Crusading American lawyer who boasts a lavish lifestyle with private jet jaunts with his glamorous wife, a sprawling estate and pool chill sessions quits his law firm after putting Aussie corporates on notice
A leading international lawyer whose firm ‘put Australian companies on notice’ of a potential wave of class action lawsuits against miners and financial services firms has suddenly resigned from his position.
International class action specialists Pogust Goodhead settled in Australia last year, warning they were monitoring a range of business giants and planning to hold them to account for their responsibility to demonstrate “basic decency and honesty”.
But the company was hit this week by the surprise departure of Harris Pogust, co-founder and global chairman of jetsetting, who announced he was stepping down from his role after six years to “dedicate more time and energy to my philanthropic efforts.”
In a statement this week, Mr Pogust wished his co-founder Mr Goodhead all the best and praised the company for “helping defend the rights of those who cannot defend themselves against the misdeeds of big business.”
Pogust Goodhead is currently taking action against BHP in Britain over the Samarco mine disaster in Brazil, which killed 19 people and contaminated waterways and land across several villages in a case that could result in damages as high as $70 billion.
Last month, the specialist class action firm also laid off up to 20 percent of its staff – with job cuts at its offices in both Britain and Brazil, the UK Law Society Gazette reported.
New Jersey native Mr. Pogust has more than 25 years of litigation and class action experience. Daily Mail Australia revealed insights into Mr Pogust’s lavish lifestyle earlier this year.
Photos show the crusader lawyer and his wife Carrie flying by private jet — including with their dog — sipping cocktails on luxury boats and traveling interstate for meals.
The social media accounts of family Jetsetting attorney Harris Pogust provide insight into the lavish lifestyle afforded to him thanks to his successful career. He has now left his company
In November 2023, he shared details of his new property: a sprawling six-bedroom, eight-bathroom mansion with a pool, gym and wine cellar. A month earlier, he shared another photo of his laptop overlooking the ocean.
‘There’s nothing like flying home for dinner. The fun never ends…,” he wrote, tagging his location at Philadelphia International Airport.
His wife also shared photos of both Mr. Pogust and the couple’s dog on a private jet, as well as luxury shots on yachts.
His company, Pogust Goodhead, launched in 2018 and earned the title “the first legal unicorn” after raising $300 million in early funding.
Co-founder Tom Goodhead visited Australia twice in 2023 to meet with MPs, unions and super funds about potential legal action. The firm established an office in Sydney, led by commercial litigation specialist Amie Crichton.
Ms. Crichton sank her teeth into the other side of the litigation, defending class actions on behalf of insurers for eight years. Speak with wet.comshe said experience gives her a strategic advantage in pursuing future class actions.
She said it gave her a much deeper insight into how companies try to defend such cases – and how to counter them.
“We are investigating a number of new cases against Australian multinationals, such as BHP, which seriously question their commitment to this responsibility,” Mr Goodhead said.
“With the launch of our Sydney office, we are letting Australian businesses know that we are ready to hold them to account.
“We are establishing a base in BHP’s backyard to ensure we explore all avenues in our fight for justice for the victims.”
New Jersey native Harris Pogust offers the best insight into their high-flying lives
The legal eagles said their focus includes the mining and resources sector, human rights issues, corporate misconduct, environmental issues and consumer law.
“Specialists in the class action sector are becoming a little more creative and willing to seek redress through different channels,” she said.
Mr Goodhead, who was educated in both Oxford and Cambridge, spoke in February about the expansion and their current litigation portfolio.
He said winning one or more of the major lawsuits would make his team “the highest paid lawyers in the country by some margin.”
And just months earlier, Mr Goodhead spoke openly about his company’s capitalist ambitions in an interview with the Law Gazette in November 2023.
“We are here to make a profit,” he said bluntly.
‘This is not an NGO, although I know we look like one. We are here to make a profit… I have trainee lawyers making €150,000.’