After working as a tax and litigation partner at both Blake Dawson and more recently at Minter Ellison, Mike Aitken decided that he wanted some "peace and quiet".

Having been close friends with Duncan Cotterill's Sydney partner Neil Scott, Aitken contacted him and told him that he was looking to work for a smaller firm. "I'm in my 60s now and wanted a job with less pressure and a smaller team. Neil and I never worked together before, so when I joined as special counsel it was a first," he said.

None of Aitken's staff came with him to Duncan Cotterill, but he has been preoccupied with mentoring trainee lawyers. He has previously acted on tax disputes against revenue authorities at all levels of Australian court, namely between Bar Business and Research Management and the Tax Office, and another tax dispute between News Corporation and the National Rugby League.