Our People
Nicholas Stone – Principal, LLB (Hons) BBus
Admissions
- Supreme Court Queensland, Australia
- Supreme Court Australian Capital Territory
- Australia High Court of Australia
- High Court of New Zealand
Biography
Nicholas is the Principal of Stone Group Lawyers. He has experience as both a transaction and litigation lawyer with expertise in corporate, property and international law. Nick offers experience in top tier international and domestic firms. He has represented governments, domestic and foreign companies in complex litigation, cross border and other strategic transaction and regulatory matters including:
- Macquarie Group
Advice, drafting and conducting litigation in State and Federal Courts for matters involving contractual, securities, banking and finance disputes. - Orica Australia
Interlocutory and claim applications in various State and Federal Courts in contractual litigation and insolvency matters including corporate insolvency bankruptcy and corporate restructuring. - IAG
Claims, defence and enforcement of insurance litigation. - Queensland Councils
Debt collection litigation matters and enforcement of judgments regarding property. - Government of Abu Dhabi
Preparation of construction contracts for projects for domestic housing for the Municipality of Abu Dhabi. Advice and preparation of joint ventures between United Kingdom based corporations and government bodies. Drafting and advising on partnership agreements between local and foreign corporations. Advising on major construction projects in the UAE and preparing lectures on evidence law in Bahrain and applying the United States Foreign Corruption Practices Act 1977 to cases of corruption. - Abu Dhabi Urban Planning
Drafting the “Manual for General Services and Procurement Policies” and reporting and compliance of methods of procurement for construction works.
Michael Leith – Special Counsel, LLB BIntBus
Admissions
- Supreme Court of Queensland, Australia
- High Court of Australia
- New York, USA
Biography
Michael is an experienced transactional lawyer with expertise in property, mining and resources, planning and environment litigation, environmental law and commerce. Specifically, Michael has played a vital role in the following matters:
- BHP Billiton
Providing advice with respect to Mining Lease and Environmental Authority amendments. - Xstrata
Providing town planning advice and representation in the negotiation process with respect to the local Council‟s decision to impose infrastructure charges as a condition of a development approval. - Mirvac
Representing Mirvac in the Planning & Environment Court in an appeal against Brisbane City Council‟s decision to impose excessive infrastructure charges as a condition of a development approval. We successfully reduced the infrastructure charges by over $800,000. - Morgan Stanley
Preparation of an environmental due diligence with respect to their proposed purchase of a $1b+ asset. - City Pacific
Attended to the revision of the company‟s asset base consolidation. - QGC (British Gas)
Provided advice with respect to compensation issues arising out of the compulsory acquisition of land for a gas pipeline. - Australia Post
Prepared a property due diligence over a potential site in Northern Queensland. We discovered and addressed various land contamination issues and advised on an appropriate course of remediation of the contaminated land. - GCCC
Appeared for the Council in various Planning and Environment Court appeals against Council’s decision to either refuse an application for development or its decision to impose conditions on development approvals.
Previous Employment
- Minter Ellison Lawyers
- Clarkekann Lawyers
- Mallesons Stephen Jaques
Richard Carter Tate – Special Counsel, BA LLB Dip.Ed (University of Tasmania)
Admissions
- Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory
- High Court of Australia
Biography
Prior to entering private practice, Richard worked in the International Law Division of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and then worked as a legal research officer in the Parliamentary Library in Canberra. He has also been the private secretary to the Tasmanian Deputy Premier, Education Minister and Attorney-General.
More recently in the last ten years, Richard has run a highly successful legal practice in Canberra and now practices and specializes in all areas of property and international law.
Richard is special counsel and legal adviser to clients such as the Embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and he regularly deals with issues of property purchases, leasing, international law and general legal advisory with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Richard is able to advise and assist in a wide range of property matters including leasing and more complex issues in succession and international law.
Eric Citra – Lawyer, LLB
Admissions
- Supreme Court of Queensland, Australia
Biography
Eric holds a Bachelor of Laws and Post Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice from Bond University. Eric has joined Stone Group Lawyers as a graduate solicitor. Most recently, Eric worked for a building management company gaining valuable experience in the areas of commercial transactions, leasing and debt recovery.
Eric assists Principal Nicholas Stone in all aspects of litigation, as well as commercial transactions. He is able to speak a number of languages including Mandarin, Hokkien, Indonesian and Malaysian. Eric applies his keen problem solving skills to provide efficient and effective legal advice.
Zane Gray – Research Assistant, LLB (Hons) BIntBus
Zane is a graduate lawyer and has joined the Stone Group Lawyers litigation and banking and finance team. Zane has spent the past two years working with a top tier international finance institution, in New York in the USA. Prior to his international engagement, Zane has acted as an in-house paralegal in a building and construction company. His unique experience is a valuable asset to Stone Group Lawyers who are utilising the skills of practitioners with experience in international markets.
Zane is presently completing his Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice with The College of Law and his Master of Laws (LLM) with a focus on international trade law at the University of Queensland.