The Legal 500

Allens Arthur Robinson advised on all financing elements of the Goodman Group’s acquisition of the ING Industrial Fund, which included obtaining a A$1.6bn syndicated facility agreement. The team acts for Australia’s “Big Four” banks, as well as other key lender and corporate borrower clients such as Citigroup, Credit Suisse, BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto. Simon Lynch, Richard Gordon, Tom Highnam and Nicky Andrews, one of the practice heads, are recommended.

Freehills’ deeply staffed team provides ‘timely advice’ from ‘technically superb and client-focused’ lawyers. Justin Pelly led advice to Lend Lease on its A$1.1bn cash advance and bonding facility to enable the acquisition of Valemus. Practice heads Patrick St John and John Angus (‘particularly experienced’) are highly regarded, and Lucy McCullagh (‘technically very astute’), Emma de Carle, Wendy Gwyn and Melita Cottrell are also recommended.

Mallesons Stephen Jaques, which pairs ‘excellent service’ with ‘quality advice’, is advising three of the four major Australian banks on the forthcoming Personal Property Securities Act (PPSA). Another highlight saw Jeff Clark lead a team in acting for a syndicate of 17 banks providing senior debt financing for the A$2.7bn acquisition of Healthscope by TPG Capital and The Carlyle Group. Other clients include NAB, Westpac and Suncorp. Yuen-Yee Cho is ‘outstanding’, and Richard Hayes and Alex Regan are also recommended.

Blake Dawson, which has built a strong reputation in asset finance, recently advised Qantas on a $375m export-credit financing for two Airbus A380 aircraft. In another matter the group advised a banking syndicate on multi-currency revolving facilities totalling A$3bn made available to QR National after its IPO. Martin Coleman, who is ‘outstanding, quick, commercial and user friendly’, is recommended, as are Paul Jenkins, John Field, David Mason, Bruce Whittaker and Steve Smith.

Clayton Utz has made a number of internal promotions and additions to the team recently, continuing to regenerate the team following past defections predominantly to Allen & Overy LLP. The arrivals of Bruce Cooper (from Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer) and Angus Foley (from Crédit Agricole) particularly bolstered the team’s project finance capability. In 2010 the team advised Asciano on the restructuring of its $1bn syndicated bank debt. It was also reappointed to all areas of CBA’s banking panel. Graeme Gurney, Andrew Jinks, Paul Gatward and Geoff Geha are recommended.

Recent highlights for Corrs Chambers Westgarth’s banking and finance team included advising Woodside Petroleum on refinancing a $1.1bn syndicated loan facility, and advising Macarthur Coal on its A$350m senior secured revolving credit and bank guarantee facilities. Shawn Wytenburg and Robert Ritchie are highly recommended and appreciated for their responsiveness. The firm recruited several lawyers recently, including Shaun McGushin and Rommel Harding-Farrenberg from Freehills; Jeremy King from Blake Dawson; and Henry Self from Mallesons Stephen Jaques.

Gilbert + Tobin’s recently opened Melbourne office strengthened the firm’s national proposition, and houses Nicholas Grambas, an ‘acknowledged lead lawyer in the project and financing field’. Sydney-based practice head John Schembri, who has ‘strong business acumen and good industry knowledge’, led the team in advising Carlyle and TPG Capital on all the debt financing aspects of their A$2.7bn acquisition of Healthscope. More recently the team advised CBA as financier on the A$5bn Pepper Australia residential mortgage portfolio acquisition. ANZ, Westpac, Goldman Sachs and Citibank Group are also clients.

Acquisition finance is a particular strength of Minter Ellison’s ‘highly capable and technically excellent’ team, with property and corporate finance also core areas. The ‘young and enthusiastic’ Stewart Robertson produces ‘first-class work’; he and ‘good dealmaker’ John Mosley led advice to an international syndicate of 12 lenders on finance provisions for a bid to acquire Healthscope. John Elias, the ‘very commercial and very personable’ Daniel Marks, and the ‘highly regarded’ Tony Berriman are recommended.

The ‘excellent’ Allen & Overy LLP continued its growth strategy by adding former Freehills partner Adam Stapledon to its banking and finance team in April 2011. The team he joined is commended generally for its ‘quality advice and depth of market knowledge’, with Chris Robertson, Angela Flannery, Jason Huinink and Grant Fuzi all recommended. The group advised a number of banks on the corporate finance aspects of the $45bn loan facility to finance BHP Billiton’s hostile bid for PotashCorp.

Baker & McKenzie provides ‘superb industry insights’ and its ‘extensive Asian (and global) network is a competitive advantage’. It advised KKR on banking matters relating to its proposed A$4bn sale of Seven Media Group to West Australian Newspapers; the team also regularly acts for clients such as ANZ, ING Group, JPMorgan and Credit Suisse. George Harris and the ‘always commercial’ Bryan Paisley are recommended. Roy Weitzman joined from Corrs Chambers Westgarth.

