Fred Chilton

Fred Chilton is special counsel at Toomey Pegg Lawyers, a Sydney-based commercial law firm, where he advises on intellectual property, technology and commercial matters. An internationally recognised IP and technology lawyer, he has been named the Corporate INTL Global Awards 2026 “Intellectual Property Law Expert of the Year in Australia”.

A commercial and intellectual property practitioner

Fred Chilton practises as a corporate and commercial lawyer with a particular focus on intellectual property, trade and investment, and not-for-profit matters. At Toomey Pegg, intellectual property is a distinct practice area within a broader offering that also spans commercial law and start-ups, property, employment and industrial relations, litigation and dispute resolution, wills, estates and elder law, not-for-profits and churches, and notary services. The firm operates from Carrington Street in the Sydney central business district.

His technology practice covers the establishment of start-ups, the protection and commercialisation of intellectual property, including licensing, government contracting, and cybersecurity matters. This reflects a modern IP practice in which advising on the creation and ownership of intellectual property is closely bound up with helping clients extract value from it commercially – through licensing, transactions and strategic protection – and with managing the technology and data risks that accompany it.

International recognition and experience

Fred Chilton is recognised by Chambers, Euromoney and Who's Who Legal as one of the world's leading IT and eCommerce lawyers, an acknowledgement of his standing in the international technology and intellectual property field. His career includes more than two decades as a partner at a major Australian law firm, together with two years in New York working for a major American firm, giving him substantial cross-border experience in both common-law markets.

He holds degrees from the University of Sydney and Harvard University, combining Australian and United States legal training. That background is well suited to intellectual property and technology work, which is inherently international: rights, licensing arrangements and technology transactions frequently span multiple jurisdictions, and clients benefit from advisers who understand more than one legal system.

Scholarship and professional engagement

Fred Chilton is also an author in his field. He co-authored “Commercialisation of Intellectual Property” (LexisNexis, 2019) with Professors Natalie Stoianoff and Ann Monotti, and has written and edited chapters on mergers and acquisitions, agency, distribution and company formation for international publications. He is an executive member of the International Law Section of the Law Council of Australia and a member of the International Bar Association, the Intellectual Property Society of Australia and New Zealand, and the Licensing Executives Society – bodies at the centre of professional practice in international, intellectual property and licensing law.

Intellectual property law in Australia

Intellectual property is central to the modern Australian economy, underpinning innovation across technology, life sciences, media and manufacturing. Protecting and commercialising IP requires advisers who can secure rights, structure licensing and transactions, and manage the interface between intellectual property, technology and data. For start-ups and established businesses alike, sound IP strategy can be the difference between capturing the value of an innovation and losing it. Practitioners who combine deep technical knowledge with commercial and cross-border experience, as Fred Chilton does, are particularly valuable in this environment.

From protection to commercialisation

What distinguishes Fred Chilton's intellectual property practice is its emphasis on the commercial life of intellectual property, not merely its protection. Securing patents, trademarks, copyright and confidential information is only the starting point; the value of intellectual property is realised through licensing, joint ventures, government contracting and transactions, each of which raises its own legal and strategic questions. His authorship of a text on the commercialisation of intellectual property, his membership of the Licensing Executives Society, and his experience advising start-ups on establishing and exploiting their IP all reflect this orientation. For Australian innovators competing internationally, an adviser who understands both how to protect intellectual property and how to turn it into commercial value is an important asset.

The Corporate INTL Global Awards 2026 “Intellectual Property Law Expert of the Year in Australia” recognises Fred Chilton, special counsel at Toomey Pegg Lawyers, for his expertise in intellectual property and technology law and for his internationally recognised standing in the field.