Richard is a Partner in HWL Ebsworth’s Competition and Consumer Law team, advising clients on complex regulatory matters, merger clearance, cartel investigations, and enforcement actions. He has deep experience navigating the Competition and Consumer Act and the Australian Consumer Law, particularly in relation to ACCC investigations, criminal cartel prosecutions, and compliance strategies.
Richard regularly advises on the competition law aspects of major transactions, including merger notifications and strategic engagement with the ACCC. He is known for his practical, commercially focused approach to regulatory risk and his ability to guide clients through evolving legal frameworks. Richard is ranked as a leading competition lawyer by Chambers Asia Pacific, is recommended by Doyle’s Guide, and has been recognised in Best Lawyers™ Australia for Competition Law and Regulatory Practice.
Expertise
Experience
- Criminal Cartel investigations and proceedings Acting for clients in relation to criminal cartel proceeding. Richard’s experience includes: acting for NYK Line, Japan’s largest shipping line, in Australia’s first criminal cartel proceedings of the modern era; defending Country Care Group Pty Ltd and Robert Hogan in the only criminal cartel proceedings to have proceeded to trial in the Federal Court; representing Christopher Joyce and criminal cartel proceedings; and advising JP Morgan in relation to matters giving rise to the bank cartel proceedings instituted by the CDPP in 2018 and ultimately withdrawn in February 2022.
- Civil cartel investigations and proceedings Acting for clients in cartel investigations and immunity applications, including for Thai Airways, an individual respondents in ACCC v Renegade Gas, and various other confidential clients.
- Structuring advice. Reviewing and structuring arrangements such as joint ventures and supply and distribution arrangements to address competition law concerns.
- Merger clearances Obtaining ACCC merger clearances for numerous clients, including the acquisition of digital bank 86 400 by NAB, Helloworld by CTM, Oxford Cold Storage by Emergent Cold and various acquisitions for a large automotive dealer group and many other transactions.
- Authorisations Obtaining ACCC authorisations, including obtaining authorisations for Qantas’ previous joint venture arrangements with British Airways and for Star Alliance’s joint corporate sales activities in Australia.
- Unfair contract terms. Reviewing and amending consumer and small business contracts to identify and address unfair contract terms.
- Other competition and consumer law advice Providing day to day competition and consumer law advice for a range of organisations including Coles, Commonwealth Bank, Bunnings, Sony Australia and BOC.
- Compliance system design and training Acting for a wide range of organisations in the provision of compliance training and advice.
