Chloe Ellis

Chloe is a partner in the Dispute Resolution & Advisory team, with extensive experience acting in complex litigation across multiple Australian jurisdictions. She regularly appears in the Supreme Court of NSW, the Federal Court of Australia and specialist tribunals.

She acts and advises in relation to a broad range of disputes including professional negligence, contract disputes, corporations law, building and construction disputes, insolvency, class actions and property and leasing disputes.

Clients include SMEs, directors and shareholders, developers, head contractors, major subcontractors, mining companies, regulators, professional services firms, liquidators, insurers and government clients. Chloe aims to provide clear, strategic advice and to help clients navigate disputes with a commercial and solutions‑focused approach, aimed at achieving efficient and meaningful outcomes.

 

Qualifications/Memberships

• Bachelor of Laws (UNSW)

• Law Society of New South Wales

• The National Association of Women in Construction

• Women Lawyers Association of NSW  

 

A word from Chloe

I enjoy helping clients find clarity and direction when issues feel overwhelming or uncertain. Effective dispute resolution, to me, begins with understanding what matters most to the client, both commercially and strategically. From there, I focus on designing pathways to resolution that minimise disruption, manage risk, and help clients regain a sense of control in situations that are often stressful and commercially significant.

 

Career highlights

• Acting for group members in a Federal Court class action alleging misleading and deceptive conduct in connection with prospectus documentation for a $55 million bond issue, which resolved favourably shortly before trial.

• Acting for professional and regulatory bodies across a range of disciplinary matters, including prosecuting disciplinary complaints, managing show cause processes, conducting practising certificate suspension appeals in NCAT, and appearing in Supreme Court proceedings seeking the removal of practitioners from the Roll of Australian Lawyers.

• Successfully defending a major subcontractor in a multimillion dollar construction dispute involving allegations of defective works, achieving a negotiated settlement that substantially reduced the client’s financial exposure.

• Acting for developers, head contractors and subcontractors in mid project construction disputes, including issues relating to delay, disruption, extensions of time, variation claims, and associated cost disputes such as liquidated damages.

• Successfully representing both claimants and respondents in multiple adjudication applications under relevant security of payment legislation.

• Acting for a landlord company in successfully defending proceedings in which the tenant sought injunctive relief and damages to prevent being lawfully excluded from the premises.

 

Specific areas of focus

• Commercial dispute resolution and litigation strategy

• Professional conduct and disciplinary investigations

• Insolvency and reconstruction disputes

• Building and Construction

• Competition and consumer claims

• Real property disputes

• Corporations issues and directors/fiduciary duties