The Firm’s professionals are:
- John O’Halloran, Principal
- Michael Pieterse, Special Counsel Litigation
In keeping with the specialised nature of the practice, the Firm’s professionals are highly experienced corporate and commercial law practitioners. John and Michael each have more than 40 years’ experience in legal practice.
John O’Halloran holds degrees in Arts and Laws from Sydney University. He was in practice initially in Sydney, and subsequently with the leading New York corporate firm of Chadbourne & Parke (recently merged with Norton Rose Fulbright). John joined the firm now known as Ashurst in 1979, and was a partner from 1985 until his departure from the firm in 1997. In the two years following, he held full-time in-house contract appointments with, in turn, the Commonwealth Bank, MLC and Deutsche Asset Management. He founded the practice O’Hallorans in the year 2000.
John has been actively involved in the process of change and reform in the corporations and securities law fields, principally as Chairman and member of the Law Council of Australia Corporations Committee and membership of other bodies.
Michael Pieterse has been Special Counsel Litigation with the Firm since 2005. Michael also holds Arts and Laws degrees from Sydney University. Michael commenced practice in 1976, and was Senior Partner of his own litigation firm from 1985-2003, representing a wide range of insurance companies, municipal and local councils, universities and major corporations, and formerly conducted Court arbitrations. At O’Hallorans Michael specialises in commercial dispute resolution.