People

Greg McKenzie

Greg McKenzie
Partner
Greg McKenzie

Greg is a partner in Lander & Rogers' Commercial Disputes practice, having led the group nationally from 1991 until 2022.

Greg acts for a variety of clients including public and private companies, financial institutions, corporate advisers and insolvency practitioners. He conducts a wide range of commercial litigation with a focus on complex financial and accounting-based disputes, shareholder and directors litigation, Australian Consumer Law and Corporations Act disputes and insolvency, with a particular emphasis on finding commercial outcomes for clients.

Greg regularly provides strategic advice to the firm’s major corporate clients on the risks faced in relation to areas of dispute, to help them understand the risks and proceed commercially to avoid litigation.

Greg has been recognised in Best Lawyers in Australia for his expertise in Litigation Law and Commercial Law since 2014.

Experience

Greg's areas of expertise include:

  • complex finance and accounting-based litigation
  • disputes arising from M&A transactions, including earn out disputes
  • insolvency advice and litigation
  • directors and trustee liability disputes
  • shareholder and company disputes
  • contractual disputes
  • Australian Consumer Law and Corporations Act disputes.

Career highlights

Greg's career highlights include:

  • pursuing recovery of a $12m earn out payment in the Supreme Court of Victoria arising from a $200m acquisition on behalf of the seller shareholders
  • seeking to set aside future earn out payments in a proceeding in the Supreme Court of NSW on behalf of a substantial private company group, arising from the acquisition of an online business from the founders
  • conducting expert determinations in a range of earn out disputes for buyers and sellers, including a successful application to the Supreme Court of Victoria on behalf of an offshore buyer to set aside an expert determination on the basis of manifest error, setting a leading precedent in Victoria
  • acting for a subsidiary of Emirates Airline Group in a $300m claim against Qantas in the Supreme Court of NSW arising from a force majeure dispute during COVID-19
  • acting for a subsidiary of a global engineering company in a major toll road litigation in the Supreme Court of Queensland
  • conducting litigation in the Federal Court in both Victoria and NSW against a former supplier to Australia Post
  • pursuing claims against 400 investors in a tax-driven scheme, including test cases in the Court of Appeal and on appeal to the High Court
  • defending a class action by 145 shareholders in the Supreme Court of Victoria about representations upon the public listing on the ASX, including third-party claims against lawyers, insurers and advisers
  • representing a major Japanese company in the defence of a claim by an unsuccessful bidder to set aside a $90 million business acquisition involving trade practices and contract issues, and many thousands of documents across four countries
  • complex Supreme Court litigation for major international bank arising from the purchase of a $150 million credit card facility. The action involved many thousands of documents and involved interpretation of complex commercial documents, allegations of misleading and deceptive conduct, and claims for account. All relevant instructions were received from the bank’s managing director
  • acting for the liquidator of a collapsed "Ponzi" scheme with $30 million in missing investor funds
  • providing advice and conducting litigation in relation to foreign currency hedging and futures exposures
  • representing a global engineering firm in the defence of a $150 million class action by 600 plaintiffs in relation to losses suffered from a gas leak
  • representing a major quantity surveying organisation in claims arising from the construction of a multi-storey residential development in Queensland
  • defending a claim against a quantity surveyor over cost estimates concerning the construction of a major sporting facility in Victoria.