A word from Key Media
Justin Kennedy Managing Director, APAC Key Media
Awards
Gallery
2022 Sponsors
Debt Market Deal of the Year
As 2022 dawned, Australasian Lawyer commenced its search for the best in the legal profession across Australia and New Zealand. Firms, lawyers, in-house departments, banks and accountancy firms across the region were invited to put forward nominations for those they regarded as the top performers in the industry over the past 12 months. At the close of the nominations period in February, the team had collated a large number of excellent submissions that celebrated everything from individual lawyers’ achievements to in-house victories and firms’ contributions to the profession. More than 50 experts joined the panel of independent judges to comb through the nominations for the best submissions.
Award Sponsors
Official Media
Organiser
Thank you to our esteemed judges for lending their time and expertise to help recognise and celebrate excellence in the legal profession
Chris Ahern Partner Jones Day
Teresa Allan Vice President | General Counsel and Ethics & Compliance Officer Capgemini Australia & New Zealand
Ben Allen Partner Dentons
Shane Barber Head of Country, Australia, and Managing Partner Bird & Bird
Catherine Baxter Executive Director, Legal Property Planning & Environment Transport for NSW
Claire Bibby Founder & Managing Director Claire Bibby
Rehana Box Partner Ashurst
Lucinda Browne Senior Legal Counsel Brighte Capital
Anna Buchly Partner Bell Gully
Meadhbh Cacciaguidi-Fahy Senior Legal Counsel - Hunter Valley and Interstate Australian Rail Track Corporation
Fay Calderone Partner - Employment & Workplace Relations; Chair - Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing Council Hall & Wilcox
Cindy Chen Senior Manager – Capital Transactions & Senior Legal Counsel Aoyuan International
Dan Cootes Head of Legal, SE Asia & Australasia Beyond Limits
Melissa Corbutt Head of Legal - APAC Bravura Solutions
Andrew Cordner Director of Legal Fonterra Co-operative Group
2022 Judging Panel
Methodology
more
Commemorative Guide
Process Australasian Lawyer called for nominations from firms, lawyers, in-house departments, banks and accountancy firms operating in Australia and New Zealand Over a five-week window, many quality nominations was received online via the nominations portal on the Australasian Law Awards website The awards team worked together with Australasian Lawyer to supplement the nominations and narrow the field down to a list of excellence awardees in each category The excellence awardees were announced online on 21 March, while the winners were unveiled at a gala held on 19 May.
Key Dates The pool for nominations was opened on 5 January, and closed on 4 February Excellence awardees were announced via the Australasian Lawyer website and newsletter on 21 March The winners were announced on 19 May at a live ceremony at the Hilton Sydney. The list of winners was also presented in a breaking news story on the Australasian Lawyer website and newsletter on 20 May.
Categories A total of 32 categories were featured in the Australasian Law Awards that looked at achievements related to law firms, lawyers, in-house legal teams, arbitrators, mediators and service providers
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Equity Market Deal of the Year
Infrastructure & Projects Deal of theYear
Insolvency & Restructuring Deal of the Year
Mid-Market Deal of the Year
M&A Deal of the Year
Banking & Financial Services In-House Team of the Year
Insurance In-House Team of the Year
Young In-House Lawyer of the Year (30 or Under)
Australian In-House Lawyer of the Year
Clayton Utz Australian In-House Team of the Year
NZ In-House Team of the Year
Resolution Institute Arbitrator of the Year
Resolution Institute Australian Mediator of the Year
Legal Service Provider of the Year
NZ Deal Firm of the Year
Australasian Law Awards 2022
The 2022 Australasian Law Awards recognised the top performing lawyers, firms and in-house legal departments in the region over the past 12 months
Thank you to everyone who took part and came to celebrate this year’s Australasian Law Awards. After two challenging years that tested the resilience of many industries, these awards offer a true snapshot of the best and brightest in the legal profession and those who stepped up and put their clients first at a time when it mattered most. This year, the Australasian Law Awards celebrated and recognised excellence in the legal profession across 32 prestigious categories, focusing on the achievements of the country’s best legal professionals and firms. It was wonderful to see such strong industry support for this year’s Australasian Law Awards, and we would like to thank everyone who submitted a nomination and acknowledge our esteemed panel of judges for lending their time and expertise to the endeavour. The Australasian Law Awards are brought to you by Key Media, publishers of the leading global family of legal publications, including Australasian Lawyer in Australia, NZ Lawyer in New Zealand, and Canadian Lawyer, Lexpert and Law Times in Canada. We are proud to continue our tradition of celebrating legal excellence in Australasia and would like to congratulate all of this year’s winners and awardees.
