Laurie Watt

Senior Counsel

Laurie is a litigator with wide-ranging experience working for international companies and governments dealing with international arbitration and litigation of major commercial contractual disputes, technical and engineering matters, including major claims arising out of carriage of goods and air disaster. Not only has Laurie also had increasingly heavy involvement in Corporate Governance issues following his involvement as Shadow Counsel for a former non-executive member of the Enron Board of Directors, but, in a completely different arena, he recently successfully led a team in a major maritime border dispute in the Caribbean, involving Arbitration under the rules of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Laurie was elected Senior Partner of the firm in 1998 and re-elected twice before he reached the age of 60 in 2006 when he stepped down as both a Partner and Senior Partner. Since then he has taken on an enhanced international ambassadorial role for the firm, as Senior Counsel, in addition to his ongoing litigation client work.

Memberships

ALFA International, member of their Board of Directors and Co-Chair of their International Committee; Association of British Orchestra Trust.

Education

Admitted as a Solicitor in Hong Kong, 1978; Called as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Victoria, 1981

Year qualified

1970

Year joined Charles Russell

1972

Interests outside the law

Music, photography, travel, and tennis