We'll get to the lawyer in a moment.

First a bit of background - Aaron Patrick makes this disclosure about his past acquaintance with Bill Shorten:

You might recall that when NSW Police began to move against Michael Williamson of the Health Services Union, Bill Shorten made an urgent move in the courts to have an administrator of his liking put in place to manage the HSU's affairs.

Kathy Jackson resisted Shorten's efforts - but she was hopelessly out-lawyered.

After a plain paper envelope containing Kathy Jackson's 80 page affidavit (prepared for those court proceedings) was delivered to the Australian Financial Review newspaper in June last year, Aaron Patrick wrote the following article which was published on the front page of the AFR on 21 June, 2012.

Bill Shorten was apoplectic.   His reaction is quite the insight into the man who would be PM.

Shorten abused and threatened me, says Jackson

Aaron Patrick

Employment and Industrial Relations Minister Bill Shorten was involved in a physical confrontation with union leader Kathy Jackson and threatened to cut her off politically and personally when she refused to back his ally in an internal Labor election, the national secretary of the Health Services Union has claimed.

The alleged incident took place in 2007 when Mr Shorten was national secretary of the Australian Workers Union and descended into an abus­ive shouting match between the union leaders, who had been close political allies, according to an affidavit signed by Ms Jackson.

“The veins were standing out on his forehead,” the affidavit reads.

“He was red in the face. He said words loudly to the effect: ‘You will f---ing well vote for the candidate that I tell you to vote for. If you defy me, you will never be welcome in my home again and you will never have our support when you f---ing well need it.’

“Several little gobs of spittle hit my face as he said this. I hit his arm and pushed him away shouting back words at him to the effect: ‘You can go f--- yourself, Bill. I am not going to be intimidated by the likes of you. How dare you, you. How dare you demand that I vote for a candidate that has been screwing my members. Put yourself in the position I am in. That is like me asking you to vote for the son of the mine manager at Beaconsfield.” Mr Shorten declined to comment but his lawyers last night unequivocally denied the allegations.

The claims are contained in an ­80-page affidavit prepared by Ms Jackson for a recent Federal Court case that led to the union’s main branch being placed under the control of an administrator.

Aaron takes up the fascinating behind the scenes story in his book - here are some extracts.

Greg Hywood is the CEO of Fairfax Media, publisher of the Australian Financial Review newspaper.  I doubt that his hours of duty extend to 1.15AM.

There are more details in the book that I've omitted here - but read on to find the link with the AWU advice and Slater and Gordon.  Keep in mind this is late June, 2012 and the first Blewitt correspondence and Peter Gordon press statement (released officially by Arnold Bloch Leibler) was just 5 weeks away.

Of all the lawyers in all the law firms, he had to instruct this one!   Small world.   Particularly when the Labor movement says that the HSU dramas are isolated to Williamson and Thomson and not at all reflective of a broader malaise - like say the one involving the AWU and Ms Gillard.