Australia: Antitrust community mourns the loss of lawyer, academic and former enforcer

The antitrust community is mourning the loss of Australian lawyer, academic and former enforcer Robert Baxt AO, who passed away on March 12 at the age of 79.

Robert was born in Japanese occupied Shanghai a year or so before the outbreak of World War II. His family settled in Australia in 1947.

He was educated at Newington College (the Sydney sister school to Melbourne’s Wesley College), the University of Sydney and the Harvard Law School.

He served Articles with M. Rosenblum & Co and, in 1962, was admitted to practice in New South Wales as a Solicitor. In 1963, he won a scholarship to Harvard. He began practice as a Solicitor with Freehills in Sydney; and he practised there until September 1965. He came to Melbourne as a Senior Lecturer at Monash Law School and was, in 1969, admitted to practice in Victoria.

A Senior Lecturer in the Law Faculty at Monash, Bob split his Reading over the academic summer long vacations in 1969/70 and 1970/71. He read first with Peter Brusey then, after Brusey took Silk, with Alan Goldberg (later QC; then Federal Court Judge).

Robert left the Bar in November 1974; but he maintained ties with the Bar through his practice as a Solicitor. At Monash, on leaving the Bar, Bob became a Consultant with Phillips Fox & Masel. After his 3 years (1988-91) as Chairman of the Trade Practices Commission, he became a partner first at Allens Arthur Robinson, then at Herbert Smith Freehills—both in Melbourne. He was a Professorial Fellow of the University of Melbourne.

Full Content: VicBar

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