David Pittavino

David was called to the Bar in 2025, having been admitted as a lawyer of the Supreme Court of New South Wales and as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of South Australia in 2023.

Prior to commencing his practice at the Bar, David was Associate to the Honourable Chief Justice Christopher Kourakis and Tipstaff to the Honourable Justice Rowan Darke, to the Honourable Justice Richard White, and to the Honourable Justice Elisabeth Peden. He has maintained an active academic practice, lecturing and tutoring in administrative law, real property, and equity and trusts at several Australian universities. His academic writing has been cited in the Supreme Courts of New South Wales and South Australia. David is presently a law reporter for the Industrial Reports, South Australian State Reports, and Australian Capital Territory Law Reports, as well as an editor of the Butterworths Property Reports.

David received the Christopher Gee QC Memorial Prize for Advocacy and Evidence for the September 2025 Bar Practice Course.

David accepts briefs in all areas of law, but has particular interest in real property, the law of succession, corporations law, and equity and trusts.

Katie McCallum

Katie was admitted to practice in 2016 and was called to the Bar in 2025. Prior to coming to the Bar, Katie worked as a solicitor in both private practice and in-house as a senior solicitor advising on complex high profile contentious and non-contentious matters.

Katie accepts briefs in all areas of the law and has expertise in general commercial litigation, administrative law, regulatory matters (both criminal and civil penalty), environmental law, planning, building and construction, and property.

She has practical experience in a wide range of civil litigation, administrative and criminal proceedings and resolved disputes through alternative dispute resolution including mediation, conciliation and negotiated settlements.

Katie lectures at the University of Technology primarily in Ethics Law and Justice and volunteers at the Marrickville Legal Centre in its civil advice clinic.

Katie brings a strong legal and commercial mind to each matter with a focus on the critical issues and encourages a collaborative and strategic approach to litigation.

Joshua Charlton

Joshua was called to the Bar in September 2024, having worked as a solicitor for 4 years in the insurance, disputes and investigations team at Colin Biggers & Paisley lawyers.

He accepts briefs in all areas of law and has particular experience in insurance and reinsurance law, commercial law, professional negligence claims, legal profession disciplinary proceedings, class actions and in technical and engineering matters.

He holds a Bachelor of Laws with first class honours from the University of Wollongong, where he received several academic awards for placing first in course.

Allysha-Jane Merrett

After ten years as a solicitor Allysha-Jane Merrett commenced practice at the Bar in 2024.

She obtained a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Newcastle in 2013 having been conferred a Bachelor of Social Science in 2012.

Since her admission as a lawyer in 2014 she has gained extensive experience in a wide range of areas including family law, criminal law, estate litigation and a variety of commercial disputes.

Before relocating to Sydney in 2020 Allysha-Jane worked as a senior lawyer with responsibility for a large family and criminal law practice in Newcastle and appeared regularly as a solicitor advocate in the Local, District, Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia and Children’s Court.

Immediately prior to commencing at the bar Allysha-Jane was special counsel in a leading Sydney family law firm.

She has conducted numerous family law cases including complex financial and parenting disputes successfully drawing upon her experience and qualifications including:

Masters of Applied Family Law (College of Law 2017);
Specialist Accreditation (Family Law) Law Society of NSW (2021); and
Master of Business Administration (RMIT 2023).

She is an NMAS accredited mediator (AIFLAM), Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner (FDRP) and is available to mediate family law cases.

Allysha-Jane was the President of the Women Lawyers Association NSW. She has volunteered as a solicitor for the Redfern Legal Centre, University of Newcastle Legal Centre, Women’s Legal Service NSW and as a trainer for Relationships Australia in navigating the financial aspects of the Family Law Act.

Allysha-Jane accepts briefs to appear and advise in the following areas:

Family law – property and parenting
Equity
Wills & Probate
Criminal law
Commercial law
Contracts

Robert Turnbull

Robert’s principal areas of practice are commercial, construction, transport, public law and white-collar crime disputes. He has a particular expertise in arbitration, as counsel and tribunal secretary.

Robert accepts briefs to advise and appear throughout Australia and abroad.

Before the Bar, Robert practised in disputes in London at Slaughter and May and in Sydney at Clayton Utz. Before that, he was tipstaff to the Hon P A Bergin AO, Chief Judge in Equity and Tribunal Secretary to Professor Doug Jones AO, international arbitrator.

His clients have ranged from individuals to large listed companies, governments to small charities, across many areas of the economy.

He was educated at the Universities of Sydney and Cambridge.