Recent work for Gadens Lawyers’ ‘excellent and commercial’ team includes advising on a number of A$400m-plus syndicated loans and a number of multimillion-dollar acquisition financings. Clients include HSBC, ING Direct and St George (a subsidiary of Westpac). Practice head Mark Skinner and Matthew Bode, who is ‘very responsive and acts with the minimum fuss’, are highly rated.

Henry Davis York strengthened its national practice with a new Brisbane office, which opened in February 2011. The group represents all four major Australian banks including Westpac, and ME Bank is also a key client. It advised a syndicate of eight senior lenders on the refinancing of Redcape Property Group’s existing A$800m debt facilities. Alex Mufford and Roger Dobson are recommended.

Offshore investment has been an increasing source of instructions for Norton Rose Australia’s banking and finance group, having advised clients such as Bank of China, China Development Bank and ICBC. In addition it is on the panel of several domestic banks including ANZ, CBA, NAB and Suncorp. Practice head David Lyons, Alen Pazin and Dan Marjanovic are recommended.

Property finance is an area of strength for Arnold Bloch Leibler, which advised Rabinov Property Trust on renegotiating its A$140m term loan facilities from ANZ. It also advised Nufarm on a A$900m syndicated bank facility across multiple jurisdictions. Paul Rubenstein has ‘excellent commercial sense’, and practice head Stephen Sharp is also recommended.

DLA Piper Australia increased its Melbourne presence by recruiting Bill Glover, formerly of Freehills, and special counsel Ben Hamilton, formerly of Deutsche Bank. The group represented Westpac as lender on a A$474m syndicated warehouse finance repurchase facility for Emerald Grain Australia, and is advising Oakajee Port & Rail (OPR) on various matters including financing structures from a lender group that includes ANZ, CBA, NAB and Westpac.

Johnson Winter & Slattery is a banking and finance boutique which, ‘in its specialist areas, is a match for the top Australian firms’. ‘Peopled by top-end lawyers’, the team ‘does not profess to be all things to all people but specialises in its chosen areas’. The team advised Envestra on a A$80m acquisition facility to acquire the Country Energy distribution network. Joint practice heads Jim Hunwick (‘a steel hand in a velvet glove’) and Philip Laity are highly regarded, and senior associate Michael Garry is ‘one of the stars in the making’. Recent additions include special counsel Paul Kasmer, formerly of Freehills, and Austin Bell, formerly of Blake Dawson.

Already well established in Melbourne, Maddocks has made a conscious push to grow its Sydney presence and recently recruited consultant Jeff Goss from KPMG. The team advised ICICI Bank (Singapore branch) in its capacity as arranger and agent on the syndicated financing of the $750m acquisition of Griffin Coal and Carpenter Mine Management by an Australian subsidiary of the Lanco Group. Joint practice heads Ian Beattie and Sean Rush are recommended.

HWL Ebsworth enters the ranking on the back of recommendations of its ‘tailored advice’, ‘excellent technical skills’ and ‘outstanding communication style’. Recent highlights include advising Westfield on the A$3.2bn syndicated bridge acquisition facility for the Westfield Retail Trust. The ‘approachable, warm and friendly’ Stephen Cavanagh and Ruth Neal are highly recommended.

The ‘brilliant’ Mark Inston at Hall & Wilcox led in advising APN Property Group on a major restructuring of its European fund, and Pamela McAlister, a ‘star in this space’, led advice to Health Super on its proposed merger with First State to create a A$28bn-plus fund. Clients appreciate the ‘access to partners who have a high level of expertise’.

Kelly & Co has carved out a strong reputation in South Australia, advising clients such as Westpac, HSBC, St George and Rural Bank. Recent highlights include acting for Agricultural Land Trust and Codan on $60.9m and A$85m refinancings, respectively. Practice head Kenton Steicke is recommended.

McCullough Robertson delivers a ‘good level of service’ and ‘compelling’ value for money, and is especially well established in Queensland. The team acts for local and national clients, and Peter Stewart led advice to ING Bank on a A$70m loan facility to a property developer. The ‘very experienced and proactive’ Peter Kennedy is recommended, as is senior associate Michael Hobson, who impresses ‘with his knowledge and ability to focus’.

Piper Alderman’s banking and finance practice is most visible in South Australia. The team sits on the legal panels of NAB and NAZ, and regularly advises energy and resource clients such as Eastern Star Gas and Beach Petroleum on their financing needs. Craig Wappett advised a number of financial institutions on the implementation of the PPSA. He and practice head Mark Gordon are recommended.