SP Search & Consulting Australian Dealmaker of the Year
NZ Dealmaker of the Year
Corporate Citizen Firm of the Year
Excellence in Employee Health & Wellbeing
Excellence in Technology & Innovation
Employment Law Specialist Firm of the Year
Insurance Specialist Firm of the Year
Boutique Firm of the Year
Young Private Practice Lawyer of the Year (30 or Under)
Law Firm Leader of the Year (≤ 200 Employees)
SP Search & Consulting Law Firm Leader of the Year (> 200 Employees)
State / Regional Firm of the Year
Law Firm of the Year (1-100 Lawyers)
Dye & Durham Law Firm of the Year (101-500 Lawyers)
Law Firm of the Year (>500 Lawyers)
Diversity Initiative of the Year
Excellence Awardees were identified across 32 categories, and the judges held to a stringent set of criteria in order to determine the ultimate winners for each category. “The practice of the law continues to evolve and adapt to both social and technological change and the ever-evolving demands of clients and the broader community,” commented awards judge Peter Slattery, who founded Johnson Winter & Slattery, said of this year’s awards, which notably made a big return to a live celebration after two years of virtual ceremonies. “The importance of making time to also give some thought to the non-technical side of legal practice, the broader context of our work and how it affects people, has I think been highlighted by the pandemic, but at the same time made more difficult due to isolation requirements,” Slattery pointed out. “Now, as we all drift back to face-to-face meetings, hopefully the human side of legal practice will be a little more front of mind.” Toasting to wins in style and in person For the in-house legal team at the NSW Treasury Office, being able to celebrate its crowning as the 2022 Clayton Utz Australian In-house Team of the Year was a significant moment. “It was an absolute pleasure to be able to receive the awards in the company of esteemed colleagues and friends after an extended period of virtual events. The awards are a testament to the accomplishments of our committed and talented team – driven by shared passion to deliver excellent outcomes to the people of NSW,” GC Charles Cho said. As the team lent its efforts to support the delivery of what Cho described as “historic state budgets” that helped to significantly affect the everyday lives of NSW citizens over 2021, the work drove home to the team “the central role of government in supporting lives and jobs and our part in it.” AustralianSuper’s in-house legal team, which emerged as the Banking & Financial Services In-House Team of the Year winner, echoed Cho’s sentiments when they described the victory as “testament to the achievements our legal department team members accomplished in 2021.” “It recognises their talents, excellence, work ethic, generosity of spirit and the high esteem in which they are held by fund colleagues,” AustralianSuper GC Marilyn Mather explained. “We were fortunate enough to have all of our interstate and London-based colleagues down in Melbourne the week of the awards as we had our Investments Conference that week. Therefore, we were able to celebrate the win altogether in person on the Friday after the awards ceremony – the pride and energy in the room was palpable.” For Legal Service Provider of the Year winner Lawcadia, nabbing the award was an indication of its position in the market. “This award reflects the team's incredible hard work, resilience and constant commitment to innovation and solving client pain points. It confirms Lawcadia as a market leader with innovative legal technology solutions for in-house legal teams and law firms,” co-founder and chief marketing officer Sacha Kirk explained. “It was amazing to catch up with so many in our network, to celebrate with our clients, and have some fantastic discussions and laughs. It is refreshing after two years of online awards and conferences.” Meeting evolving needs This year’s awards continued the trend of