Lawyer Brett Galloway pitches Watsons Bay home for pre-spring sale

The courtyard has been swept, the cushions plumped, and the barbed wire taken down from the Watsons Bay home of criminal lawyer Brett Galloway ahead of this week’s launch of a pre-spring sales campaign.

Belle Property agent Daniel Gillespie launched the house on property portals on Wednesday afternoon, with an advertised guide of $5 million.

Galloway’s decision to sell his home of the past 23 years comes after a string of hiccups since May last year when he lost an unfair dismissal case against two former staffers, his former practice manager Milena Molina and junior lawyer Raymond Zhai.

He purchased the three-bedroom house on 405 square metres for $1.4 million in 2001, back when his most high-profile client was Kings Cross brothel keeper Pandelis “Fat George” Karipis.

Since then, Galloway has become better known for representing Sam Ibrahim, brother of retired nightclub boss John Ibrahim, as well as former deputy mayor of Auburn-turned-convicted criminal Salim Mehajer.

Galloway’s house is marketed as offering “the ultimate in privacy”, and while the barbed wire atop its surrounding fence has gone, the security cameras monitoring the surroundings remain.

The house, set opposite Gap Park, has a mortgage on title, first lodged a year ago to Aquamore Finance, although that debt of more than $4 million was in June taken over by Blackbird Capital, headed by debt collector Stewart Wilkinson.

In May, Galloway was served an eviction notice from the house but secured an 11th-hour stay in the Supreme Court, leaving him in control of the sale process.

Earlier this month, Galloway’s property services company, Blank Canvas Communications, of which he is the sole owner, was placed in administration. Receivers at Chadwick Hall declined to offer details on the administration, and Galloway is yet to respond to inquires.

Galloway has had some success of late, however. Last year he successfully fought off two bankruptcy proceedings by BMW Finance.

An auction date is yet to be set.