Philip
Phillip Crawford studied at the University of Sydney, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws. The University of Sydney, founded in 1850, was the first university established in Australia and became a principal centre of legal education in the country's largest city.
He was admitted to the bar in New South Wales in 1978, completing the transition from legal education to professional practice in the state's courts and legal profession.
Phillip Crawford built his career in Sydney's commercial legal sector, practising as a partner of Henry Davis York. The firm had been founded in 1893 and had offices in Sydney and Brisbane, with a history extending more than a century. Its practice served financial services, government, infrastructure, healthcare and university clients. His documented specialisations included litigation, banking, insolvency and restructuring, and dispute resolution, and he also assisted individuals and charities on a pro bono basis.
He served as chairman of partners from 2010 until 2015 and retired from the partnership on 30 June 2016. Henry Davis York combined with the global firm Norton Rose Fulbright on 1 December 2017, after his departure from the partnership.
In 2016 he was appointed a member of the NSW Independent Liquor & Gaming Authority, and on 8 June 2016 he became its chairperson. The authority is a New South Wales statutory body that regulates liquor and gaming, a public appointment that followed his years in private legal practice.
After leaving the partnership he established a mediation and negotiation practice of his own, offering dispute resolution services across complex financial and commercial matters. He is also a regular presenter on alternative dispute resolution and mediation.
Phillip Crawford is documented as a member of INSOL International, a worldwide federation of insolvency and restructuring professional associations. He is also a member of the Australian Restructuring Insolvency & Turnaround Association, the Australian professional body for insolvency, restructuring and turnaround practitioners.
He was additionally a member of the Banking Law and Financial Services Association, a body focused on banking law and financial services practice, reflecting the banking and financial dimension of his legal work.