honouring the ways in which the legal profession successfully made life easier for their clients, whether those clients were within or outside of the industry. Brave Legal, which just opened its doors in 2021, stood out against leading firms Clayton Utz, EY Law, Hall & Wilcox, Hamilton Locke and Kennedys as it picked up the award for Excellence in Employee Health & Wellbeing. With its Brave Wellbeing program, Brave Legal sought to cultivate a culture where prioritising health and wellbeing did not have to translate to sacrificing one’s legal career. The firm teamed up with a mental health accredited social worker focusing on the legal profession to check in with staff regularly, as well as to offer training and debriefing on vicarious trauma, handling difficult clients and self-care. Law Firm of the Year (1-100 lawyers) victor LegalVision keeps clients at the core of its offering. The firm offers a wealth of legal resources on its website to educate clients, including articles, publications and business resources. The firm also ran several webinars in 2021 that saw considerable participation. The firm also expanded its horizons to New Zealand last year, and has launched its unlimited legal services subscription model in the UK. NSW Treasury GC Cho highlighted how 2021 continued the uptick in the value of in-house legal departments to their organisations. “2021 was a year marked by the COVID-19 pandemic and crises, and Treasury had a unique stewardship role in anchoring the state’s economic and fiscal performance and emergency response,” he said. “We advised on emergency COVID-19 related procurements, including NSW’s successful hotel quarantine framework. We helped drive legislative changes to facilitate COVID-19 related initiatives, including the retail leasing moratorium to alleviate the burden of affected businesses.” Cho added that in-house lawyers must “provide critical support to organisations as they re-evaluate their people culture, systems and processes.” “There is a real emphasis on reassessing and building sound governance frameworks and practices, including environmental, social and corporate governance,” he explained. AustralianSuper GC Mather chimed in that it is “a great time for in-house legal teams to recruit amazing talent that may be looking to make the move to an in-house role.” Focusing on the future With the worst of COVID-19 seemingly behind us, awards winners are optimistic for the future of the profession. “The future is full of potential for in-house legal teams as they are increasingly relied upon as trusted advisors of their organisations. Our role is to help navigate senior executives and decision makers through the governance and risk challenges they face as they pivot their work practices and policies in response to fast-changing behaviours and markets,” Cho said. Mather added that in the banking and financial services space, a dominant theme in discussions is organisations finessing operations under hybrid work arrangements, showing the lasting impact of the pandemic. “Australian lawyers are so well regarded globally. We have a level of straight talking and accessibility that others often don’t,” awards judge Lucinda Browne, who is the senior legal counsel at Brighte Capital, said of the current crop of legal talent in the industry. “I believe this will serve the current legal talent well as the legal industry expands and more demands are placed on lawyers to understand commercial realities and risks and take these into account when communicating accessibly to their stakeholders.” After two years of being unable to celebrate the legal profession’s best and brightest, the Australasian Law Awards made a star-studded comeback at the Hilton Sydney. The next pages offer more information on the 2022 Australasian Law Awards winners and excellence awardees. Key Media and Australasian Lawyer congratulate this year’s winners and nominees, who have exemplified excellence in the Australasian legal industry.
