Current practice

Bruce Ramsay has specialist commercial litigation and dispute resolution expertise across a range of legal areas. His experience includes:

• commercial and Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) matters
• investigations and examinations by regulators and other bodies
• corporate insurance disputes
• insolvencies, administrations and workouts, and
• trade practices laws.

Bruce’s practice involves both advising clients on a wide range of commercial matters and representing clients in commercial disputes in these areas. His litigation experience has included acting in urgent interlocutory and final hearings and appeals in cases of differing sizes and complexity. Many of his major commercial cases have involved detailed accounting and other expert issues and evidence.

Bruce also has considerable experience in the resolution of commercial disputes by alternative dispute resolution techniques.

Industry experience

Major commercial disputes

Bruce regularly represents major corporate clients and professional organisations in complex disputes involving strategic advice, dispute resolution and court proceedings. This has included acting in or advising on multi-party commercial proceedings and class actions. He practises principally in the equity division of the Supreme Court of New South Wales and the Federal Court of Australia with some hearings in Supreme Courts of other states.

Investigations and other regulatory work

Bruce has advised and represented individuals and companies in inquiries or investigations by, or in other dealings with, various corporate regulators.  This has included appearing at investigations and disciplinary hearings by ASIC, examinations under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) by liquidators and at appeals or other resulting court proceedings.

Corporate insurance disputes

Bruce has a particular interest in the combination of insolvency and corporate insurance areas of the litigation group’s practice. In particular, he regularly represents corporate clients in claims or disputes with their professional indemnity and other insurers.

Schemes

Bruce also represents clients undertaking reorganisations or arrangements such as schemes of arrangement under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) and life insurance schemes.

Insolvency and reconstructions

Bruce’s experience in insolvencies and administrations has included representing clients in disputes or dealings with liquidators or other controllers, Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) and other examinations, and acting in proceedings or negotiations in the course of administrations or deeds of company arrangement. 

Professional background

Bruce has degrees in Arts and Law (First Class Honours) from Sydney University. Before Bruce joined Freehills he was associate to Sir Nigel Bowen, the former Chief Justice of the Federal Court. He has been a commercial litigation partner of the firm since 1989.