Michael joined Quadrant Chambers in October 2024 following the successful completion of pupillage. He practices across all of Chambers’ core areas.
Originally from Australia, Michael read for his undergraduate law degree at the University of Cambridge as a Cambridge Overseas and Commonwealth Trust Scholar, graduating with First Class Honours and obtaining the highest mark in his year for Criminal Law as well as various college prizes. He then completed a postgraduate Bachelor of Civil Law degree at the University of Oxford, graduating with a Distinction, followed by the BPTC at City, University of London.
Michael maintains an active academic interest in the areas of law relevant to his practice. His writings on the conflict of laws have been published in the Cambridge Law Journal and he served as a Teaching Fellow in Contract Law at SOAS, University of London for the 2022-23 academic year.
Highlights of Michael’s practice thus far include:
International Arbitration
- Drafted a successful application for security for costs under s.38(3) of the Arbitration Act on behalf of a counter-claiming defendant in LMAA arbitration (with Will Mitchell).
- Assisting (as a pupil) in an appeal against an LMAA arbitration award under s.69 of the Arbitration Act.
- Assisting (as a pupil) in a challenge against a FOSFA arbitration award under s.68 of the Arbitration Act.
Aviation & Travel
- Drafted Particulars of Claim in a claim for the delivery-up of a private jet following a lessee’s refusal to return the aircraft to the lessor upon termination of the relevant lease (Fox Flight v 247 Aviation LM-2024-000223) (with Koye Akoni).
- Acting (as sole counsel) on behalf of a balloon company against a claim by a landowner for alleged disruption caused by overflights.
- Regularly instructed as sole counsel on behalf of commercial airlines in passenger claims arising from EU Regulation 261/2004 and the Montreal/Warsaw Convention.
- Assisted (as a pupil) in the Russian Aircraft Commercial Court litigation, involving claims by various aircraft lessors under insurance and re-insurance policies for losses arising out of the detention of commercial aircraft in Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.
- Drafted (as a pupil) position papers for a mediation concerning damage to an aircraft engine during delivery maintenance.
- Assisted (as a pupil) with the preparation of position papers in a mediation concerning a personal injury claim arising out of the crash of a small plane.
Banking
- Assisting in defending a claim by a trader against his former employer for bonuses that were allegedly due to him.
- Assisted (as a pupil) in an application for a worldwide freezing order against the alleged perpetrator of a multi-million dollar crypto-currency fraud (Chu v Je & Anor [2024] EWHC 90 (Ch)).
Shipping
- Port of Sheerness Ltd v Swire Shipping Pte Ltd [2025] EWHC 7 (Admlty): acted for the Port in a six-day Admiralty Court trial concerning the enforceability of a “period toll” levied against a vessel for overstaying during discharge operations. The trial raised issues of contractual interpretation, expert evidence, and the application of “triple penalty” provisions under relevant local port legislation (led by John A Kimbell KC).
- Advising (as sole counsel) on potential claims (worth up to USD 3 million) by charterers and cargo interests against owners of an oil tanker arising from the placing of the vessel on the US OFAC sanctions list.
- Advising and acting as sole counsel in various time and voyage charterparty disputes, involving issues such as agency, off-hire, demurrage, termination/cancellation and port safety.
- Advising and acting as sole counsel in various cargo claim disputes under the Hague/Hague-Visby Rules.
- Assisting (as a pupil) in a two-week LMAA arbitration (worth up to USD 15 million) concerning an allision between a vessel and a berth. The trial concerned complex issues of fact and law and revolved around highly technical expert evidence.
- Assisting (as a pupil) in an Admiralty Court claim concerning the allision of a vessel with cranes at the port of Djibouti.
- Assisting (as a pupil) in a successful application for an anti-suit injunction in the Commercial Court against Indian cargo interests
- Assisting (as a pupil) in an LCIA Arbitration concerning payments made under commodity supply contracts which had been blocked and frozen as a result of US sanctions against Russia
- Advising (as a pupil) as to whether a seller could recover damages (worth potentially in excess of 100 million USD) against a buyer in relation to breaches of a long-term coal supply contract.
- Advising (as a pupil) on whether a shipowner could rely on a Himalaya clause contained within slot charterers’ standard bill of lading terms to prevent claims being brought against them by cargo interests
- Advising (as a pupil) on the correct interpretation of the Shelltime 4 off-hire clause, specifically with respect to its effect in relation to delays arising out of Covid-related quarantine.
Shipbuilding
- Acting for the buyers of a super-yacht in relation to an eight-figure dispute against the yacht’s builders in relation to substantial defects in the yacht’s construction (led by Robert Thomas KC and Max Davidson).
Technology
- Acting for an e-commerce business in relation to a £200,000 claim against their website maintenance provider (as sole counsel).