The Legal 500

Herbert Smith Freehills’ ‘top-rate’ practice includes Michael Ziegelaar, who advised Alliance Aviation Services on its $74m IPO. Other clients include Vodafone, APT Pipeline, ANZ and Westpac. Patrick Lowden and Philippa Stone ‘always deliver a first-class service, on time’.

King & Wood Mallesons’ excellent partners and senior associates’ have ‘unrivalled depth of expertise’. Ian Paterson and Shannon Finch recently acted for ANZ on a $1.3bn covered bonds issuance. Berkeley Cox, Greg Golding and Greg Hammond head the practice, which also includes David Friedlander and the ‘very knowledgeable’ Evie Bruce.

Allens’ highlights included advising Western Desert Resources on raising around A$102.5m of capital. Robert Pick and Stuart McCulloch focus on the equity side, and David Clifford on the debt side.

New entrant Allen & Overy LLP is an ‘ideal choice for cross-border and offshore debt issuance’. It recently acted for CBA and NAB on establishing multibillion-dollar covered bonds. Sonia Goumenis is ‘very talented’, and Karolina Popic is ‘the go-to person for covered bonds’. Former Herbert Smith Freehills partner Tony Sparks joined in 2011, and is highly recommended.

Ashurst LLP’s ‘very commercial’ team combines a ‘wonderful level of service’ with ‘quality advice’. It counts UBS, Macquarie, and Goldman Sachs as key clients, and Elspeth Arnold recently led advice to BlueScope Steel on its A$600m capital raising. Jamie Ng is an ‘excellent draftsman’, and Paul Jenkins has ‘great experience and commercial acumen’. Sarah Dulhunty and Bruce Whittaker are also recommended.

Clayton Utz’ s ‘strong’ capital markets team includes several ‘highly respected partners’; these include Stuart Byrne on the equity side, Louise McCoach (a ‘leader in her field’) on the debt side, and securities specialist Andrew Jinks. Recent advice includes Origin Energy on its A$900m hybrid notes offering. Other clients include Fortescue Metals, Goldman Sachs, and Macquarie Group.

Minter Ellison’s team has ‘strong industry knowledge’, and recently advised new client Gloucester Coal on a A$230m equity raising to fund the acquisition of Donaldson Coal and Monash Group. It also advised Australian Unity on a A$120m bond issuance. John Elias typically handles debt matters, and Stuart Johnson is known for managed investment and funds.

Baker & McKenzie’s highlights included advising Indophil Resources on raising A$190m of equity capital; Richard Lustig led the mandate. Frank Castiglia has a ‘keen understanding of capital markets and the obligations of public companies’, while Craig Andrade and Andrew Reilly are ‘experts in their field’. Collectively, the team is noted for its ‘excellent turnaround times’.

Corrs Chambers Westgarth 15-partner team is ‘attuned to clients’ needs’; it includes the ‘outstanding’ Brad Robinson; the ‘excellent’ Stephanie Daveson; Iain Laughland, whose ‘breadth of knowledge is second to none’; and Russell Philip, who ‘maintains a strong sense of the commercial imperative’. It recently advised the underwriters on Fortescue Metals Group’s $2bn high-yield bond offering.

Gilbert + Tobin’s clients include Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and JP Morgan. Peter Cook heads the equity practice, while Duncan McGrath leads on debt and securities. It recently advised ICBC on establishing a $4bn debt instrument programme. Rachael Bassil is also recommended.

Norton Rose Australia is gaining a fine reputation following the arrival of Tessa Hoser, as well as former Herbert Smith Freehills duo Scott Millar and special counsel Vittorio Casamento(‘very commercial and committed’). It recently advised Brisbane Airport on a A$1.5bn medium-term note programme.

DLA Piper Australia has a particular focus on technology and life sciences; it recently advised GI Dynamics on its $304m IPO and ASX listing. David Morris is recommended, as is recent recruit Warwick Painter from Allens

Henry Davis York recently advised Vedanta Resources on its $1.6bn bond offering to part finance the acquisition of Cairn India. James Lonie and Alex Mufford lead the equity and debt groups respectively.

McCullough Robertson is a ‘consistently strong performer’ in Brisbane, where Derek Pocock heads the group. Newly made up partner Oliver Talbot) recently relocated to Sydney and is also recommended. The group recently advised Senex Energy on raising A$155m of capital to fund its unconventional gas exploration. Reece Walker is rated for his ‘experience, expertise and proactivity’.

US firms Sidley Austin, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Sullivan & Cromwell occupy a niche space in the Australian market. The three advise domestic clients on placements and capital-raising in the US, as well as advising international and domestic companies on US law. Example clients include Credit Suisse. Highly recommended are: Robert Meyers and Bruce Dailey of Sidley Austin; Adrian Deitz and Mark Leemen of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP; and special counsel Waldo Jones of Sullivan & Cromwell.