Anna Douglas

I am an experienced litigator, having worked for more than 20 years in large law firms in both Australia and England, as well as in-house in Australia for several publicly listed companies.

I started Specialised Dispute Management because I kept seeing the same gap: businesses needed specialist help with disputes, but found themselves going back and forth between an already stretched in-house teams and fully external firms for key litigation matters.

While in-house legal teams rarely require direct dispute experience in their day-to-day, this experience is necessary so that when things escalate they have someone in their court that can step in to represent the business directly, or to manage essential requirements with the external lawyers.

Specialised Dispute Management offers that flexibility.

Throughout my career, even whilst in-house, I focused on dispute resolution. I've sat on both sides of the table - I know what external lawyers need to do to provide the best possible service to clients, and I know what disputes look and feel like from the corporate front line. That perspective shapes how our practice works today: understand the commercial reality first, then apply the legal framework.

I have a keen legal mind and an eye for detail and I believe the best outcome is often the one that resolves disputes early and proactively. My approach is collaborative - I'd much rather work with a supplier or stakeholder to resolve a problem before it becomes a crisis, than wait for disaster to force everyone's hand.

My full biography can be reviewed on LinkedIn.