About

Solve | Resolve identifies our approach to complex commercial issues, disputes and litigation. Our strategy is to create the optimal resolution for clients. Sometimes, that means commencing or defending legal proceedings, even to trial or adjudication. More often than not, it is about finding and successfully implementing alternative ways to achieve a commercial outcome you wouldn’t have thought possible.

The firm’s philosophy is shaped by founder Michael Mills. Recognised widely as an Australian leader in commercial litigation. Michael is a highly tactical thinker with a deep understanding of dispute resolution. Solve | Resolve is built on over 30 years’ experience in helping clients achieve successful outcomes.

Michael Mills

Principal

Michael Mills is recognised as one of Australia’s leading lawyers for commercial disputes and resolution.

As a top commercial litigator, he has been the lead defence lawyer for some of Australia’s largest and most complex disputes, representing both leading Australian and international companies.

His areas of expertise include: directors, officers and civil liability, class actions and mass torts, product liability, regulatory investigations and resulting disputes, insurance – both insurance and risk solutions for policyholders, as well as insurance coverage disputes.

For examples of successful outcomes, see Results

Michael has long been recognised as a creative tactical thinker about ways to resolve disputes by alternative methods, whether that be by negotiation, arbitration, mediation, or other means. This has seen his practice expand into providing strategic advice and representation to clients (corporate and individual) in relation to commercial problems, disputes and how best to solve them.

Michael is an accredited mediator and teaches courses in Australia and overseas on negotiation and dispute resolution. This includes being:

A lecturer at UNSW Law School on “Resolving Civil Disputes”;
A nationally accredited mediator (NMAS and Resolution Institute of Australia) and appointed to a number of national mediation panels;
Author of Thomson Reuter’s text, Dispute Resolution; and
Member of the NSW Law Society ADR Committee, a past Chair of Resolution Institute (previously LEADR) and Advisory Board member of RAND Institute of Civil Justice.

Results (where a matter of public record)

Ardent (Dreamworld)

ASIC

Board of Inquiry – (ACT) Criminal Justice System

“Citizenship7”

Handled what many commentators described as the most important case to reach the High Court of Australia in the last 25 years – the so-called “Citizenship7” case involving Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce and others in the High Court of Australia. Obtained a unanimous judgment for our client Tony Windsor. At the conclusion of the hearing, The Australian newspaper’s Legal Affairs Editor (Mr Chris Merritt) wrote “The depth of Windsor’s legal team did not end there. Sitting in court behind Gleeson and Merkel were two partners from US litigation powerhouse Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, Michael Mills and Michelle Fox”. The day after the decision was announced, Mr Merrit wrote: “The great victors are Windsor and his ludicrously high-powered legal team … Their arguments were endorsed by the seven judges. They took on the best legal brains the government could muster and wiped the floor with them.”

Class actions

Michael has prosecuted and been the lead defence lawyer for a number of class actions, as well as recognised by Best Lawyers as a class action lawyer of the year. Amongst the recent class actions handled are: Simpson v Thorn Australia Pty Ltd (Radio Rentals); Ingram v Ardent Leisure Ltd; Webb v GetSwift Ltd; Kuhn v Infigen Energy Ltd; Moira Shire and Hobson Bay City Councils v JLT Risk Solutions Pty Ltd; Rushleigh Services Pty Ltd v Forge Group Ltd; Hall v Pitcher Partners (a firm). Michael is a member of the Federal Court of Australia’s Class Action Users committee.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia

E*Trade

Represented E*Trade after its Manila office was raided by the Philippine National Bureau of Investigation in May 2016. Thirty-six of their 400+ employees in Manila were arrested for alleged violations of Philippines securities laws and all equipment was confiscated, effectively shutting down their operations in the Philippines. E*Trade was accused of running illegal trades for US customers. By October 2016 all alleged violations had been dismissed and the office successfully reopened.

Ensham/Idemitsu

Forge

Greensill Bank (in administration)

Hall v Pitcher Partners (a firm)

Lend Lease (WTC)

Led Bovis Lend Lease’s successful defence and resolution efforts in relation to the World Trade Centre clean-up litigation, where over 18,000 plaintiffs sued the City of New York, our client and others. The litigation was reported to be one of the largest mass tort actions in the United States. After lengthy litigation and lobbying efforts, the Zadroga 9/11 Act was passed, with the result first responders were looked after, the litigation was resolved and with no adverse finding against or payment made by our client.

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