Vaughan is an experienced lawyer focusing on insolvency, corporate restructures and commercial litigation. He has acted for companies, lenders and banks in a broad range of litigious matters and is the trusted adviser of many of Melbourne’s leading insolvency practitioners. Prior to joining Keypoint, Vaughan was a partner in a boutique Melbourne law firm, and before that, senior associate at Mills Oakley. Separate to insolvency and commercial litigation, Vaughan has expertise in defamation law. He has acted in several high-profile defamation suits for media organisations and against them.
Vaughan is highly regarded for his commercial acumen as well as his desire to resolve matters as quickly as possible.
Expertise
- Insolvency and corporate restructures
- General commercial litigation
- Defamation and media law
- Equity and trusts
- Enforcement of securities
- Building and construction law
- Taxation disputes
- Intellectual property
- Professional negligence
Experience
- Acting for one of Melbourne’s largest private property developers in a family dispute over property assets valued at $750,000,000. The matter concerned the construction of a deed between family members, estoppel, equity and trusts.
- Generally advising a minority shareholder of a publicly listed company on issues concerning corporate governance and oppression.
- Acting for a publicly listed company in respect of the recovery of a loan book.
- Acting for a secured creditor in a priority dispute between the secured creditor and employees of a company to a fund derived from the circulating assets of the company.
- Acting for a taxpayer in respect of GST assessments and whether they could be characterised as input taxed financial supplies within the meaning of the GST legislation. Simultaneously defending winding up proceedings brought against the company by the Deputy Commissioner of Taxation including extensions of time to defend those proceedings.
- Acting in negligent valuation proceedings for a publicly listed company in respect of loans circa $9M.
- Acting in negligent valuation proceedings for recovery of bank loans in the domestic lending space.
- Acting for a manufacturer of merchandising goods in relation to allegations of trade mark infringement and passing off.
- Acting for and against numerous liquidators in recovery actions pursuant to Part 5.7B of the Corporations Act.
- Acting for various companies seeking to set aside service of statutory demands or defending the service of statutory demands.
- Acting for various administrators in making applications for the extension of convening periods for second meetings of creditors under the Corporations Act.
- Acting for liquidators seeking to recover debts owed to insolvent companies including dealing with issues of set-off and leave to pursue counterclaims.
- Acting for a member of the judiciary against the Herald and Weekly Times Ltd for defamation, including winning a High Court Special Leave application concerning the defence of qualified privilege.
- Acting in proceedings concerning a trustee’s rights of indemnification and subrogation, including succeeding in a High Court Special Leave application concerning the trustee losing its right of subrogation through negligence.
Career
| 2017 | Keypoint Law | Consulting Principal |
| 2015 – 2017 | Nick Stretch Legal | Partner |
| 2014 – 2015 | Own practice | Principal |
| 2008 – 2014 | Mills Oakley | Senior Associate |
| 2006 – 2008 | Norton Gledhill | Associate |