Anne McManus Corporate Counsel Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation
Rebecca Maslen-Stannage Partner Herbert Smith Freehills
Sue Kench Appointment to International Management Committee AU & Global Chief Executive (HK) King & Wood Mallesons
Katrina Johnson General Counsel WiseTech Global
Paul Hopkins Managing Partner Carter Newell
Emma Hardy Senior Legal Counsel – Operations and Disputes Tri-Star Group
Anne Haggar Global Legal Lead - Strategic Partnerships Accenture
Karen Grumley Manager – Corporate Governance and Compliance Pacific National
Sarah Godden Senior Executive Lawyer | Assistant Secretary Bargaining and Coverage Branch | Industrial Relations Legal Division Attorney-General’s Department
Katherine Garside Senior Legal Counsel Aurecon
Jaime Frasca Senior Legal Director & Company Secretary, ANZ Dell Technologies
Frances Drummond Partner Norton Rose Fulbright
Campbell Davidson Corporate / M&A Partner Squire Patton Boggs
David Cullen Group General Counsel - Legal & Governance AMP
Simon Craddock Senior Legal Counsel, Corporate and Treasury Legal Commonwealth Bank
Brent Stowers Head of Legal and Commercial, Australia Thiess
Peter Slattery Founder Johnson Winter & Slattery
Geoff Simpson Partner Allen & Overy
Ingrid Silver General Counsel Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Nikki Robinson Partner in Charge - Sydney Clayton Utz
Ian Robertson National Managing Partner Holding Redlich
Dorothy Pawlukowski Legal Head National Australia Bank
Jodi Palmer Vice President Legal & Compliance Volvo Group Australia Pty Ltd
Linda Oliver Legal Counsel Clarke Energy
Nick Nichola Managing Partner, Australia K&L Gates
John Nerurker CEO Mills Oakley
Carmel Mulhern Group General Counsel and Group Executive, Group Governance Commonwealth Bank
Terri Mottershead Executive Director Centre for Legal Innovation
Lori Middlehurst Senior Director, Global Employment Law Salesforce
Ilona Meyer Head of Legal & Compliance Boehringer Ingelheim Pty Ltd
Elva Zhang Corporate Counsel ANL
Rachael Zavodnyik AVP & Assistant General Counsel – Head of Legal APAC Infosys
Stipe Vuleta Managing Director – Litigation & Restructuring Chamberlains Law Firm
Calli Tsipidis Legal Counsel Foxtel Group
Sarah Tinsley General Counsel & Company Secretary Culture Amp
Michelle Thomsen Group Executive - General Counsel QIC
Swee Yue Tan Senior Corporate Lawyer - Telecommunications AGL Energy
Troy Swan General Counsel & Company Secretary Winc Australia
Lyndall Stoyles Group General Counsel & GE Sustainability, External Affairs & Legal Telstra
Clayton Utz is a leader in legal services, bringing together teams of smart, committed and collaborative lawyers to guide our clients to the right solution and bring value to their businesses. We are known for our commercial approach, energetic culture and the way we embrace the complex and challenging. We are more than our commercial work - we have a genuine and substantial commitment to sustainability, diversity & inclusion, community and pro bono. Bruce Cooper Chief Executive Partner Phone: (02) 9353 4103 Email: bcooper@claytonutz.com Website: wagestream.com/au
Award Sponsor
Dye & Durham provides Australian legal, property and financial professionals with regulatory information, workflow technology, property settlement services and legal support solutions. We are a trusted technology and services partner for businesses involved in all stages of property and asset lifecycles. With a rich history of innovation and industry firsts, our customer-centric technology and support services are trusted by Australia’s leading professionals. Phone: 1300 730 000 Email: supportau@dyedurham.com Website: www.dyedurham.com.au
Resolution Institute is the peak industry body across dispute resolution disciplines in Australia and Aotearoa, New Zealand. We are a vibrant community of mediators, arbitrators, expert determiners, adjudicators, restorative justice practitioners and other dispute resolution professionals. We value integrity, excellence, innovation, collaboration, diversity and influence. We reflect these values in our work for and with our members. Wellington Office Address: Level 4 Gleneagles Building, 69–71 The Terrace, Wellington 6011 PO Box 10–991, Wellington 6143 Phone: +64 4 470 0110 | 0800 453 237 Email: infonz@resolution.institute Sydney Office Address: Suite 602, Level 6 Tower B, Zenith Centre, 821–843 Pacific Highway, Chatswood NSW 2067 PO BOX 440, Chatswood NSW 2057 Phone: +61 2 9251 3366 | 1800 651 650 Email: infoaus@resolution.institute
SP Search and Consulting is Australia’s leading legal executive search and consulting firm. We are trusted advisers to senior management of ambitious law firms on their most important projects. Formerly known as Scarlis Pringle, the firm has over 20 years of partner search and consulting experience for Australia’s leading law firms. The firm is led by Steven Scarlis and Patrick St John Steven Scarlis Phone: +61 2 9222 9000 Email: sscarlis@spcon.com.au
ANZ, Bank of China, BNP Paribas, CBA, HSBC, ICBC, Mizuho, MUFG, NAB, Societe Generale, Standard Chartered, SMBC
WINNER
Reached completion during calendar year 2021. Judged on its Australian aspects according to four criteria – size, complexity, breadth and innovation.
