law Group, specialising in planning and environment law. She was admitted to legal practice in 2003 and holds a Bachelor of Arts/Law from Deakin University. Kate acts for both government and private clients in metropolitan and regional Victoria. She regularly appears in a variety of planning m...

John is a founding Partner of Coghlan Duffy. He has a broad commercial practice with a focus on serving entrepreneurial clients through incorporation, investment rounds and exit transactions. John also has considerable experience in venture capital, private M&A, and general corporate and commercial matters.

Justin Wheelahan is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Intellectual Property Law. Justin, who practices law in Melbourne, Australia, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Justin is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Adam Laidlaw is a top attorney recognized by Best Lawyers in the practice area(s) of Mergers and Acquisitions Law. Adam, who practices law in Melbourne, Australia, has been recognized since 2025. This recognition is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey, reflecting the high esteem in which Adam is held by other top lawyers in the same geographic and legal practice area.

Robert is a government procurement, probity and ethics specialist experienced in advising on high value, complex and sensitive projects, including the acquisition of assets and services, such as complex Defence assets, technology and communication assets, and logistics services. He also has experience in advising private sector clients on tendering strategies. What he does Robert advises on all aspects of major projects and commercial transactions, including procurement strategies, tender and...

Jane has been a practising solicitor for over 20 years specialising in Real Estate law with a focus on leasing in the commercial, retail, industrial, education and government sectors in all Australian jurisdictions. Jane has a focus on corporate occupier work, acting for commercial tenants in major lease transactions including head office relocations, purpose built industrial premises, distribution centres and data centres. Jane has also managed high volume lease portfolios for retail tenants...