Year Admitted: 2004
Phone: (02) 9232 2722
Email: sonmez@4wentworth.com.au
Practice Areas:
Administrative
Appellate
Banking
Bankruptcy & Corporate Insolvency
Commercial
Common Law
Corporations Law
Criminal
Equity / Trusts
Family Law
Industrial / Employment
Insurance
Professional Negligence
Property
Taxation and Revenue
Wills and Probate
Hakan has expertise in a broad range of practice areas though his experience has been focussed on commercial and property disputes.
Apart from general commercial and contract disputes based in common law and equity, he has acquired experience and expertise in the following areas:
- Insolvency and company law disputes acting for liquidators, individuals or third parties;
- Statutory title insurance, fraud, proportionate liability and professional negligence (Torrens Assurance Fund) disputes under the Real Property Act acting for claimants or the Registrar General, in both administrative and litigated matters;
- Restraint of trade and executive employment contract disputes (termination and leave payments, bonus claims), small business and partnership disputes;
- Probate and wills, family provision and also property disputes based in informal arrangements (including domestic and family settings under the Property (Relationships) Act and Family Law Act), trusts, contracts, bailment and deeds;
- Misleading and deceptive conduct disputes with respect to commercial contracts, franchises, leases, real property, professional advice or generally conduct in a commercial, financial or executive employment setting;
- Disputes pertaining to mortgages and loans, guarantees, leases, caveats, conveyancing and easements;
- Damages proceedings relating to police arrest;
- Conflict of laws and jurisdictional disputes relating particularly to Commonwealth and State legislation;
- Tax liability enforcement and freezing orders; and
- Prosecutions or penalty proceedings particularly in the work safety and construction industry areas.
Background
From 2000 to 2004, Hakan was employed with Cowley Hearne Lawyers, a boutique commercial law firm based in North Sydney. This firm has since been incorporated into Thomson Geer Lawyers.
Education
Law (Hons) and Economics (Social Sciences), USyd (1998)
LLM, USyd (2014)
Community Service / Volunteering
Hakan has undertaken broader community and professional service by:
- Volunteering annual terms of service on the committees of the NSW Bar Association (Diversity & Equality Committee, Wellbeing Committee, and the Mediation Committee); and
- Undertaking pro bono work on several cases (appeals and administrative law issues) in the NSW Supreme Court and the Federal Court of Australia.