BACK
BofA Securities, BNP Paribas, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley
Excellence Awardees
Global Infrastructure Partners acquisition of stake in Queensland Curtis LNG project
Banks:
Allens, Clifford Chance, Norton Rose Fulbright, PWC
Firms:
Establishment of and issuances under NBN’s global medium-term note programme
Allen & Overy
Firm:
Baker McKenzie, King & Wood Mallesons
Ramsay Health Care sustainability-linked loan facility
ANZ, BNP Paribas, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, National Australia Bank, Westpac
Wesfarmers Ltd sustainability-linked bond issuance
Reached completion during calendar year 2021. Judged on its Australian aspects according to four criteria - size, complexity, breadth and innovation.
Credit Suisse, Macquarie Capital, Morgan Stanley
PEXA IPO
Allen & Overy, King & Wood Mallesons (Australia), Sidley Austin (U.S.)
29Metals IPO
AMC, Behre Dolbear, Herbert Smith Freehills, King & Wood Mallesons, KPMG, Sullivan & Cromwell
Gilbert + Tobin, Herbert Smith Freehills
APM Human Services IPO
Bank of America, Goldman Sachs
Allen & Overy, Allens, Herbert Smith Freehills, Sidley Austin
CSL capital raising
Goldman Sachs
Bank:
Allen & Overy, Allens, Dechart, Herbert Smith Freehills
GQG Partners IPO
Macquarie Capital
Baker McKenzie, Gilbert + Tobin, Greenwoods & Herbert Smith Freehills, Morgan Stanley Australia Securities
Home Consortium's HealthCo Healthcare and Wellness REIT IPO
Infrastructure & Projects Deal of the Year
Bank of China, Sydney Branch, Bank of Communications Co., Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Crédit Agricole CIB Australia, National Australia Bank, Norinchukin Australia, RBC, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, Sydney Branch, Westpac Banking Corporation
North East Link PPP
Allens, Clayton Utz, Herbert Smith Freehills
ConnectEast refinancing of EastLink Tollway
Allen & Overy, Allens Linklaters, Clayton Utz
Allens, Baker McKenzie, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Gilbert + Tobin, Herbert Smith Freehills, PwC, King & Wood Mallesons
New South Wales sale of interest in WestConnex Toll Road
Bank of America, Jefferies
Allen & Overy, Allens
Optus parent (SingTel) sale to AustralianSuper
Allens, Ashurst, Clayton Utz, GHD, KPMG, O'Connor Marsden & Associates, Pinsent Masons
Western Sydney International Airport Project
Macquarie Bank
JP Morgan, Macquarie Capital, Nomura
Boart Longyear restructuring
Ashurst, Gilbert + Tobin, MinterEllison, Wharton & Garrison
Allegro Funds acquisition of Toll Global Express
Ashurst, Bell Gully (NZ), Deloitte, Herbert Smith Freehills, KPMG, McGrathNicol, MinterEllisonRuddWatts (NZ), Skye Capital
Clayton Utz, Gilbert + Tobin, MinterEllison, Norton Rose Fulbright
GFG Alliance restructuring and refinancing
Allen & Overy, Clayton Utz, Cor Cordis, Corrs Chambers Westgarth, KordaMentha, Lavan
Pilbara Minerals acquisition of Altura Mining
ABL, Allen & Overy, Clayton Utz, Clifford Chance (Australia), Ernst & Young, Gilbert + Tobin, Hall & Wilcox, Herbert Smith Freehills, MinterEllison, Quin Emanuel, White & Case (NY)
Sargon restructuring and recapitalization
Jefferies
Value AUD50-500m. Reached completion during calendar year 2021. Judged on its Australian aspects according to four criteria - size, complexity, breadth and innovation.
