Minter Ellison partner Scott Reid is a busy bee. In between being a respected partner in his firm’s litigation group, Reid finds time to head the Australian Football League’s mission to spread football into Papua New Guinea. As noted on wikipedia:

Scott Reid … [is a] current Director of AFL PNG and … responsible for establishing and promoting AFL Junior Development Programs in PNG.

In addition to this fantastic work, Reid is regarded as:

we do too!

one of the founding fathers of AFL in Samoa.

Despite all this good work, the Firm Spy can reveal that Reid is reported as having played a significant role in the dog-fight over a promising teenage AFL football player. An ugly spat appears to have developed between AFL club Essendon Bombers and the Gold Coast Football Club over the poaching of prospective AFL footballers and club personnel.

Moreover, as reported by goldcoast.com.au:

Gold Coast Football Club made headlines when it poached the highly regarded Travis Auld from Essendon for its chief executive post. But the boys from [Essendon] got one back yesterday, swooping on young Papua New Guinea product and Southport Shark David Meli… From right underneath the Gold Coast Football Club’s nose, the Bombers signed the talented 16-year-old… who has been living on the Coast with AFL PNG president and Minter Ellison partner Scott Reid.

Presumably, the PNG teenager would have considered the opinion of his innkeeper, Minters partner Scott Reid, in forming a view on whether to accept the Essendon Football Club offer ahead of a likely forthcoming Gold Coast offer. This raises the question of whether Reid would impart unbiased advice..?

We conducted a cursory investigation and discovered that the Chairman of the Essendon Football Club Board is Ray Horsburgh who is also:

Chairman of Toll Holdings Ltd [and] a Director of CSR Ltd.

Coincidentally, Toll Holdings is an important client of Minter Ellison. Minters recently acted for Toll Holdings in structuring  its demerger of Virgin Blue shareholding. CSR Limited is also a major client of Minters. In fact, one of Scott Reid’s fellow Minters (Gold Coast Office) partners, David Bowers, has acted for them.

Do you smell a rat? Send the Firm Spy your news and views!

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