Sam Merrylees
Associate
+61 3 8600 6022
smerrylees@aitken.com.au
Sam Merrylees
Areas of Law: Insolvency, Intellectual Property, Litigation, Owners Corporation Law, Employment Law
Qualifications: Bachelor of Laws I Bachelor of Commerce (Major: Finance)
Sam is an Associate with a diverse litigious practice, being a member of Aitken Partners' litigation, insolvency, intellectual property and employment law teams.
Sam commenced working at Aitken Partners as a paralegal in 2017 while studying at University and completed his supervised legal training in 2020. Given the broad range of Sam's practice, throughout his time at Aitken Partners, he has developed strong relationships with commercial clients by providing them with advice for an array of legal issues relating to their business.
A recent example of an unreported judgment in which Sam has appeared is:
- Owners Corporation PS419696X v SCJAR Mandorla Pty Ltd (Owners Corporations) [2021] VCAT 795.
Sam has also instructed in the following recent unreported judgments:
- Guerin v Rose Guerin and Partners Pty Ltd (in liq) (receivers and managers appointed), in the matter of Rose Geurin and Partners Pty Ltd (in liq) (receivers and managers appointed) FCA [2023] 816
- Dixon (Liquidator), in the matter of Victoria Project Pty Ltd v Austhome Group Pty Ltd [2023] FCA 42
- In the matter of Credit Clear Limited [2022] VSC 206
- Re Slodyczka & Farren Pty Ltd (Costs) [2022] VSC 102
- Rohrt, in the matter of Rose Guerin and Partners Pty Ltd (in liq) v Princes Square W24NY Pty Ltd [2021] FCA 483
- Re Bradbury Industrial Services Pty Ltd [2021] VSC 54
- Nguyen Trong Thin v Posh Lifestyle Pte Pty Ltd [2023] ATMO 54.
Experience
- Acting for a publicly listed company in a complex oppressive conduct proceeding.
- Advising on professional negligence litigation.
- Advising shareholders in respect of shareholder disputes involving oppressive conduct, termination of employment and share valuation issues.
- Acting in various insolvency and bankruptcy matters such as public examinations, insolvent trading claims, unfair preference claims, other voidable transaction claims, making and defending winding up applications, issuing and setting aside bankruptcy notices.
- Acting for an insolvency practitioner to successfully obtain an appointment as receiver and manager over the property, assets and undertaking of a trading trust, as well as a warrant to seize property.
- Acting for a client seeking to review decisions of a decision maker in VCAT and obtaining stay orders in respect of those decisions.
- Acting for Owners Corporations in relation to complex debt (levy) recovery proceedings.
- Acting for Owners Corporations in various proceedings in relation to combustible cladding issues and business management agreement disputes.
- Acting for lot owners in derivative actions applications to commence proceedings on behalf of owners corporations pursuant to section 169I of the Owners Corporation Act 2006 (Vic).
- Advising landlords and tenants in respect of residential tenancy disputes in VCAT and the Supreme Court.
- Registration of trade marks in Australia and the WIPO Madrid System.
- Advising on trade mark infringements.
- Acting for a client in a copyright infringement dispute in the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia relating to architectural plans and designs.