Russell Wilson Special Counsel

Russell primarily advises Commonwealth Government clients, including separate legal entities that are controlled by the Commonwealth or in which the Commonwealth is a stakeholder.  His practice covers procurement, grants and funding, risk management, corporate governance, commercial, privacy, statutory interpretation, regulatory decision-making and probity.

Russell has extensive experience in:

• complex procurements and asset sales for the Australian Government whilst working for over 17 years in the commercial area of a major national law firm, including providing strategic advice in a variety of different politically sensitive contexts;
• grants and funding agreements having developed the first APS wide template funding agreement and advising numerous agencies on development of their funding programs, and drafting the necessary documentation;
• regulatory issues from working for 10 years as AUSTRAC’s first General Counsel and playing a strategic role in providing advice on new legislation, and establishing processes and procedures to implement the legislation, in conjunction with major domestic and international financial organisations and regulators; and
• national security issues from working closely over an extended period with law enforcement and members of the Australian intelligence community in dealing with change management, money laundering and terrorism financing matters.

Legal expertise

• Government.
• Corporate governance and commercial.
• Probity, procurement and grant/funding programs.
• Privacy.
• Regulatory decision-making.
• Statutory interpretation and legislation development.
• National security issues.

Relevant experience

• Acting as legal adviser on a range of procurements (including asset sales, large funding programs and whole of government processes), outsourcings and scoping studies for clients such as the Commonwealth Department of Finance, the former Department of Administrative Services, the Department of Communications and the Department of Education.
• Advising and assisting with the establishment of public sector bodies corporate (including statutory authorities) and private sector companies, and advising on applicable regulatory frameworks and best practice corporate governance.