Shanta Martin

Accredited Mediator

Shanta is a Nationally Accredited Mediator.

Profile

Shanta Martin practices in commercial, regulatory, tort, consumer and public law in all Federal and State courts and in commercial arbitrations. She is also a nationally accredited mediator.

Her forte is in disputes arising from the complex interplay between areas of law, including between tort, regulatory and commercial law. She has extensive experience in:

• commercial disputes arising from breach of contract and contractual interpretation, construction litigation, partnership and directors’ duty disputes, complex supply arrangements, and constructive trusts. Shanta previously practised as a commercial litigation solicitor at Mallesons
• regulatory law including civil penalty proceedings arising from the Australian Consumer Law, Corporations Act 2001, Australian Securities and Investment Commission Act 2001 (ASIC Act), and National Disability Insurance Scheme Act 2013 (NDIS Act)
• major tort litigation, including compensation claims arising from organisational negligence and intentional torts in corporate, government and religious institutions, including in class actions and group proceedings
• the application of consumer law in commercial disputes and regulatory actions, including acting for the ACCC and ASIC
• public law including acting for and against various government entities in administrative appeals, public interest immunity claims, non-publication and suppression orders, and statutory prohibitions arising from legislation governing surveillance activities and telecommunications intercepts
• claims regarding breaches of human rights, including claims based in tort, arising in equity (breach of procedural fairness, including in the context of clubs and associations), and under relevant human rights legislation (incl s 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 (Cth), Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (Vic), Sex Discrimination Act 1984 (Cth), Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth), Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 (Vic))
• international disputes, including jurisdictional challenges, conflict of laws issues, and obtaining freezing injunctions and anti-suit injunctions. Shanta previously practised as a partner of London law firm, Leigh Day.

A selection of Shanta's recent cases can be found here.

She is an accredited mediator, known for using her excellent communication and problem solving skills to calmly assist parties to evaluate alternatives and achieve resolution.

Shanta is an expert in business and human rights, with over 20 years’ experience in the field. Between 2021 and 2025, Shanta was appointed by the Australian government as an Independent Examiner for the Australian National Contact Point for Responsible Business Conduct, which involved assessing cases arising under the OECD Guidelines, undertaking alternative dispute resolution between parties and preparing and publishing reports. Shanta is currently Deputy Chair of the Human Rights Law Centre, represents the Victorian Bar on the Law Council of Australia's Business and Human Rights Committee, and is a member of the Victorian Bar's Human Rights Committee.

She is an author for the Law Institute Journal writing regular Federal Court case summaries. A selection of Shanta's publications can be found here.

Shanta read with Alistair Pound SC and her senior mentor is Bernie Quinn QC.