Matthew McGirr

Matthew is a highly regarded junior counsel, with a wide-ranging practice primarily focussed on commercial law, common law (including intentional torts), superannuation, property law, construction, strata, and general equity. Matthew regularly appears in all Federal and State courts and tribunals. Matthew will accept briefs in all areas of law.

Prior to being called to the bar, Matthew was a solicitor for over 7 years. Immediately prior to the bar, Matthew was a Senior Solicitor at the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA), where he advised APRA in relation to several high profile contentious and non-contentious matters.

Prior to APRA, Matthew practised at law firms Herbert Smith Freehills and Gilbert + Tobin. During this period, Matthew acted for some of Australia’s leading companies, including Westpac, CBA, Bupa, Telstra, JP Morgan Australia. Matthew also worked on a number of class actions and commissions of inquiry.

Matthew has also worked as a policy adviser and lawyer at the Australian Institute of Company Directors, where he worked closely with governments, directors, and stakeholders important legal policy issues, including the insolvency safe harbour reforms.

Matthew graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in history. Matthew then graduated from the University of NSW with a Juris Doctor with Honours.

Paul Menzies KC

Paul has over 45 years experience as a Barrister, having first been called to the Bar in 1973. Prior to this, he practised as a Solicitor for 5 years in Sydney and London. He has always had a diverse practice, appearing as an advocate at both trial and appellate level, including the High Court, in administrative, commercial, criminal, professional negligence, common, insurance and commercial law.

Paul took Silk in 1988 and has been acting as an accredited mediator since 1995.
Paul accepts instructions as mediator, arbitrator, and advocate in mediations and domestic and international arbitrations, in Australia and internationally. He has been a Member of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (UK) since 2009.

He is a practitioner in the international commercial courts of both Singapore and Dubai. He is a member of Blackburn Chambers in the ACT, 8th Floor Wentworth in Sydney, Southern Highlands Chambers in Exeter, NSW. He is a member of Dever’s List in Melbourne, maintains Chambers in Singapore and is a member of the Western Australian and Queensland Bars.

He appears in administrative and quasi-judicial tribunals including Fair Work Australia, the Industrial Relations Commission administrative decisions tribunals, and professional disciplinary bodies. Paul has also appeared for interested parties and as Counsel Assisting in a broad range of inquiries, including ICAC, Coronial Inquests and Royal Commissions.

Faraz Maghami

Faraz was called to the Bar in 2009, after spending 18 months as a Judge’s Associate, prior to which he spent some 4.5 years with the in-house legal team of a large multi-national technology/e-commerce company.

He is a versatile barrister, with a focus on broad Corporate/Commercial/Equity disputes, especially Cross-Border and International matters, including Construction, Mining and Major Infrastructure and Property litigation. Further, he is an experienced trial and appellate advocate and appears in matters in the Pacific region, including advisory and appearance work for Governments and various agencies of several Pacific Nations and accepts briefs (including those on a pro bono basis) in matters involving Public Interest Litigation, Strategic Litigation as well as Constitutional and Administrative law more broadly.

Additionally, Faraz has cultivated a complimentary and growing practice in Criminal Law (including matters concerning Public International Law) with advice and appearances in serious Criminal Trials and Appeals, mainly of the White-Collar variety, including for alleged Corporate Misconduct, breaches of Directors’ Duties, Financial Crime, Money Laundering and Taxation Fraud, appearing for Corporate Entities, Office Holders and Board Members, including appearances before investigations and inquiries.

For many years, he has maintained a niche practice in work specific to National Security and Organised Crime, with appearances and advisory work on behalf of those summoned to appear before covert and Intelligence Gathering Commissions and other Clandestine Government Institutions. He accepts briefs to advise and appear on behalf of current and former Australian Defence Force personnel, in relation to Inquiries and Investigations, Military Discipline and matters arising out of or in relation to service within the ADF.

Faraz is an experienced advocacy coach and is actively engaged in various academic and training endeavours, both with the Bar Association and externally, including being an advocacy coach with the Australian Advocacy Institute.

Charles Carroll

Charles Carroll began practising at the NSW Bar in 2002.
He is regularly briefed in a range of areas including contractual and equity disputes, corporations law matters, professional negligence, litigation over real property, trade practices and crime.

Charles frequently appears in all NSW State courts. In recent times, his practice has focused on professional negligence matters following his appearance in Tomasetti v Brailey [2012] NSWCA 399 and property disputes following Galafassi v Kelly (2014) 87 NSWLR 119.

Additionally, Charles is a casual teacher in Contracts at the University of Sydney.