new south wales

Congratulations to Andrew Tanna MICM

Special Counsel, Holman Webb Lawyers – Legal Representative of the Year

Andrew won Legal Representative of the Year at our NSW Pinnacle awards. A likeable personality matched with superb intellect makes Andrew a pleasure to interview and share with our members.

What has been your career story so far?

The day I was admitted as a solicitor in 2010, I accepted a role at a boutique law firm in Sydney CBD. That law firm had a debt collection agency connected to it, which enabled me to gain an in-depth understanding of the world of credit.

Initially, I enjoyed learning about the moving parts of a legal practice, as well as the recovery process more generally. As I gained experience, I began to advise my clients on increasingly complex matters. I felt like I grew into the role naturally. As a lawyer, my inherent style was to be a combination of welcoming, friendly, direct and transparent with my clients – an approach which has been very well received over the years.

In my earlier years of practice, I was fortunate to have been mentored by my father, John, who passed away in October 2022. John worked in the insolvency industry for over 35 years and taught me the foundations of the insolvency process, particularly in relation to insolvency litigation. He was a guiding light in my career and in life.

In 2014 I accepted a position at Holman Webb Lawyers. The firm generally has a friendly, professional and “no nonsense” approach to recovery matters, which suited me from day one. In 2019, I was promoted to Special Counsel in the Commercial Recovery and Insolvency team.

Over the years I have gained a specialist knowledge of all things credit, securities, recovery and insolvency, and have developed a breadth of experience – including in defended wind-up and bankruptcy proceedings. I am fortunate to now have a practice which incorporates various recovery and insolvency matters across several Australian jurisdictions, particularly within NSW and Victoria.

What is your biggest professional accomplishment to date?

I’d say that in my professional career, I have recovered many millions in debt for my clients.

Most of my trade credit clients are in the building and construction industry, so I have had the opportunity to defend a large number of unfair preference claims, delivering favourable results.