Commercial Litigation
Litigation, navigated.
Commercial litigation, reimagined.
Paul Taylor is an Accredited Specialist in Commercial Litigation, engaged by law firms, barristers, businesses, government entities and insolvency practitioners across Australia to manage disputes that carry real financial and reputational stakes. Working alongside director Charles Ackroyd, they bring the same rigour to costs litigation and administrative law — so clients aren't just represented, they're guided, at every stage, toward the outcome that actually matters to their business.
25+
Years of
litigation experience
30+
Years of costing and advisory experience
Accredited
Commercial
Litigation - Law Society NSW
All
Courts & jurisdictions
across Australia
100+
Cases as
trial advocate
01. Commercial Disputes
Disputes resolved with judgement, not just process.
Contract disputes, partnership breakdowns, shareholder disputes, debt collection and other business claims — approached with the calculation that legal costs must not exceed the value of the outcome. Specialist experience, applied for businesses, law firms, insolvency practitioners and government entities across Australia.
02. Costs Litigation
Often the most important part of litigation — and the most overlooked.
Costs are frequently treated as an afterthought, when in reality they can be the most consequential part of a dispute. We treat costs as a live strategic issue from the outset — securing costs early, advocating on submissions as a matter progresses, and leading mediation of costs disputes where that produces the better outcome.
03. Administrative Law
Government and regulatory disputes, navigated with commercial clarity.
Matters involving government entities and regulatory bodies move differently — different procedures, different pressures, different stakeholders. We act for businesses and government entities alike, bringing the same rigour and strategic focus that defines our commercial practice.
Paul Taylor
Principal
Accredited Specialist - Commercial Litigation
Law Society of NSW
About Paul Taylor
Big firm experience.
Boutique focus.
Paul Taylor is an Accredited Specialist in Commercial Litigation and Advocacy through the Law Society of New South Wales — a credential held by a small number of practitioners in the state. He has over 25 years of litigation experience in NSW and Victoria, having conducted complex commercial disputes from advice through to trial and appeal across all courts.
His background in legal costs — built through more than three decades alongside Pattison Hardman, one of Australia's leading costs consultancy — gives him a genuine edge in matters with a costs, funding or regulatory dimension. He acts for businesses, insolvency practitioners, government entities and law firms, and brings the same rigour to a commercial dispute that he brings to a costs appeal.
Paul has particular experience in administrative law appeals from government and regulatory decisions, including judicial review under the Legal Profession Uniform Law — a specialist area that draws on both his commercial litigation depth and his knowledge of legal practice regulation.
- Accredited Specialist — Commercial Litigation & Advocacy, Law Society of NSW
- 25+ years of litigation experience across NSW and Victoria
- Appeared in all courts — Local Court, District, Supreme, Court of Appeal, Federal Court
- Specialist in costs disputes, enforcement, administrative law and LPUL proceedings
Charles Ackroyd
Director
Principal, Pattison Hardman
One of NSW's Leading Costs Expert
Director
A leading costs expert in New South Wales
Charles Ackroyd is widely recognised as one of the leading costs expert in New South Wales and a founding principal of Pattison Hardman, Australia's pre-eminent legal costs consultancy since 1988. His expertise spans every dimension of legal costs - from costs assessment and the drafting of bills of costs through to complex costs disputes, appeals and enforcement proceedings.
Over a career spanning more than three decades, Charles has advised and assisted legal practitioners, law firms and clients in costs matters of every scale and complexity. His depth of knowledge in costs law — including the Legal Profession Uniform Law, costs assessment procedures, and the enforcement of cost agreements and determinations — is unmatched in the jurisdiction.
As director of PH Litigation & Advisory, Charles brings that specialist expertise directly to the firm's clients, ensuring that the costs dimension of any dispute — whether in assessment, appeal or enforcement — is managed with the same rigour applied to the underlying litigation.
- Principal, Pattison Hardman — one of Australia's leading costs consultancy since 1988
- 30+ years' experience in legal costs assessment, disputes and enforcement
- Recognised as one of the leading costs expert in New South Wales
- Specialist in costs appeals, LPUL proceedings and costs agreement enforcement
Why PH Litigation & Advisory
Specialist-Led, Not Delegated
Commercial litigation is complex enough without adding a junior-heavy team to the mix. At PH Litigation & Advisory, matters are run by Paul Taylor — a Law Society Accredited Specialist — meaning the person setting strategy on day one is the same person carrying the file through to resolution. Clients get senior judgement early, when it has the most influence on cost and outcome.
Litigation as a Business Decision
Every dispute is a commercial problem, not just a legal one. We assess each matter through that lens from the outset: what result actually serves the client's business, what it will cost to get there, and where settlement creates more value than a win at trial. That's the guidance clients need most, and it's often missing from firms that measure success by hours billed rather than outcomes delivered.
Depth Across the Full Dispute Lifecycle
Beyond the courtroom, the firm handles the issues that decide whether a win is actually worth having — costs litigation and administrative law matters that determine the real financial outcome of a dispute. Director Charles Ackroyd brings additional commercial oversight to the practice, ensuring clients get a firm that runs as tightly as the cases it conducts.
Representative Experience
Matters we have run.
Federal Court
Costs Submissions — Multi-Day Commercial Hearing
Preparation and presentation of comprehensive costs submissions following a multi-day hearing in the Federal Court, including argument on the appropriate form and quantum of costs orders.
NSW Court of Appeal
Strike-Out Application & Costs Advocacy
Appearance in the NSW Court of Appeal on interlocutory strike-out application and subsequent advocacy in respect of costs orders made at appellate level.
District Court — NSW
Gross Lump Sum Costs Application
Representation in respect of a gross lump sum costs application in the District Court, including preparation of detailed submissions on costs and supporting evidence.
Supreme Court — NSW
Enforcement of Statutory Lien
Proceedings in the Supreme Court for enforcement of a solicitor's statutory lien over proceeds of litigation, including interlocutory injunctive relief.
All Jurisdictions
Debt Recovery & Judgment Enforcement
Conduct of debt recovery proceedings and enforcement of judgments in all courts, including for law firms pursuing costs owed by former clients.
Administrative Law
Judicial Review — LPUL Proceedings
Judicial review of regulatory decisions under the Legal Profession Uniform Law, including merits appeals and representation before specialist tribunals.
Why PH Litigation & Advisory
Things that make a difference in litigation.
Prepared for trial from day one.
- Every matter is run as though it will be heard - because that readiness changes how the other side responds.
- Commercial disputes require a litigator who knows what a judge is looking for - not just what looks good on paper.
- Paul Taylor has appeared across all courts in NSW and Victoria. Opposing parties know the difference.
- When a matter goes to hearing, you need counsel who has been there before.
Specialist depth where it counts.
- Most commercial litigation firms have no depth in legal costs. We do — built on 35+ years of costs consultancy alongside Pattison Hardman.
- Where a dispute involves costs, funding, practitioner regulation or administrative law, that knowledge is a practical advantage.
- We act independently. Businesses and law firms engage us precisely because we have no stake in the outcome beyond the client's.
- Direct access to Charles Ackroyd - a leading costs expert in NSW - through the Pattison Hardman group.
Tell us about your dispute.
Speak directly with Paul Taylor. No intake department. We respond within one business day.