Neil is an experienced lawyer with expertise in immigration and government/administrative law matters. Prior to joining Keypoint, Neil was a Consultant at Kemp Strang Lawyers (now Thomson Geer).
Before returning to private practice, Neil held senior legal roles with the Department of Home Affairs managing the Government’s immigration litigation case load, including its High Court test caseload, and heading its internal immigration advisings area dealing with difficult cases. Earlier in his career, Neil was with Clayton Utz and prior to that, an Associate to the Hon Justice WMC Gummow of the High Court of Australia.
Neil’s clients include wealthy private individuals and small to medium enterprises seeking to position themselves and advance in the Australian market, to whom he provides immigration advice and services. Neil frequently assists existing and start-up businesses to enable their key personnel to work in Australia and is experienced in advising on employer sponsored, skilled and business visas.
Neil also advises and assists in general migration visa classes including student, partner and family.
Expertise
- Corporate migration advisory and services, including subclass 482 (Temporary Skill Shortage) and subclass 186 (Employer Nominated Scheme) visas, and Labour Agreement Applications.
- Global Talent visa advisory for highly skilled individuals working in key industry sectors such as DigiTech, EnergyTech, MedTech, and infrastructure, including preparing Expressions of Interest and subclass 858 visa applications under the Global Talent Visa program.
- Business and investment visa advisory for high wealth individuals wishing to settle in Australia, including the making of subclass 188 and subclass 888 (Business Innovation) visa applications.
- Family visa applications including partner and parent visa applications.
Experience
- Advising and assisting technology companies to obtain work visas for senior executive and technical staff to establish and grow Australian operations.
- Immigration advisor to UK architectural and infrastructure firms in relation to major Australian transport infrastructure projects, including the Sydney Central Station Redevelopment.
- Several successful submissions to the Minister for Home Affairs seeking Ministerial intervention for the grant of visas in cases of legal and other errors, and to the Department of Home Affairs in relation to character-related RFI.
- Assisting multiple offshore clients to obtain Global Talent (subclass 858) visas and Partner visas (subclasses 309 and 100).
- Responsible for the management of the Australian Government’s refugee and migration litigation caseload, and legal advising to departmental officers in the Department of Immigration and Citizenship portfolio (now the Department of Home Affairs).
- Advisor to the Chief Lawyer of the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.
- Advisor to the then Minister for Immigration and Border Protection on the legal and compensatory rectification of unlawful detention cases.
- Conduct of large commercial litigation in the Supreme Court of NSW in the areas of insolvency, contractual disputes and misleading and deceptive conduct.
Recognition
Neil has been consistently recognised by Doyle’s Guide as being amongst the leading Immigration lawyers in NSW.
Career
| 2018 – | Keypoint Law | Consulting Principal |
| 2017 – 2018 | Kemp Strang Lawyers | Consultant |
| 2014 – 2016 | Peters Linnette Lawyers | Senior Solicitor |
| 2012 – 2014 | Department of Immigration and Border Protection | Assistant Director |
| 2010 – 2011 | Department of Immigration and Citizenship | Acting Director |
| 2006 – 2010 | Department of Immigration and Citizenship | Senior Legal Officer |
| 2006 | Department of Environment and Heritage | Policy Office |
| 2005 – 2006 | Clayton Utz | Solicitor |
| 2003 – 2005 | High Court of Australia | Associate to the Hon Justice WMC Gummow AC |
| 2003 | Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs | Legal Officer |