Simon Gibbs

Simon holds a BA in socio-legal studies and a Master’s degree in International Relations and Government from Sydney University and a Juris Doctor (with Honours) from the University of NSW.

Simon has more than 12 years' experience with Maurice Blackburn and has worked on several class actions and other significant matters. He has been part of litigation teams that have recovered in excess of $690 million for claimants including shareholder class actions against Nufarm, Leighton, Rivercity, TWE, Sirtex, and Bellamy's.

Other matters include Trilogy v Sullivan & Ors, Trilogy v Minter Ellison, Dreyfus v Attorney General, Darcy v Myriad Genetics, Cash Converters class action and NT Youth class action.

Simon was drawn to working in class actions because of their capacity to give voice to people who would otherwise have no legal remedy.

Simon has worked on significant policy reform projects in relation to class actions and litigation funding reforms in Australia and New Zealand and has published peer-reviewed literature and contributed to law review textbooks on these subjects.

"Class actions are a unique mechanism to vindicate mass wrongs and correct power asymmetries between individuals, corporations and government," he says.

"This area of practice empowers individuals to seek redress by collective action in circumstances where they would otherwise have to stand alone."

Simon volunteers at the Women’s and Girls’ Emergency Centre in Sydney, a specialist homelessness service for women and families escaping domestic violence.

Simon has interned with the Australian Human Rights Centre, Criminal Law Review – NSW Attorney General’s Department and Redfern Legal Centre. He has also been an editor on the Australasian Journal of Natural Resource Law and Policy (AJNRLP) and Human Rights Defender.

Memberships & accreditations

• Law Society of NSW member
   

Publications

• "Market-based causation: new contours of the causation debate in Australia” in Precedent, Issue 157.
  
• "Post-Brewster Jurisprudence - The Future of the Common Fund Doctrine" (2022) Vol 96 Pt 6 Australian Law Journal. 
• Third Party Litigation Funding, Lexology - 7th Edition (2024) - New Zealand chapter
• Third Party Litigation Funding, The Law Review - 6th Edition (2023) - New Zealand chapter