After graduating with a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Queensland, worked in Canberra for 5 years with the forerunner of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, the Trade Practices Commission.

Then he worked as a solicitor with the now National law firm Minter Ellison.

Subsequently practised as a barrister in Sydney for 25 years whilst completing a Master of Laws at the University of Sydney, including an Honours paper titled “Consumer Class Actions”.

Currently Neil is a Research Affiliate with Sydney Health Law, a specialist group within the University of Sydney Law School.

Practice at the Sydney Bar featured a number of cases involving tobacco, most notably:

Australian Federation of Consumer Organisations Inc v the Tobacco Institute of Australia Ltd [1991] FCA 1

Chapman S Woodward S Australian court rules that passive smoking causes lung cancer, asthma attacks, and respiratory disease BMJ 991 Apr 20;302(6782):943-5

Chapman S Woodward S Australian court decision on passive smoking upheld on appeal BMJ. 1993 Jan 9;306(6870):120-2

Francey N 30th anniversary of Australian legal ruling on second-hand smoke The Lancet Vol 397, Issue 10273, P 466-467, February 06, 2021

Francey N Chapman S “Operation Berkshire: The international tobacco companies' conspiracy". BMJ 2000; 321:371 (5 August)