About Leon
Leon Zwier is a litigation and corporate recovery services lawyer. He has been a partner of Arnold Bloch Leibler since 1991 and is head of the firm’s dispute resolution & litigation and restructuring & insolvency practices.
Leon is widely acclaimed as one of Australia’s leading lawyers. He has acted as lead counsel in a number of Australia’s largest and most complex restructures and insolvency workouts. He has also acted in numerous ‘bet the company’ disputes and regulatory proceedings and inquiries.
In addition to advising corporations and influential Australian business people, Leon has acted for government and leaders on either side of the political spectrum. He has also made numerous submissions to government in relation to law reform and appeared before Parliamentary Committees of Inquiry.
Leon has unparalleled enthusiasm. His enjoyment of the practice of law is infectious, and it generates fresh thinking in colleagues and clients alike.
“The best mind in the country for creative, lateral problem solving.”
Experience
Leon regularly acts for administrators, liquidators, scheme managers, secured lenders and distressed corporate groups in many of Australia’s largest and most complex corporate restructures and insolvency workouts – eg. Arrium Group, West Gate Tunnel, Western Roads Upgrade and Metro Tunnel projects, GenesisCare, Healthscope, Metricon, Naval Australia, Slater & Gordon, Nine Entertainment, WICET, Boart Longyear, Lehman Bros and Network Ten. He has also acted in a range of high-profile disputes and litigation matters including: Slater & Gordon (class proceeding), Aveo (class proceeding), Bellamy, Crown Resorts (Royal Commission), Department of Premier and Cabinet (2026 Commonwealth Games withdrawal and East West project), the Former Leader of the Opposition (Trade Union Royal Commission) and PEP (Asahi matter).
Directorships & memberships
Leon contributes his time to various boards, committees and associations. He was appointed to the Advisory Committee of the Australian Law Reform Commission’s Review of corporate criminal liability and is a member of the Federal Government’s Insolvency Practitioner Disciplinary Committees. Leon is also an Appeals Conduct Commissioner of Cricket Australia’s code of behaviour and is the Chairman of the Bradman Foundation and a board member of the Scanlon Foundation. He is a former non-executive director of ASX listed Challenger Limited.
Leon is a member of the Law Council of Australia and its Insolvency and Reconstruction Committee, Australian Restructuring Insolvency and Turnaround Association (ARITA), Turnaround Management Association Australia and INSOL International.
“Leon Zwier – known as ‘Mr Fix-It’ in corporate Australia – is connected to some of the country’s most powerful people.”
Awards & recognition
Leon is regularly identified as a leading lawyer by various international guides to lawyers and legal firms, including:
- Best Lawyers® International: alternative dispute resolution, bet-the-company litigation, class action litigation, distressed investing & debt trading, insolvency & reorganisation law and litigation. In 2024, Leon was recognised as ‘lawyer of the year’ for distressed investing and debt trading. In 2023, Leon was listed as 'lawyer of the year' for insolvency and reorganisation law.
- Chambers Asia Pacific: dispute resolution and restructuring/insolvency. In 2024, Leon was named as a ‘star individual’ for restructuring & insolvency
- Doyle’s Guide: commercial litigation & dispute resolution, insolvency & restructuring and white collar crime, corporate crime & regulatory investigations
- Legal 500 Asia Pacific: class actions, dispute resolution, restructuring & insolvency and white collar crime. In 2024, Leon was named in the ‘Hall of fame’ for both dispute resolution and restructuring & insolvency.
- Euromoney’s Who’s Who? Legal: asset recovery, business crime defence, investigations, restructuring and insolvency
- Legal Media Group’s Guide to the World’s Leading Litigation Lawyers
- Asialaw Leading Lawyers: restructuring, insolvency & bankruptcy
- IFLR 1000: litigation and restructuring & insolvency
- PLC’s Which Lawyer?: restructuring & insolvency
- Expert Guide’s Best of the Best: litigation and insolvency & restructuring, and
- Crossborder Restructuring and Insolvency Handbook.