Apex acquisition of Mainstream
Herbert Smith Freehills, Maddocks, Miles Advisory
JBS acquisition of Huon Aquaculture
MinterEllison, Grant Samuel
Clifford Chance, Gilbert + Tobin, Mayne Wetherell, PwC (AUS), PwC (NZ), Russell McVeagh
KKR acquisition of majority stake in Education Perfect
Allens, Allier Capital, Deloitte, DLA Piper, Rothschild & Co Australia, Hamilton Locke, Linklaters, Lester Aldridge, PwC, Simpson Grierson
Livingbridge acquisition of Everlight Radiology
Herbert Smith Freehills, King & Wood Mallesons
Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets Fund acquisition of VitalHarvest Freehold Agricultural Trust
Macquarie Group
Bank of America
Clayton Utz, Gilbert + Tobin, Russell McVeagh, Simpson Grierson
SG Fleet acquisition of LeasePlan ANZ
Santos merger with Oil Search
Allens, Dentons, Herbert Smith Freehills, JB North & Co, King & Spalding
Coca-Cola Amatil acquisition by Coca-Cola European Partners
Chapman Tripp, Corrs Chambers Westgarth, Herbert Smith Freehills, Rothschild & Co
Allen & Overy, Evans and Partners, Greenhill & Co, Greenwood & Herbert Smith Freehills
Dexus Wholesale Property Fund merger with AMP Capital Diversified Property Fund
Chapman Tripp, Gilbert+Tobin, Harmos Horton Lusk, Herbert Smith Freehills, Mayne Wetherell, Russell McVeagh
Powering Australian Renewables merger with TIlt Renewables
Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, Macquarie Capital, Rothschild & Co
Barrenjoey Capital Partners, UBS
Allens, Herbert Smith Freehills
Spark Infrastructure acquisition
Macquarie Capital, UBS
Airwallex Legal Team birchal CBA Corporate and Treasury Legal Team IFM Investors APAC Legal Team IMB Bank Legal Team Judo Bank Legal team Macquarie Capital UBS AG
AustralianSuper Legal Department
Nominations were open to any Australia-based in-house legal team in a banking or financial services company or organisation. Judged on the quantity, quality, importance and innovativeness of work during calendar year 2021.
AIA Australia Berkley Insurance Australia Steadfast Legal Team
Youi Insurance In-House Legal Team
Open to any Australia-based in-house legal team in an insurance company or organisation. Judged on the quantity, quality, importance and innovativeness of work during calendar year 2021
Nominations were open to qualified lawyers not exceeding 30 years of age as of 1 January 2021, permanently employed within the in-house legal function of a company or organisation in Australia. Judged on the quality, quantity, importance and innovativeness of their work during calendar year 2021.
Stacey Rose-Ackroyd, Enero
Radhia Aku, Abt Associates
3M Australia
Shirley Lee
Nominations were open qualified lawyers permanently employed within the in-house legal function of a company or organisation in Australia. Judged on the quality, quantity, importance and innovativeness of their work during calendar year 2021
NSW Land Registry Services
Nicole Graham
William Daymond, Galderma
Rachael Zavodnyik, Infosys
Chris Grier, Abt Associates
Cathy Hoyle, Enero
Annette O'Hara, Shine Justice
Andrew Cameron, Afterpay
Nominations were open to any in-house legal team in a company or organisation operating in Australia. Judged on the quantity, quality, importance and innovativeness of their internal and transactional work during calendar year 2021.
NSW Treasury Office of General Counsel
Australian Federal Police – Criminal Assets Litigation Australian Institute of Marine Science Boehringer Ingelheim ANZ Legal & Compliance Team Coca-Cola Europacific Partners - Australian Legal Team Infosys Legal (APAC) Rail Projects Victoria Ventia Services Group
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Clayton Utz is a leader in legal services, bringing together teams of smart, committed and collaborative lawyers to guide our clients to the right solution and bring value to their businesses. We are known for our commercial approach, energetic culture and the way we embrace the complex and challenging. We are more than our commercial work - we have a genuine and substantial commitment to sustainability, diversity & inclusion, community and pro bono. Contact: Bruce Cooper, Chief Executive Partner Website: www.claytonutz.com Phone: +61 2 9353 4103 Email: bcooper@claytonutz.com
Nominations were open to any in-house legal team in a company or organisation operating in New Zealand. Judged on responsiveness, efficiency and excellence of internal legal work during calendar year 2021
Fonterra Cooperative Group
AIA New Zealand
Russell Thirgood
Nominations were open to Resolution Institute-graded arbitrators or qualified members of CiArb. Judged on his/her achievements and performance during calendar year 2021
Independent Arbitrator
Toby Shnookal QC, Independent Arbitrator
Steven Goldstein, Edmund Barton Chambers
Lisanne Iriks, Life Mediation
Dr Anne Purcell, Resolution Partners
Debra Parker, Parker Coles Curtis
Andrew Moffat, Constructive Accord
Nina Harding Mediation Services
Nina Harding
Nominations were open to NMAS-accredited mediators. Judged on his/her achievements and performance during calendar year 2021.
