About Alf Pappalardo
Insolvency & Restructuring
Alf is the past national leader of the Allens restructuring and insolvency stream. He has over 35 years' experience in all aspects of insolvency and restructuring and has acted for all major banks, most of the leading insolvency practitioners and in many of the most significant insolvency matters in Australia.
Alf is recognised as a market leading practitioner by all ranking agencies as well as his peers, and has been named:
- as one of the world's leading insolvency lawyers in Chambers Global in each year from 2006 to present.
- as one of Australia's leading lawyers in insolvency in each of the 2009 to current editions of the Best Lawyers in Australia as published by the Australian Financial Review.
- as the leading insolvency and restructuring lawyer in Queensland by the Australian Financial Review in a 2017 survey.
- as one of the best 109 lawyers in Australia by The Australian in an independent survey of 160 general counsel.
- as the sole Market Leader for Insolvency and Reorganisation Law in Queensland by Doyles Guide for 2021, as well as a leading litigation lawyer and leading insolvency lawyer for all of Australia and a pre-eminent lawyer in both insolvency and litigation for from 2023 to 2025 by the same publication.
- as a leading restructuring and insolvency lawyer in the Asia Pacific (and the only Queensland lawyer) in the 2020, 2021 and 2022 Asia Pacific Legal 500.
- as restructuring and insolvency advisor of the year for 2023 by APAC Insider.
- as one of the world's leading restructuring and insolvency lawyers in Lexology Index (previously Who's Who Legal) in 2025.
- as Insolvency Law Expert of the Year in Australia 2026 by Lawyer Network Annual Awards.
Commercial Litigation
Alf has over 35 years' experience in all levels of state and federal courts, including appellate courts, the High Court and numerous other courts and tribunals, including the Land Court and the Australian Competition Tribunal. Alf is recognized as a market leading practitioner by all ranking agencies and his peers. Alf's knowledge, experience and commerciality is second to none.
Alf has been named:
- as one of the world's leading litigation and dispute resolution lawyers in Chambers Global in each year from 2006 to present.
- in each of the 2011 to current editions of the Best Lawyers in Australia as published by the Australian Financial Review (as judged through an exhaustive survey that asked the nation's top lawyers to evaluate their peers) as one of Australia's leading lawyers in litigation and alternative dispute resolution.
- as one of the best 109 lawyers in Australia by The Australian in an independent survey of 160 general counsel.
- as a leading litigation lawyer for a number of years by Doyle's Guide and a pre-eminent litigation lawyer for Queensland in 2023 to 2025.
Regulatory Investigations
Alf has extensive experience in regulatory investigation and examination including acting in:
- ASIC investigations and examinations relating to numerous corporate collapses including Kleenmaid, Storm Financial and Equititrust
- EPA investigations relating to alleged breaches of the Environmental Protection Act and other environmental legislation
- Numerous public examinations (both for liquidators and examinees) into insolvent companies including City Pacific Limited, MM Holdings Limited and Interchase Holdings
- ACCC investigations into alleged misleading and deceptive conduct and into allegations of breach of statutory obligations by government owned corporations
- ATO investigations of allegedly fraudulent tax schemes
- APRA investigations into compliance by Financial Services bodies with their statutory obligations
- Assisting clients in Commissions of Inquiry including the Queensland Floods Commission, the inquiries into the PNG Provident Fund, The QLD Floods Royal Commission and the New Generation Rollingstock Commission in QLD.