Team & Experience
Meet the Team
Peter Coney
Peter Coney is a disputes lawyer with extensive experience in commercial dispute resolution, crisis management & investigations and employment law. Peter has over twenty years’ experience as a lawyer in Australia, Japan and working on complex and high-profile matters throughout Asia, Europe and the Middle-East.
Most recently Peter led the disputes team at Clifford Chance Tokyo LLP and previously was an associate and then counsel at Herbert Smith Freehills.
His market recognition includes Rising Star (The Legal 500, 2020-2021), “Peter Coney impresses clients with his strong advocacy, analytical and writing skills” (Asia Pacific Legal 500, 2009) and “Peter Coney is `very solid`, say clients” (Asia Pacific Legal 500, 2005).
Peter is qualified as a lawyer in Victoria, New South Wales and England & Wales. He holds undergraduate and post-graduate degrees in law from The University of Melbourne, has studied law in Japan and is business-fluent in Japanese (Level 1 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test) and proficient in Indonesian.
Paralegal
Giles Ockenden
Giles Ockenden has wide-ranging experience in commercial dispute resolution and employment law. Giles worked in the Employee Relations Department of Macquarie Bank in Sydney and previously was a Vice President, Employee Relations, at Goldman Sachs in Tokyo. After completing his legal training as a solicitor at Bird & Bird in London, he worked in the Disputes Team of Herbert Smith Freehills in Tokyo where he assisted clients to resolve a range of commercial disputes in the construction, real estate and other sectors.
Prior to becoming legally qualified, Giles was an equity market analyst at JP Morgan in Tokyo after working in investment management at Morgan Grenfell in London. Giles has tertiary degrees from Cambridge University and BPP Law School in London. He is fluent in Japanese.
Paralegal
Chris Coney
Chris has wide-ranging experience in dispute resolution and employment law. Chris taught commercial, corporations, employment and banking law at Monash University and Monash College. Prior to that, Chris was a barrister at the Victorian Bar after working as a solicitor at Cornwall Stodart, Maurice Blackburn and Clements Hutchins.
He has tertiary degrees from The University of Melbourne and Monash University. Chris has basic proficiency in Japanese, Indonesian and German.