Helen Sims

Expertise

Helen is a Special Counsel in the NSW Dispute Resolution & Litigation team at Holding Redlich. Helen has more than 15 years’ experience acting for government clients in the law enforcement, white-collar crime, health, primary industries, education, financial and entertainment sectors. She has also acted for non-government clients in regulatory investigations and enforcement proceedings, including civil penalty matters. 

Helen specialises and has particular expertise in administrative law and has acted on behalf of government clients in judicial review, merits review, equity proceedings, Commissions of Inquiry, regulatory compliance and enforcement investigations in the Federal, Victorian and NSW courts. She has experience in regulatory prosecutions and licensing matters, including making applications for closed hearings and for evidence to be kept confidential. She also has a special interest in white collar crime, fraud and AML/CTF matters. 

Helen is skilled at managing both large scale and high-volume litigation and also has significant experience managing teams and supervising junior lawyers and paralegals. Helen has directly instructed Senior Counsel in large inquiries and litigation matters and regularly appears as a Solicitor Advocate.

Experience

Helen has acted in a number of high profile disputes and investigations. Some examples of her recent work include:

• acting for a liquidator of fifty-nine entities associated with a collapsed construction company, leaving more than $500 million in debt to lenders and buyers. Investigations led to the filing of multiple claims under the Corporations Act in the Federal Court
• involvement in a large-scale probity investigation in the gaming and wagering industry involving investigations and inquiries in the several multi-national companies, as well as acting as ‘Counsel Assisting’ in relation to hearings on the community impacts of applications to increase gaming entitlements
• acting for the Commissioner of Police as Solicitor Advocate in merits review matters in relation to government information, privacy and firearms licensing, including making applications to keep criminal intelligence confidential
• acting for State liquor and gaming regulators in relation to applications for liquor licences, gaming machine entitlements, challenges to licence conditions and investigations of non-compliance and offences
• acting for a financial services industry client in Federal Court proceedings under the ASIC Act
• advising a major international payment industry provider in relation to a three-year compliance and enforcement investigation under a Commonwealth regulatory scheme
• advising financial services clients in relation to compliance obligations under the AML/CTF Act
• representation for government clients in Royal Commissions, including as part of the Solicitor Assisting team in the ‘Bergin’ inquiry into Crown Resorts Ltd
• acting on a recent Coronial Inquiry involving the death of a person detained under the Mental Health Act and under NDIS care
• acting for a variety of finance services bodies in enforcement proceedings under the ASIC Act, Corporations Act and AML/CTF Act
• advising a major international payment industry provider on its entry into the ‘buy now, pay later’ market
• providing prospects advice on prosecutions for offences relating to workplace health and safety, directors’ duties, unfair and misleading contract terms and child safety breaches
• representation of various agencies in relation to freedom of information matters, including administrative reviews of decisions to withhold documents
• providing advice on privacy compliance and risks associated with third party collection of personal information and data and statutory interpretation issues associated with emergency housing following the NSW floods
• acting in relation to expedited merits and judicial review proceedings arising out of alleged non-compliance with a permit issued by a Commonwealth agency
• acting for the Attorney General, Ministers and Departmental chief executives in judicial review proceedings.

Membership

NSW Law Society Public Law Committee
Australian Institute of Administrative Law