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Robert is one of Australia's leading commercial litigation lawyers specialising in large scale, complex disputes and class actions.
In the last 25 years, Robert has been involved in many of Australia’s most high profile commercial cases including directors' and officers' liability, auditor and other professional indemnity claims, trustee cases, regulatory proceedings, insolvency matters including the multi-billion dollar major infrastructure project “traffic forecasting” cases and more recently many of the significant shareholders' class actions.
In this time, Robert has dealt extensively with regulators including ASIC, APRA, the ACCC and the ASX represented clients and also has strong Royal Commissions and other major enquiries experience.
Robert has been involved in class actions in Australia since the regime was introduced and is recognised as one of Australia’s leading lawyers in that field. He defended AMP in the first major shareholder class action, defended Permanent Trustee in ASIC’s first ever major class action and has been appointed by the Federal Court as an expert to assist the court in a ground-breaking appeal involving contingency fees.
Robert is also a recognised insurance expert advising on policy wordings and recoveries.
Robert is endorsed by his peers as a leading expert in the areas of dispute resolution, class actions, insurance and reinsurance and professional malpractice negligence including in Legal Who’s Who, Chambers and Partners, Legal 500 Asia Pacific, Euromoney’s Expert Guides, Doyle’s and Best Lawyers. He is regarded as “'strategic and approachable”, a lawyer who “really looks after his clients” with an “outstanding level of personal service”. Clients say Robert Johnston stands out for his mastery of the class action discipline with one interviewee describing him as "good in the class action space and right across it" while another identifies his presence as one of the key reasons for using the practice.
Acting in the defence of 3 shareholder class actions involving continuous disclosure breaches and audit negligence claims.
Acting for institutions in a $300M shareholder class action.
Personally appointed by the President of the Federal Court as an expert to assist the court in a significant class action.
Acting in defence of the $250 million IPO shareholder class action which included claims against AECOM’s traffic forecasts.
Advising on the class action against Commonwealth and company arising from TGA decision to cancel licenses including the claims resolution process.
Acting for class action claimants in a $300 million collapsed property trust claim against auditors.
Acting for the litigation funder in this seminal class action securities claim.
Acting for ASIC and one of its commissioners.
Seeking indemnity under a $300 million D & O policy with securities claims extension in an international arbitration in Amsterdam.
Acting for liquidators in their $275 million claims against the auditors.
Acting for a party involved in ARUP’s allegedly deficient traffic forecasts in the bank lenders’ $2 billion claim.
Acting in defence of AMP’s $150 million claims of negligence made against the major traffic forecaster, Parsons Brinkerhoff traffic forecasting.
Advising compensation fund trustees at enquiry.
Representing major bank’s witnesses in ASIC enquiries and subsequent litigation.
Advising insurers in relation to various claims against the stock-brokers and bankers.
Acting in defence of the then largest ever class action.
Advising Rich against ASIC.
Ranked as a leading individual in dispute resolution: class actions and litigation
‘Robert Johnston is the epitome of a professional. He is confident, intelligent, articulate, and provides the client with absolute confidence in his strategy and abilities. He has a unique ability to simplify the complex and map out the litigation strategy with clarity'
Ranked as a leading dispute resolution lawyer
Dispute resolution partner of the year (finalist)
Recommended by Doyles Guide for commercial litigation & dispute resolution
Robert Johnston is described as "good in the class action space and right across it"
Recognised as a recommended lawyer in dispute resolution
Recognised in class action litigation, litigation and insurance law
Listed in insurance, reinsurance and professional malpractice
Listed in insurance and reinsurance
Partner Robert Johnston, Senior Associate Nicholas Briggs and Senior Associate Sara Gaertner have written the Australian chapter in The Law Reviews 5th edition of The Class Actions Law Review.
“Auctions” or “beauty parades” are here to stay in class actions and so we will continue to see a race to file with multiple law firms and multiple funders vying for the ”prize” of being selected...
The Federal Court of Australia and the Supreme Court of New South Wales look to have brought the practice of pre-settlement class closures to an end, at least for the time being.