Peter was admitted to practice as a Solicitor of the Queensland Supreme Court in 1972 and has been a partner at Hawthorn Cuppaidge & Badgery since 1975.  He became Principal of the firm in 1978.

Peter has extensive legal experience in corporate law, securities law and commercial property law including:

• Negotiating and drafting contracts and leases for commercial property
• Drafting mortgage documentation used by a number of banks and other financial institutions in Queensland
• Drafting franchise agreements and disclosure statements for national franchisors
• Conducting major litigation cases in the High Court of Australia including a successful outcome in the leading trade practice case of Queensland Wire Industries Pty Ltd v BHP (abuse of monopoly powers)
• Obtaining USD18 million for all Australian and New Zealand Vietnam Veterans involved with Agent Orange chemical exposure in Vietnam in a class action in the USA (the first time non US citizens were allowed to join a class action in the USA
• Acting in the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland for Ice Skating Australia Inc in Ice Skating Australia Inc v International Skating Union, a major test case in international sports law

peter.challen@hawthorns.com.au