John Emmerig is one of Australia's leading litigation lawyers. He has 30+ years' experience and a national reputation for handling high-stakes domestic and cross-border litigation for prominent multinationals and major Australian companies. His key focus areas are class action defense, "bet-the-company" level corporate/commercial disputes, and government/regulator actions and investigations.
Clients describe John as "profoundly experienced" and "an exceptional lawyer with a great intellect and impeccable judgment," noting "his technical excellence combined with his pragmatic, thoughtful and strategic lens puts him in a league of his own," and that he provides "a quality of legal service that is second to none."
John has acted in scores of major corporate and government disputes, and he is routinely involved in some of the largest and most complex commercial cases conducted in Australia superior courts. He has advised on 35+ filed/threatened class actions, 20+ Royal Commissions/Statutory Commissions/Parliamentary inquiries, and has decades of experience as a trusted adviser to companies/boards/C-suites on investigations and enforcement actions by key Australian regulators (e.g. ASIC, ACCC, AUSTRAC, APRA).
John is co-Chair of the Class Actions Committee of the Law Council of Australia and lead author of the "Class Actions" section of the Federal Court Practice Manual. He is a member of the Federal Court of Australia's Consultation/Liaison Committee on Class Actions, the ASIC's Enforcement and Regulatory Litigation Consultation Group, AMCHAM's Defence and National Security Committee, and the Editorial Board of the Journal of Equity. He co-Chairs the Law Council's Transnational Litigation Committee. John was appointed an Adjunct Professor of Law in 2018 and is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Law.
Experience
"His technical excellence combined with his pragmatic, thoughtful and strategic lens puts him in a league of his own."Public Corporation General Counsel
- Australian National University (Bachelor of Laws 1988; Bachelor of Science 1986)
- High Court of Australia, Federal Court of Australia, New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, and Western Australia
Leading individual in "Dispute Resolution": Chambers Asia Pacific/Global, Asia Pacific Legal 500, AFR Best Lawyers, AsiaLaw Profiles
Leading individual in "Litigation," "Class Actions," and "Government": AFR Best Lawyers
National co-Chair— Class Actions Committee of the Law Council of Australia, National co-Chair — Transnational Litigation Committee, National Chair — Federal Litigation & Dispute Resolution Section of the Law Council (2017-2020)
Fellow, Australian Academy of Law
Class Action Defence Attorney of the Year — Australia" (2018 APAC Insider Awards); "Litigation and Dispute Resolution Lawyer of the Year — Australia (2018 Finance Monthly Law Awards); "Test Case Litigation Lawyer of the Year — Australia": 2016 (Global Fund Awards)