Our partners

Simon Morris | Managing Partner
+61 414 943 877
smorris@m2law.com.au

About Simon

Simon is the Managing Partner of Morris Mennilli. He brings three decades of experience in resolving high-profile and complex commercial disputes across a range of industries.

Peers and clients have described Simon as practical, analytical, cool-headed, unruffled and experienced.

Simon acts for both plaintiffs and defendants in a range of complex disputes in the Supreme Court and Federal Court, including:

  • Representative actions involving allegations of contraventions of the Corporations Act

  • Class action settlement approval and distribution schemes

  • Breaches of trust and fiduciary duties

  • Shareholder rights

  • Directors’ and trustees’ responsibilities

  • Criminal aspects of the Corporations Act

  • Aviation Law, Montreal Convention and carrier’s liability claims

  • Private international law and foreign state immunity

  • Sanctions compliance and risk

  • Financial Services and Credit Code compliance and risk

  • Franchising Code disputes

Plus, Simon regularly advises clients about AFCA complaints, ASIC investigations and prosecutions, ICAC and other commissions of inquiry. 

Keen to share his expertise with the legal profession, Simon is the author of the Australian chapters of Litigation Funding - Getting the Deal Through and The Global Damages Review.

    • Class actions

    • Corporate and commercial disputes

    • Regulatory investigations and inquiries

    • Review of administrative decisions

    • Third-party litigation funding 

    • Aviation and carrier’s liability

    • Acting for third party litigation funders in obtaining settlement approvals of class actions, including in landmark Full Court of the Federal Court proceedings about the power to make Common Fund Orders: Galactic Seven Eleven Litigation Holdings LLC v Davaria

    • Successfully defending a major global airline against Montreal Convention and personal injury claims: DHI 22 & Ors v Qatar Airways & Ors 

    • Advising a global aluminum producer in respect of the operation of Australian autonomous sanctions affecting its interest in the Gladstone alumina refinery: Alumina & Bauxite Company Limited v Queensland Alumina Limited and Rio Tinto

    • Acting for RAMS home loan franchisees in relation to franchising code disputes and National Consumer Credit Protection Act compliance and risk

    • Acting for a short term lender in regulatory proceedings in relation to alleged provision of unauthorised credit services: ASIC v BHF Solutions Pty Ltd & Ors 

    • Successfully assisting a financial advisory business resolve claims, including insurance claims, and AFCA complaints arising from the unauthorised conduct of a former employee

    • Successfully challenging determinations by the Australian Financial Complaints Authority in Supreme Court of New South Wales proceedings, including on grounds of jurisdiction and procedural fairness: D H Flinders v Australian Financial Complaints Authority & Anor; Notesco Pty Ltd v Australian Financial Complaints Authority & Anor

    • Successfully prosecuting proceedings against a negligent trustee of a forestry scheme to recover $80M in investor losses: Kerr v Australian Executor Trustees & Ors.

    • Acting for representative plaintiffs in class action disputes, including claims brought by shareholders of Discovery Metals against KPMG, claims brought by shareholders of Quintis Ltd against Quintis Ltd, its directors and auditors, and claims brought by clients of AMP Financial Planning

    • Representing HIH non-executive directors appearing before the HIH Royal Commission, successfully defending a related shareholder class action, resisting criminal charges brought against a director and successfully setting aside APRA director banning orders; Stitt v APRA; Gardener v APRA; Abbott v APRA;  

    • Representing the main board directors of One.Tel in ASIC proceedings: ASIC v Rich & Ors. 

    • Successfully acting for the significant minority shareholder of Westbus in oppression, director breaches and breaches of fiduciary duties: Fexuto Pty Ltd v Bosnjak Holdings

    • Solicitor assisting Counsel appointed by the New South Wales Casino Control Authority to investigate the suitability of Star Casino to hold a casino licence 

    • Acting for the former managing director of BHP in the Cole Inquiry, formally the Inquiry into certain Australian companies in relation to the UN Oil-For-Food Programme

    • Acting for witnesses appearing before ICAC in inquiries into the conduct of Ministers Obeid and Macdonald

Awards & recognition

Simon has been recognised by the Best Lawyers in Australia, Legal 500 Asia Pacific and Doyle’s Guide as a leading financial services, dispute resolution, alternative dispute resolution and class action lawyer.