Leah Watterson
Leah is a senior commercial litigator with particular expertise in class actions, corporations and securities law, corporate governance and regulatory matters.
Leah has acted for numerous ASX listed clients facing complex multi-party securities class actions, ASIC investigations and contentious regulatory matters.
Leah has a deep understanding of the Australian and United States corporate regulatory environment and her corporate law and securities experience continues to assist clients involved in a range of commercial disputes and regulatory proceedings.
Leah has extensively considered the issue of causation in securities class actions and her work has been published in leading texts and journals. Leah is a contributing author to Class Actions in Australia (Third Edition, Thomson Reuters, 2022)
Background
Leah graduated from Monash University with a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and a Bachelor of Business Management.
Leah also holds a Master of Laws, Securities & Financial Regulation (Distinction) from the Georgetown University Law Center in Washington D.C. where she was awarded the Georgetown University Law Center Thomas Bradbury Chetwood S.J Prize. Leah is admitted to practice in Victoria and the High Court of Australia.
Market Recognition
Leah has been described by clients as:
- “professional”
- “measured”
- “very calm and considered”
- “Leah's problem solving and ability to work through the issues was fantastic”
Experience & expertise
Selected matters
- Treasury Wine Estates in defending multiple shareholder class actions in relation to alleged non disclosures concerning FY20 earnings guidance
- NAB in relation to the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry
- PricewaterhouseCoopers in relation to a securities class action commenced against Vocation Limited (in liquidation)
- Centro in several multiparty litigation-funded shareholder class actions
- OZ Minerals in successfully resolving a multiparty litigation-funded shareholder class action
- Murray Goulburn and former Murray Goulburn directors in defending securities class action proceedings relating to a product disclosure statement
- Bellamy’s in relation to an ASIC investigation focused on the company’s continuous disclosure obligations
- An ASX listed entity in relation to an internal investigation arising from a whistleblower report
- An ASX listed entity involved in ASIC’s Corporate Governance Taskforce Review
Sectors