Nominations were open to service providers within the legal sector operating in Australia. Judged on overall customer service proposition; industry’s need for the service; how the service has added value and its overall commitment to customers; demonstrated commitment to innovation and continuous improvement.
Lawcadia
BigHand LexisNexis LOD Thomson Reuters Xakia Technologies
Nominations were open to law firms based in New Zealand. Judged on the quantity, quality, importance and innovativeness of overall firm involvement in major deals during calendar year 2021.
MinterEllisonRuddWatts
Bell Gully Chapman Tripp Russell McVeagh Simpson Grierson Webb Henderson
SP Search and Consulting is Australia’s leading legal executive search and consulting firm. We are trusted advisers to senior management of ambitious law firms on their most important projects. Formerly known as Scarlis Pringle, the firm has over 20 years of partner search and consulting experience for Australia’s leading law firms. The firm is led by Steven Scarlis and Patrick St John. Contact: Steven Scarlis Phone: +61 2 9222 9000 Email: sscarlis@spcon.com.au
Guy Alexander, Allens
Grant Koch, DLA Piper
Costas Condoleon, Gilbert + Tobin
Catherine Merity, Maddocks
Herbert Smith Freehills
Tony Damian
Nominations were open to those who are permanently employed within a law firm in Australia. Judged on the quantity, quality, importance and innovativeness of their deal involvement during calendar year 2021.
Tom Story, Allens
Rebecca Maslen-Stannage, Herbert Smith Freehills
Rachael Bassil, Gilbert + Tobin
Jeremy Blackshaw, MinterEllison
Joe Windmeyer, Russell McVeagh
James Gibson, Bell Gully
Graeme Quigley, Webb Henderson
Anna Buchly, Bell Gully
Silvana Schenone
Nominations were open to those who are permanently employed within a law firm in New Zealand. Judged on the quantity, quality, importance and innovativeness of their deal involvement during calendar year 2021.
Roger Wallis, Chapman Tripp
Nathanael Starrenburg, Harmos Horton Lusk
Michael Pollard, Simpson Grierson
Nominations were open to all law firms in Australia and New Zealand. Judged on the quantity, quality, impact and innovativeness of a firm’s sustainability, community, diversity and inclusion, and corporate social responsibility initiatives during calendar year 2021.
King & Wood Mallesons
Allens Corrs Chambers Westgarth Gadens Proximity Simpson Grierson
Nominations were open to all law firms in Australia and New Zealand. Judged on the quantity, quality, impact and innovativeness of a firm's employee health and wellbeing initiatives during calendar year 2021.
Brave Legal
Clayton Utz EY Law Hall & Wilcox Hamilton Locke Kennedys
Nominations were open to firms operating in Australia that can demonstrate innovative use of technology in legal service delivery. Judged on the scope of innovation; impact on the firm’s legal and business processes; success of the change management and implementation process; and evidence the technology has supported business objectives.
Gilbert + Tobin Legal Service Innovation Team
Aptum Legal Ashurst Clayton Utz Gadens K&L Gates Innovation Committee Lander & Rogers Quantum Law Group
Nominations were open to any law firm in Australia that derives at least 50% of its revenue from employment law matters. Judged on excellence in client service and specialist expertise during calendar year 2021.
Workdynamic Australia
Australian Business Lawyers & Advisors Danny King Legal Harmers Workplace Lawyers HR Law Jewell Hancock Employment Lawyers
Sparke Helmore Lawyers
Nominations were open to any law firm in Australia that derives at least 50% of its revenue from insurance law matters. Judged on excellence in client service and specialist expertise during calendar year 2021.
