A section 155 notice is not an invitation to explain yourself. It is a compulsory demand, and a careless answer carries consequences of its own.

What we are usually asked to do

We act for businesses in ACCC investigations, merger clearances and compliance reviews, and for boards that want their exposure mapped before the regulator arrives.

• Section 155 notices, scoping and production

• Informal merger clearance and public review

• Cartel and concerted practice exposure

• Unfair contract terms and Australian Consumer Law responses

How we run it

We manage production ourselves rather than handing you a checklist. Everything that goes to the regulator is read by the partner running the matter.

If there is a real problem you will hear it from us first, in plain terms, while there is still something to be done about it.

What usually goes wrong

In our experience the exposure usually sits in the answer rather than in the conduct the regulator started with.

• Producing documents well outside the scope of the notice

• Employees interviewed without advice of their own

• A compliance programme that exists in a folder and nowhere else

How we are engaged

We manage production ourselves and brief anyone the regulator wants to speak to. Fees are scoped phase by phase, because responding to a section 155 notice and defending a contested review are not the same matter and should not be priced as one.