Scott Atkins serves as global co-head of financial restructuring and insolvency, the firm’s Australian chair, and head of the Australian risk advisory practice. In 2023 he was the global chair of Norton Rose Fulbright.

Scott is an internationally acclaimed industry leader in restructuring and insolvency, as well as risk, governance and complex litigation.  He has more than 25 years’­­­­ of industry experience and is based in Sydney.

Scott has one of the most reputable restructuring and insolvency practices in the Asia-Pacific, having been recognised as Australia’s only Eminent Practitioner for this category in the Chambers and Partners regional legal rankings for each of the last three years.  Scott’s gravitas and deep industry knowledge, experience and insights see him shape the global policy and regulatory agenda in the restructuring and insolvency industry and act on some of the most high-profile and precedent setting insolvency matters in the world.  

Scott is recognised for his leading experience in cross-border insolvency, acting on both inbound engagements in Australia and advising clients on outbound engagements in jurisdictions including the United States, the United Kingdom, the Cayman Islands, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Indonesia, Singapore, Nauru and the Netherlands.  Scott has also led capacity building, policy development and reconstruction projects across a broad range of countries, including the developing economies of Myanmar, Armenia, Bhutan, Brunei, Nauru and Indonesia.  These projects have enhanced economic and financial stability and leveraged public and private sector funding, foreign investment and development finance to unleash the economic potential of these nations. 

In Myanmar, Scott led a team which drafted a new insolvency and restructuring framework, culminating in the passage of Myanmar’s Insolvency Law in February 2020.  This work was transformative in Myanmar’s modernisation process, and the legislation now serves as a best practice model for other nations as they seek to strengthen their domestic and cross-border insolvency regimes to underpin financial and economic stability.  

Scott is also president and an inaugural fellow of INSOL International, the peak global restructuring and insolvency professional organisation consisting of over 11,000 members.  Scott is currently leading the design and implementation of INSOL’s 2030 Strategic Plan, which seeks to drive change and transformation across both INSOL and the broader insolvency ecosystem, leading to enduring contributions to global economic growth, financial stability and the enrichment of communities in emerging markets. 

Additionally, Scott serves as as immediate past president of the Australian Restructuring Insolvency and Turnaround Association (ARITA), Australia’s restructuring and insolvency professional association with over 2,200 members.

In the risk space, Scott established the firm’s dedicated risk advisory practice in October 2018, the first of its kind among Australian law firms.  The success and impact of this practice has since been the focus of a Harvard Law School case study. 

Scott’s risk advisory practice leverages the capability of a team of multi-disciplinary personnel across the world and traverses a multitude of complex, rapidly evolving legal, regulatory and ESG issues – including cybersecurity, data protection and privacy, money laundering and financial crime, corporate governance and culture, the challenges posed by technological change and disruption, and the business risks and opportunities arising from the global transition to net zero emissions.  Scott acts for public and private sector organisations and their officers across various key industries and sectors, including energy and resources, government, banking and finance, fintech, transport, infrastructure, food, agribusiness and tourism.

From 2019 to 2021, Scott was joint Solicitor Assisting the Inquiry conducted by the Honourable P A Bergin SC into Crown Casino, established by the NSW Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority.  The inquiry has been instrumental in effecting wide-spread change and regulatory scrutiny across the casino and gaming industry, and in the regulation of money laundering and organised crime in Australia and across the Asia-Pacific region.

Scott has also been a global thought leader on novel and emerging issues such as the commercialisation and governance of outer space, and the complexities arising from cryptocurrency and the interplay of fintech and traditional finance and payment models.

Scott is recognised as a trusted advisor and a persuasive, effective leader and communicator.  He regularly publishes thought leadership articles to a worldwide audience on the latest market developments, substantive law and policy reform and complex legal trends and emerging issues.  He is also a sought after speaker, and each year he presents at conferences, seminars and industry events across the world.