Sydney comes from a legal family, with his late father Marcus a busy solicitor in South Africa and then a top silk at both the Cape Town Bar and later in Australia. Some of Sydney’s earliest memories are attending his father’s law firm on the weekends, just after they had gone deep sea fishing or horse riding. Sydney’s father went on to become a QC in a number of countries. 

His own personal legal journey began at the University of Cape Town. After completing this law degree there, Sydney went on to read for his Masters at Cambridge University on commercially focused topics, including restitution.

Sydney practised in South Africa briefly before moving to Australia. There, Sydney worked at both MinterEllison and Deacons (now Norton Rose Fulbright) in the construction divisions. He represented several major clients, including State Rail, Abigroup,  Qantas, Polynesian Airlines, the Samoan Government and its former Prime Minister personally.

Sydney was called to the Bar in 1997. Shortly after being called, he acted in a successful easement case, Stepanovski v Chen, which sparked the beginning of him being briefed in property and conveyancing cases. From that point on, Sydney has received a constant stream of cases involving easements & covenants, conveyancing/specific performance, leasing and options.

This is underscored by his ongoing matters, including an application under section 88K of the Conveyancing Act for imposition of an easement for agricultural purposes, and another under section 89 of that Act for modification of an easement. Sydney’s practice encompasses wider areas of commercial equity, demonstrated by a matter in which he has been briefed in relation to a director’s guarantor, and another relating to an alleged trespass. A more comprehensive record of Sydney’s past and ongoing matters can be found under the “Selected Cases” tab.

Complementing his commercial work at the Bar, Sydney regularly gives CPD lectures and writes two loose-leaf services for Thomson Reuters. In his personal life, Sydney is an avid photographer, swimmer and snowboarder – see a photograph Sydney’s took on Mt Nishimori at APPI Kogen, left.