Media Lawyer Switches Firms

Sydney Morning Herald

Friday November 3, 2006

Tim Dick Legal Affairs Reporter

HEAVYWEIGHT media solicitor Mark O'Brien - who has represented Kerry Packer, Alan Jones and Rene Rivkin - is changing firms and taking his highly regarded team with him.

A defamation specialist now also advising the Nine Network, he would not say yesterday whether he thought his clients would follow him from his current firm, Gilbert + Tobin, to Johnson Winter & Slattery.

But shortly after the move was announced yesterday, Publishing & Broadcasting Ltd said it saw "no change" to its legal representation as a result of the defection.

Much of its corporate work is performed by other Gilbert + Tobin lawyers and comes after some turbulent legal times for Nine, including the infamous affidavit by former Nine news boss, Mark Llewellyn.

Despite the PBL statement, few expect the O'Brien-led team of five to have leapt without being confident at least some of its high-profile business would follow.

Their departure leaves the defamation team at Gilbert + Tobin severely depleted, with another partner, Paul Reidy, and three senior defamation solicitors also leaving.

Gilbert + Tobin's managing partner, Danny Gilbert, was told of the move on Tuesday night after he emerged from a National Australia Bank board meeting.

Descriptions of the mood within the firm varied between shock and ambivalence - some disruption to media lawyers was expected, given the changes to the industry it serves.

Mr Gilbert yesterday said his firm was "stronger than it has ever been and these departures reflect no more than differences in opinion about philosophy and the opportunity to pursue other work."

There was some speculation the move was partly prompted by disquiet over the unwillingness of some lawyers to share work, although debates of that nature are relatively common within law firms.

Mr O'Brien said he was attracted to Johnson Winter & Slattery by its structure, which has lower costs and emphasised the role of senior lawyers over delegation to juniors.

JWS recently expanded to Sydney and Melbourne from its Adelaide home and the defection significantly increases its profile and clout.

Managing partner Peter Slattery would not say who approached whom but said he moved after becoming aware "there might be an opportunity".

He declined to say if he expected some of Mr O'Brien's client relationships to bear fruit but said: "We would expect over time that those relationships would continue to show some level of support."

© 2006 Sydney Morning Herald

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