Lucas Wilk's practice focuses on managing large, complex commercial disputes for leading Australian listed companies, multinationals, and foreign corporations, which includes strategic pre-dispute advice, mediation, litigation, and arbitration. He has recently acted in high-profile oil and gas, iron ore, royalty, project infrastructure, rail access, and joint venture disputes. Clients value Lucas's discerning approach, technical ability, commerciality, and tenacity in difficult and protracted matters. He also has extensive experience in insolvency workouts, assisting stakeholders on the debtor and creditor side and financiers on debt sales.
Prior to joining Jones Day in 2017, Lucas handled many significant client matters, including acting for a global oil and gas services company in an arbitration on the Wheatstone project, and represented Atlas Iron in restructures involving debt to equity swaps by lenders and project contractors and settlement of contractor disputes.
Lucas is a member of the International Bar Association, INSOL International, ARITA, the Law Council of Australia, and the Rules Review Executive Committee at the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC).
Experience
The following represents experience acquired prior to joining Jones Day.
Global Disputes
Wheatstone Project — represented an oil services company in the successful defense of claims made in a significant arbitration by an unsuccessful bidder in relation to a tender for the commissioning of an offshore platform.
Cooperative Bulk Handling — acted in arbitration for a commodities exporter concerning terms of access to significant railroad infrastructure (regulated asset).
LNG Plant Operator — acted in two disputes concerning LNG plant shut-in and related damage to undersea infrastructure caused by rig that lost its mooring during a cyclone.
BHP Iron Ore — acted in multiple Supreme Court of Western Australia proceedings concerning a significant land access agreement held by native title holders over Mining Area C. The dispute was successfully resolved with multiple claimant groups signing a new agreement.
Greenfields Ammonia Project — acted in multiple disputes concerning long-term gas supply agreement, off-take agreement, force majeure issues, and shareholder claims.
Gas On-seller & Aggregator — lead partner on gas re-pricing arbitration under long-term and high-volume gas contract.
Japanese Trading House — acted in arbitration and successful settlement of disputes under commodities off-take agreement and acted in dispute concerning alleged defects in undersea pipeline.
Business Restructuring & Reorganization
KordaMentha — acted in receivership of large mixed-use project in Perth CBD, including related multiple court proceedings.
Global Oil Services Company — acted with respect to technical claims by collapsed contractor.
Multiple Matters — acted for banks, security trustees, and other financial organizations in restructurings, forbearance, and standstill arrangements and enforcements and acted for insolvency practitioners in pre-appointment advice, provisional liquidations, liquidations, voluntary administrations, and receivership.
Speaking Engagements
- February 24, 2021
Navigating the Voluntary Administration and Insolvency processes
- Murdoch University (LL.B. Hons. 1995; Bachelor of Commerce [Accounting] 1995)
- Supreme Court of Western Australia
Legal 500: Recommended Lawyer for Restructuring and Insolvency Law (2023)
Best Lawyers in Australia: Insolvency and Reorganization Law, Litigation and Investment Law (2022), including State Lawyer of the Year in Investment Law (2022)
Member of an arbitration team recognized by Global Arbitration Review as one of the leading international arbitration law firms in the 2020 edition of the GAR 30