The Legal 500

Within Banking and finance, Henry Davis York is a third tier firm,

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.

Within Capital markets, tier 4

At the ‘solutions-driven and fee-conscious’ Henry Davis York, practice head Alex Mufford has ‘deep experience in the market, and a very commercially driven attitude’. The team acted for Jupiter Mines on a A$150m placement of shares to institutional investors. The firm recruited Tim Barton from Corrs Chambers Westgarth in 2010, and in 2011 opened an office in Brisbane.

Within Construction, tier 4

Henry Davis York suffered a blow when Helen Vickers resigned. Despite this, the team has maintained a commendable level of involvement in key rail deals in New South Wales, including the Gold Coast Rapid Transit PPP. Michael Bampton heads the group, which advised David Jones on building contracts and construction disputes relating to its Bourke Street Mall premises.

Within Corporate and M&A, tier 4

Henry Davis York advised Octaviar on the A$33m sale of the Sunkids childcare portfolio. Other clients include Wolseley Private Equity, Morgan Stanley and Securas Technologies. Glenn Hughes and Scott Murray are recommended.

Within Dispute resolution, tier 4

Cross-border insolvency work is a core source of instructions for Henry Davis York. It acted for the Cayman Islands liquidators of Saad Investments in their application for recognition as foreign representatives of assets located in Australia. The team continues to act for the liquidators of Octaviar. Practice head Michael Greene, Kathy Merrick and Scott Atkins are recommended.

Within Employment, tier 4

Henry Davis York handles disciplinary work for New South Wales Police, and the ‘pragmatic’ Stephen Jauncey and Pamela Flynn continue to act for Woolworths in union disputes and enterprise agreements. Tony Woods is well regarded for OH&S matters, and the ‘responsive’ Vanessa Andersen specialises in unfair dismissal claims for banking clients.

Within Insurance, Henry Davis York is a third tier firm,

Special counsel Claire Machin joined Henry Davis York’s insurance group in early 2011. Machin joined from Allens Arthur Robinson, bringing with her particular expertise in advisory, regulatory and compliance matters. Practice head Rebecca Whittle acted for AICF to secure payment to it under facultative reinsurance policies taken out by HIH with London Market insurers.

Within Intellectual property, tier 4

Henry Davis York provides ‘a better customer experience than some of the larger firms’, with clients appreciating the ‘depth of the personal relationships with the lawyers’. The team recently acted for Orient Capital in a Supreme Court claim for breach of confidence against competitor Thomson Reuters. It continues to advise longstanding client Panasonic on a range of IP issues. Practice head Donna Short is ‘expert in trade mark law’.

Within Real estate, tier 4

Henry Davis York primarily advises on property fund management matters (for clients such as CBA and Westpac) and public service issues (for clients such as the NSW government). It has a substantial listed REIT practice, acting for Dexus, GPT and Goodman, among others. Practice head Shane Martins is recommended.

Within Restructuring and insolvency, Henry Davis York is a first tier firm,

Henry Davis York is ‘strongly recommended’ for secured, bank-driven restructuring work. Scott Atkins recently led advice to the liquidators of Octaviar, including handling multi-jurisdictional litigation, while John Evans advised the receivers of ABC Learning Centres on a restructuring. Alex Mufford and John Martin advised Perpetual Trustee Company on structured credit matters relating to $125m in retail credit linked notes impacted by the Lehman Brothers collapse. Roger Dobson is highly regarded.

Within TMT, Henry Davis York is a third tier firm,

Henry Davis York represents companies in the technology and e-commerce space, handling system procurement projects and platform implementation. Geoffrey Hilton recently led advice to Global Television on a partnership with Network 9, and Robert Neely continues to advise Railcorp on its Business Finance Improvement programme.

Within Transport, Henry Davis York is a third tier firm,

Henry Davis York produces ‘exceptional’ transport work in NSW, advising the Roads and Traffic Authority on motorways, and Rail Corporation on train projects. Michael Greene heads the practice.