Profile

Paul Liondas KC has a broad commercial practice, with over 20 years of experience acting in major commercial litigation in both Australia and London. He has particular expertise in:

• class actions, in particular in continuous disclosure class actions, and superannuation matters;

• regulatory proceedings (both for and against regulators), in particular matters involving cybersecurity, directors’ duties, consumer protection, superannuation and industrial / union matters;

• directors’ duties and corporations / insolvency matters;

• sale of business cases;

• banking and finance litigation;

• trade practices / consumer protection;

• legal professional privilege disputes;

• construction and engineering disputes (including arbitral proceedings); and

• professional negligence.

Paul has regularly been recognised in Doyle’s Guide for both Commercial Litigation and Insolvency & Restructuring, and also Best Lawyers in Australia for litigation.

Paul graduated BCL with distinction from the University of Oxford, including being awarded the Allen & Overy prize for Corporate Insolvency Law.  He attained first class honours in law at the University of Melbourne, and was an Editor of the Melbourne University Law Review.

From 2004-2008 Paul was a Senior Associate at Herbert Smith (now Herbert Smith Freehills) in London.  Prior to that he was a solicitor at Mallesons Stephen Jaques (now King & Wood Mallesons).

Example recent cases

Class Actions

• Toyota diesel emissions class action: ongoing (eg. [2024] VSC 269)

• OnePath Superannuation class action – Janssen v OnePath Custodian Pty Ltd (settled, Federal Court)

• Fonterra class action (incl. Iddles v Fonterra Australia Pty Ltd [2021] VSC 609): breach of contract / misleading conduct / unconscionable conduct

• Myer shareholders class action: continuous disclosure / misleading conduct

         ○ TPT Patrol Pty Ltd v Myer Holdings Limited (2019) 293 FCR 29

         ○ Melbourne City Investments Pty Ltd v Myer Holdings Limited (2017) 43 VR 709

         ○ Melbourne City Investments Pty Ltd v Myer Holdings Limited (No 2) [2016] VSC 655

• Vocation class action: continuous disclosure (acting for partners of Johnson Winter & Slattery)

• Banksia class action and related proceedings: misleading conduct / breach of Corporations Act general conduct obligations / breach of trust

          ○ Australian Funding Partners Ltd v Botsman [2019] HCATrans 102

          ○ Botsman v Bolitho (2018) 57 VR 68

          ○ Re Banksia Securities Limited (No 2) [2018] VSC 47

          ○ Banksia Securities Limited v The Trust Company [2017] VSC 583

          ○ Re Banksia Securities Limited (Rec & Mgr appt) [2017] VSC 148

          ○ Casey landfill class action: negligence / nuisance

• Wheelahan v City of Casey [2012] VSC 10

Regulatory proceedings

• ASIC v HSBC Australia Limited (ongoing, Federal Court): cybersecurity / scams

• ASIC v ANZ Banking Group Limited: continuous disclosure

          ○ Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited v ASIC [2024] FCAFC 128

          ○ ASIC v Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited (No 3) [2023] FCA 1565

          ○ ASIC v Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited (No 2) [2023] FCA 1217

          ○ ASIC v Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Limited (2019) 138 ACSR 42; [2019] FCA 964

• ASIC v Retail Employees Superannuation Pty Ltd [2024] FCA 1081: superannuation

• ASIC v RI Advice Group Pty Ltd: cybersecurity

          ○ ASIC v RI Advice Group Pty Ltd (2022) 160 ACSR 204; [2022] FCA 496

          ○ ASIC v RI Advice Group Pty Ltd [2021] FCA 1193

• Registered Organisations Commissioner v Australian Workers’ Union & Cesar Melhem: contraventions of Fair Work (Registered Organisations) Act 2009

          ○ Registered Organisations Commissioner v Australian Workers’ Union (No 2) [2020] FCA 1148

          ○ Registered Organisations Commissioner v Australian Workers’ Union [2019] FCA 1852

• ASIC v Mariner Corporation Limited (2015) 241 FCR 502; [2015] FCA 589: directors’ duties

Sale of business cases

• Pact Group Industries (ANZ) Pty Ltd v TIC Group Pty Ltd (ongoing, Supreme Court of Victoria)

• Australian Money Exchange Pty Ltd (in liq) v Llewellyn & ors – arising from a sale of a short term loans and cheque cashing business (eg. [2024] VSC 207)

• Gecko Australia Pty Ltd v Montagnese – arising from the sale of the New Age Caravans business (eg. [2022] FCA 488)

• Lochard Energy (Iona Operations Holding) Pty Ltd v EnergyAustralia Investments Pty Ltd – arising from the ~$2 billion sale by EnergyAustralia of the Iona gas facility

          ○ Lochard Energy (Iona Operations Holding) Pty Ltd v EnergyAustralia Investments Pty Ltd [2018] VSC 539

General

• Mishra v NBN Co Ltd [2024] VSC 146

• Jess & Jess (No 10) [2023] FedCFamC1F 1013

• Bianco (Trustee), in the matter of the bankrupt estate of Jones (Deceased) (No 2) [2022] FCA 1470

•McDermott and ASIC [2020] AATA 3362

• Re Freestyle Technology Limited (admins apptd) [2020] VSC 36

• Midland Metals Overseas Pte Ltd v Powercor Network Services Pty Ltd (No 2) [2019] VSCA 90

• DC Payments Pty Ltd v Next Payments Pty Ltd [2016] VSC 315

• Tabcorp Holdings Limited v Victoria (2016) 328 ALR 375; [2016] HCA 4

• Vic Hotel Pty Ltd v DC Payments Australasia Pty Ltd (2015) 321 ALR 191; [2015] VSCA 101

*Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards legislation

Areas of Practice

Cases