Hannah is the head of Gilchrist Connell’s Restructuring & Insolvency practice. She has extensive experience in corporate insolvency advice, litigation and restructuring as well as construction, corporations and securities, equity and trusts and professional indemnity litigation. She has broad and varied experience in litigation and dispute resolution across Australia. Throughout her career, Hannah has acted on behalf of building and construction companies, professional indemnity insurers, insolvency practitioners, corporate and individual lenders, corporations and individuals.
Hannah has completed a Masters in Law at ANU, is a professional member of INSOL International, a professional member of the Australian Restructuring Insolvency and Turnaround Association (ARITA) and holds an ARITA Advanced Certification (Insolvency) (UTS). As well as her professional membership with ARITA, Hannah also holds multiple other professional memberships including the Womens’ Insolvency Network Australia, Commercial Law Association and Law Council of Australia. Hannah has also served on the ARITA NSW-ACT Division Committee from 2021 and the ARITA NSW-ACT Division Executive since 2022. Hannah has recently been accepted to the Insolvency Committee, Business Chapter of the Law Council of Australia.
Some examples of Hannah’s expertise include:
- Insolvency: pre-appointment and ongoing advice throughout the life cycle of corporate and personal insolvency appointments, complex investigations, conducting public examinations, managing document review teams, advice on the prospects and viability of prospective claims (including the merits of anticipated defences, such as “good faith” and “safe harbour” defences), recovery actions, working collaboratively and effectively with the Attorney General’s Department (formerly the Commonwealth Department of Jobs and Small Business) and private litigation funders.
- Corporate Services: advice concerning obligations, alleged breaches and subsequent litigation arising under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth), advice in respect of registration, enforcement and challenge to securities under the Personal Property Securities Act 2009 (Cth), restructuring and pre-insolvency advice.
Hannah is regarded by her clients as a strong advocate and an effective and efficient provider of pragmatic legal advice. Hannah is adept at identifying the real issues in dispute and generating legally sound and commercially sensible solutions to meet her clients’ objectives and expectations.
Articles and Presentations
Commercial disputes and restructuring outcomes: Strategies for mitigating and resolving disputes, Resolution Institute Conference July 2021
Safe harbour provisions: considerations for directors, BRI Ferrier Called to Account May 2021
Non-Parties ordered to pay costs in the Federal Court (2021) 16(7) CL 103
Presentation to clients on Illegal phoenixing – September 2020
Summary of legislative changes relevant to insolvency & restructuring, ARITA Journal, June 2020 p12
COVID-19 Toolkit – Innovative restructuring solutions March 2020