Barry.Nilsson. Lawyers Gilchrist Connell McCabes Meridian Lawyers Moray & Agnew Lawyers Turks – Standard IDC profile William Roberts Lawyers
Nominations were open to any law firm in Australia that derives at least 50% of its revenue from one practice area. Judged on excellence in client service and specialist expertise during calendar year 2021.
Ironbridge Legal
Greenwoods & Herbert Smith Freehills Massons Phi Finney McDonald Polaris Lawyers Wright Legal - Banking & Finance Lawyers
Laura Matson, Baker McKenzie
Elise Blume, Allens
Declan Norrie, Proximity
Angus Hannam, Johnson Winter & Slattery
Regal Lawyers
Mannie Kaur Verma
Nominations were open to qualified lawyers not exceeding 30 years of age as of 1 January 2021, permanently employed within a law firm in Australia. Judged on the quantity, quality, importance and innovativeness of their work during calendar year 2021.
Veronica Truong, Sparke Helmore Lawyers
Lauren Jeffries, Herbert Smith Freehills
Paul Hopkins, Carter Newell Lawyers
Michael Harmer, Harmers Workplace Lawyers
Danielle Snell, Elit Lawyers by McGirr & Snell
Amanda Banton, Banton Group
KLM Solicitors
Kelli Martin
Managing partner, CEO or similar of a law firm in Australia with up to 200 employees (or full-time equivalents) Judged on his/her achievements and performance during calendar year 2021
Zoe Lynam, Proximity
Danny Gilbert, Gilbert + Tobin
Clare Eves, Shine Lawyers
Bruce Cooper, Clayton Utz
Anthony Foley, Baker McKenzie
Hall & Wilcox
Tony Macvean
Nominations were open to Managing partners, CEO or similar of a law firm in Australia with more than 200 employees (or full-time equivalents. Judged on his/her achievements and performance during calendar year 2021.
SP Search & Consulting Law Firm Leader of the Year (>200 Employees)
Mark Pistilli, Gadens
Gavin MacLaren, Corrs Chambers Westgarth
Travis Partners Law
Nominations were open to non-national law firms that are headquartered in and derive the majority of their revenue from a single state or from regional areas (outside of major capital cities). Judged on excellence in client service and demonstrated expertise across a range of practice areas.
Coutts Lawyers and Conveyancers New South Lawyers Redenbach Legal Ryan & Seton Lawyers Twine Business Lawyers
Nominations were open to any law firm in Australia with up to 100 lawyers. Judged on excellence in client service and demonstrated expertise across a range of practice areas.
LegalVision
Addisons Bird & Bird Carter Newell Lawyers Chamberlains Law Firm Hamilton Locke HFW Australia Holman Webb Lawyers Thynne + Macartney
Nominations were open to any law firm in Australia with over 101 lawyers. Judged on excellence in client service and demonstrated expertise across a range of practice areas.
Baker McKenzie Cooper Grace Ward Lawyers Gadens Johnson Winter & Slattery Maddocks
Dye & Durham provides Australian legal, property and financial professionals with regulatory information, workflow technology, property settlement services and legal support solutions. We are a trusted technology and services partner for businesses involved in all stages of property and asset lifecycles. With a rich history of innovation and industry firsts, our customer-centric technology and support services are trusted by Australia’s leading professionals. Website: www.dyedurham.com.au Phone: 1300 730 000 Email: supportau@dyedurham.com
Nominations were open to any law firm in Australia with over 500 lawyers. Judged on excellence in client service and demonstrated expertise across a broad range of practice areas and experience acting on the largest, most complex and urgent transactions and disputes.
Allens Clayton Utz Corrs Chambers Westgarth Gilbert + Tobin Herbert Smith Freehills
Nominations were open to all AU and NZ-based law firms and law departments. Judged on the concrete steps the law firm or law department took during 2021 to promote diversity & inclusion in the legal profession.
Ashurst Hall & Wilcox
WINNERs
Allen & Overy Corrs Chambers Westgarth Danny King Legal Harmers Workplace Lawyers
