Slater & Gordon partners turn on each other amid gag threat BY: HEDLEY THOMAS, NATIONAL CHIEF CORRESPONDENT From: The Australian August 21, 2012 12:00AM Increase Text Size Decrease Text Size Print
Former Slater & Gordon partner Peter Gordon. Source: Sunday Herald Sun SLATER & Gordon, whose internal 1995 probe resulted in Julia Gillard leaving her job at the law firm, is now trying to gag a former equity partner after he disclosed secrets concealed for the past 17 years.
After speaking out in The Weekend Australian about the circumstances of Ms Gillard's departure, Nick Styant-Browne received a legal letter yesterday from lawyers for Slater & Gordon and its former partner, Peter Gordon.
The letter to Mr Styant-Browne states: "These issues are serious and my clients and I genuinely hope that they can be resolved amicably, discreetly and quickly."
The Prime Minister has strenuously denied wrongdoing or knowledge of an alleged major union fraud involving her then boyfriend and client Bruce Wilson. Ms Gillard has repeatedly declined to answer specific questions about the legal work she did for him.
Ms Gillard left the firm as a partner in late 1995 as a result of the partnership's "very serious view" of her conduct involving Mr Wilson, who was a leader of the Australian Workers Union.
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After the weekend revelations, Slater & Gordon, a long-time Labor-supporting firm listed on the Australian Securities Exchange, lent Ms Gillard support on Sunday with a statement that said she left to pursue a Senate role. Mr Styant-Browne, who lives in Seattle, yesterday accused his former employer of omitting facts with its Sunday statement about Ms Gillard's conduct and her departure.
He was told yesterday morning to return any documents in his possession about the matters involving Ms Gillard, Mr Wilson, and any legal files relevant to Ms Gillard's work for other union officials and the AWU.
The legal letter he received from Leon Zwier of Melbourne firm Arnold Bloch Leibler asked him to "treat this letter as a confidential communication between us ... Slater & Gordon is aware of recent media about the AWU/Bruce Wilson matter which attributes statements to you.
"I am instructed that you are in possession of confidential documents that are and always have been the property of Slater & Gordon.
"Please send them to me electronically. If they are hard copy documents only, please send them to my business address and do not retain a copy of them.
"For example I am also instructed that you have retained a number of Slater & Gordon documents concerning its legal review of the AWU/Bruce Wilson matter in general, and a purported transcript of an interview with Julia Gillard in particular.
"Slater & Gordon has not authorised you to discuss its contents with any party. Slater & Gordon is concerned that you may inadvertently have used its documents and confidential information in talking to the media. Would you please ensure that you do not do so.
"Slater & Gordon is also concerned that you may inadvertently have discussed with others the confidential (and personal and private) information of former employees.
"Would you please ensure that you do not do so."
Mr Styant-Browne told The Australian late yesterday: "When I made public certain of the matters surrounding Julia Gillard's departure from Slater & Gordon, I was meticulous to ensure a balanced account of the facts was given. I did not ever contemplate that the world's only publicly listed law firm, Slater & Gordon, would spin the facts of her departure to the market in the way that it did yesterday so as to protect the Prime Minister's position."
Slater & Gordon's statement on Sunday by managing director Andrew Grech said it was based on "records it now holds" and said that Ms Gillard "took a leave of absence in order to campaign for the senate" in September 1995.
"Ms Gillard's resignation from the firm became effective on 3 May, 1996, when, Slater & Gordon understands, she commenced employment with the then Victorian opposition leader as an adviser," Mr Grech said.
A spokesman for Ms Gillard told The Australian in reply to a list of questions on Friday: "The Prime Minister maintains good relations with Slater & Gordon. The Prime Minister has made clear that she was not involved in any wrongdoing, and has dealt with these allegations previously."
