Maritsa Samios
Maritsa is a litigator specialising in contentious regulatory disputes and investigations, and public law.
Across her disputes practice, Maritsa has developed expertise in dealing with matters that raise regulatory and governance issues, including where those issues arise in the context of broader commercial disputes.
She has advised corporate and government clients on a range of contentious matters including in litigious proceedings at all levels, informal dispute resolution processes, investigations and commissions of inquiry. She has experience acting in judicial and merits review proceedings, both challenging and defending various forms of government action.
Maritsa has also represented clients in regulatory investigations, civil and criminal enforcement proceedings and ongoing regulatory engagement on matters involving ASIC, the ACCC, APRA and various state-based regulators across a range of industries.
Experience & capabilities
Selected matters
- acting for Commonwealth Bank of Australia in two shareholder class actions brought in the aftermath of AUSTRAC civil penalty proceedings, and in associated appeals brought by the class action applicants, in respect of continuous disclosure and misleading & deceptive conduct allegations
- acting for Crown Resorts Limited in a shareholder class action brought in the context of AUSTRAC announcing an investigation into one of its subsidiaries, in respect of continuous disclosure and misleading & deceptive conduct allegations
- acting for a major insurance company in regulatory investigations, and subsequent civil penalty and criminal proceedings relating to the advertising and sale of travel insurance
- advising various ASX-listed clients in ASIC and ACCC investigations, as well as in relation to a range of complex regulatory issues under state and federal law
- acting for listed and unlisted clients in various judicial review proceedings before the Supreme Court of Queensland and the Federal Court of Australia
- acting for Commonwealth Bank of Australia in civil penalty proceedings brought by AUSTRAC under the Australian AML/CTF legislation
- acting for a State government department in a novel test case which raised constitutional issues concerning the environmental obligations of an insolvent company
Background
Maritsa holds a Bachelor of Arts (Economics and International Relations) and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Queensland, and a Master of Laws from the University of Melbourne. Prior to joining Herbert Smith Freehills, she completed associateships in the Queensland Court of Appeal and the Federal Court of Australia.
Maritsa has worked in HSF’s Brisbane and Sydney offices.
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