Top regulatory lawyer joins Corrs

11 January 2010

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Thomas Jones has joined Corrs as a partner in our IP Technology & Competition Group in Sydney. The appointment reinforces Corrs' commitment to maintaining a market-leading national communications practice and further strengthens the firm's capability in the strategic growth areas of telecommunications and regulated access. Thomas joins the firm from Mallesons Stephen Jaques.

Thomas is a highly skilled telecommunications regulatory and competition lawyer who specialises in access to regulated infrastructure across a range of industries including telecommunications, airports, ports, rail, broadcasting and water. He has particular expertise in third party access issues and advises clients on competition law and the administrative law aspects of the operation of regulatory regimes.

Thomas has extensive experience advising on telecommunications law and regulation through the Asia-Pacific region and has acted for Telstra and Sydney Airport on various issues.

Thomas' experience includes:

• Advising Telstra on applications to the ACCC for the exemption of core telecommunications services from declaration under Part XIC of the Trade Practices Act 1974 and successfully representing Telstra in subsequent proceedings in the Australian Competition Tribunal which sought to set aside those exemptions.
• Advising Telstra on the conduct and resolution of more than 60 access disputes with various access seekers about the terms and conditions of access to a range of declared services, and successfully securing the rejection of a number of access undertakings submitted by Telstra’s competitors by both the ACCC and the Australian Competition Tribunal.
• Acting for Sydney Airport Corporation in its access dispute with Virgin Blue Airlines, one of only two access disputes under Part IIIA of the Trade Practices Act to date.
• Advising Star-Hub (in Singapore) on access and telecommunications interconnection issues, including in relation to disputes before the IDA.
• Advising the Government of Papua New Guinea on telecommunications regulatory reform.
• Advising companies in a range of regulated industries such as ports, rail and water on third party access issues.