Ian Innes

Ian acts for unsecured and secured creditors, insolvency appointees, debtors, and other stakeholders in contentious and non-contentious insolvency work, including complex administrations, cross-border restructuring appointments, and receiverships in a number of industries. He has wide experience in dispute resolution and litigation across a broad range of organisations in both the public and private sectors within Australia and overseas. His experience includes acting in energy and resources disputes, advising (including acting in litigious matters) for various electricity-generators and retail-energy clients on regulatory issues, acting in administrative law litigation including challenges to major project approvals, and pursuing asset recovery work in international jurisdictions.

• Acted at first instance, on appeal, and in the High Court of Australia for Garuda Indonesia to defend successfully a winding up application with a globally novel strategy relying on foreign state immunity
• Advised the directors of Virgin Australia Airlines prior to and following the appointment of administrators in 2020
• Acted for Sumo Power in enforcement proceedings brought by the Victorian Essential Services Commission, its first civil penalty proceedings
• Acted for the Asbestos Injuries Compensation Fund, the trustee supporting responses to asbestos victim’s claims against the James Hardie group, to obtain judicial advice clarifying financially important aspects of the NSW scheme for the winding up for that group
• Advised Maersk, as the logistics services provider to former major Australian retail business Mosaic Brands group, in negotiations with the group’s receivers
• Acting for Prony Resources New Caledonia at first instance and on appeal to the Full Court of the Federal Court to defend novel attacks on its claims for interest in the Queensland Nickel Industries liquidation
• Acting for a trustee of a charitable trust through to the favourable resolution of Federal Court proceedings brought to challenge the continuation a trust established to benefit native title holders in the vicinity of a central Queensland coal mine
• Assisted in the Australian recognition under the UNCITRAL Model Law through the Federal Court of the Thai Airways’ business reorganisation 
• Advised the receivers undertaking the sale process for Bounty Mining, ultimately sold to a secured creditor executing a loan-to-own strategy
• Advised the mezzanine debt holders of Wiggins Island Coal Export Terminal (WICET) in the restructure of their debt, including a successfully implemented scheme of arrangement
• Acted for the administrators of Network Ten in its successful restructure and acquisition by CBS
• Advised and developed a Deed of Company Arrangement for China Railway Construction Group Co. Ltd in respect of the collapse of its Australian joint venture in residential construction, and successfully defended at first instance and on appeal a court challenge to that DOCA

• Recognised as a Next Generation Partner for Restructuring and Insolvency by Legal500
• Recommended by Doyle's Guide in the category of Leading Insolvency & Restructuring Lawyers - Queensland
• Recommended by The Best Lawyers in Australia in the category of Insolvency and Reorganization Law in Brisbane
• Recommended by The Best Lawyers in Australia in the category of in the category of Alternative Dispute Resolution lawyer

• Australian Restructuring Insolvency & Turnaround Association (ARITA) - Member
• Turnaround Management Association (TMA) - Member