Ironbridge Legal bolsters fraud-related offering with new special counsel

Ironbridge Legal has strengthened its fraud-related offering by welcoming special counsel Laura Coleclough.

Coleclough brings a wealth of experience in commercial dispute resolution to the firm, having worked on commercial disputes in litigation, arbitration, and mediation internationally. In particular, she brings experience in matters involving authorised push payment (APP) frauds; she previously represented a consumer body in the UK Supreme Court case Philipp v Barclays Bank UK PLC [2023] UKSC 25.

She also played a key role in advising on a multi-billion-dollar bankruptcy and its enforcement in Australia. Moreover, she has experience bringing claims for and against banks.

Additionally, Coleclough enhances the firm's brain trust as a thought leader in AI regulation, emerging technologies, and digital assets, which Ironbridge Legal said are areas “increasingly essential in fraud, asset recovery, and insolvency matters.”

“Unfortunately, fraudsters are becoming more and more sophisticated,” Coleclough said. “In light of the huge rise in APP fraud scams, not just in Australia but globally, I am keen to use my experience in this new developing area to provide guidance to victims, regulators and/or consumer bodies in order to fight fraudsters.”

Firm founder and partner Trevor Withane confirmed that Coleclough will concentrate on building the firm’s client base in Melbourne.