Clifford Chance > Perth, Australia > Firm Profile

Clifford Chance > The Legal 500 Rankings

Australia > Dispute resolution: arbitration Tier 1

The arbitration team at Clifford Chance operates domestically, regionally and internationally, with practitioners working out of Perth, Sydney and Melbourne, conducting advocacy in English, French, Spanish and Chinese. Sam Luttrell and Cameron Hassall co-lead the team from Perth and Sydney, respectively. Luttrell has notable experience in French-speaking markets, Hassall in Hong Kong and China. Spencer Flay has particular strength regarding construction matters; operating out of Perth, he advises developers, project sponsors and contractors on disputes arising from natural resources, oil and gas, and infrastructure development projects. Sydney-based counsel Robert Tang and Julia Dreosti specialise in energy and resources, and aerospace and defence, respectively. In Perth, senior associate Rodolphe Ruffié-Farugia is noted for his cross-border work.

Australia > Banking and finance Tier 2

Clifford Chance is known in the market for its expertise in leveraged finance, acquisition and infrastructure finance and financial regulatory issues. ‘Technically strong lawyer‘ Elizabeth Hundt Russell is an expert in senior and mezzanine financings, unitranches, convertible notes, Holdco PIKs, vendor loans and TLBs. Managing partner Richard Gordon is highlighted for his work in corporate lending and restructurings. For project and energy finance, Chad Bochan and Philip Sealey are key figures.

Australia > Energy (transactions and regulatory) Tier 2

Jointly led by Nadia Kalic in Sydney, and Philip Sealey and Sam Luttrell in Perth, Clifford Chance's team has experienced growth in its renewable energy capabilities, and an increase clean hydrogen and energy storage mandates. Luttrell is known for his specialism in contentious matters, and Sealy is noted for his deep knowledge of banking and finance related issues. Kalic maintains a M&A focused practice, with her primary area of focus being infrastructure projects.

Australia > Project finance Tier 2

Nadia Kalic, Chad Bochan and Richard Gordon are the trio at the helm of Clifford Chance and work out of the firm’s Sydney office. The group leverages its energy and infrastructure transactional expertise in the Asia Pacific group, and regularly lead transactions in Asia Pacific out of Australia, utilising resources and offices in both Australia and the wider region. Senior associate Dale Straughen, also located in Sydney, is well placed to assist clients with renewable energy matters given his experience in this area. Although the practice is multi-disciplinary, particular sector strengths include banking and finance, energy and resources, and M&A.

Australia > Capital markets

Clifford Chance‘s capital markets team is co-led by Richard Gordon and David Clee in Sydney, and Mark Chan in Hong Kong, and also has team members based in Perth. It operates as a regional team collaborating with colleagues across Asia Pacific, offering deals structured according to Australian, Singapore, Japanese, US, English and Hong Kong law. The firm's focus is on advising financial institutions acting in arranger and manager roles on Australian debt issuance programmes, with additional expertise in acting as issuer counsel, specifically for banking clients.

Australia > Corporate and M&A Tier 3

Offering an end-to-end M&A experience, the team at Clifford Chance attracts a national and global client base and is best known for its ability to adeptly navigate cross-border and multi-jurisdictional transactions. Mark Currell handles work in the energy and resources, education and healthcare sectors, while David Clee deals with work in the real estate and finance sectors. Other names to note include corporate specialists Reuben Van Werkum, Nadia Kalic and Jacob Kahwaji, who practice from the Sydney office.

Australia > Dispute resolution: litigation Tier 3

Clifford Chance‘s litigation and dispute resolution team is ‘very commercial and practical’ in its advice, with particular strength acting for financial investors. Angela Pearsall in Sydney heads the team with Perth-based Sam Luttrell. Pearsall specialises in contentious regulatory investigations and large-scale commercial litigation, the latter is also an area of expertise for Grave. In Perth, Spencer Flay is a major projects and contentious construction specialist, advising clients across the natural resources, oil and gas, and infrastructure sectors. Naomi Griffin in Sydney is also recommended.

Australia > Competition and trade Tier 4

Clifford Chance is home to over 100 competition lawyers who operate across Australia and the wider APAC region, Europe and the US. The team recently bolstered its practice through the June 2023 hire of Elizabeth Richmond from Clayton Utz; she arrives with a stellar track record in merger clearance, competition litigation, and gas-related regulatory/advisory work. Counsel Mark Grime, who is notably qualified in both Australia and New York, regularly advises on high-stakes competition law matters with a particular focus on complex merger clearance work.

Australia > Natural resources (transactions and regulatory) Tier 4

Australia > Transport: shipping Tier 4

Clifford Chance is ‘a strong participant among the admiralty and maritime players in Perth’, where practice head Pat Saraceni is based; she is described as ‘an excellent, results driven lawyer, operating at the top of her game’. Senior associates Nathan Sexton and Shannen Bowen are also key team members, especially for contentious work. The group has additional experience dealing with regulatory and compliance issues and deals with Australian regulators such as the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Authority.

Australia > White-collar crime Tier 4

Primarily based in Sydney, the practice group at Clifford Chance handles mandates involving enforcement agencies, displaying broad expertise in advising on post-settlement remedial actions, crisis management and proceeds of crime matters.  Angela Pearsall is particularly adept at acting for accounting firms in financial reporting litigation. Dividing her time between Hong Kong and Sydney, Donna Wacker frequently handles investigations into cryptocurrency trading platforms and rate-fixing. Since publication, former practice co-head Tim Grave departed in February 2024.

Australia > Restructuring and insolvency Tier 5

Clifford Chance utilises its global presence to assist clients in complex and cross-border transactions. By partnering with its market-leading funds and private equity practice, the team advises clients on distressed lending solutions and loan to own strategies. The team has a particular focus on natural resources and energy-sector assets. Perth-based team head Mark Gillgren has specialist expertise in the mining and oil and gas sectors. David Clee operates from the Sydney office and has particular experience in the real estate and financial services sectors.

Asia Pacific: Regional International Arbitration > Leading firms

Clifford Chance has vast reach across the region, with offices across China, Hong Kong, Australia and Singapore, advising on complex international law issues across all sectors. The firm has a range of experienced practitioners across all offices in the region. Nish Shetty is dual-qualified in England and Singapore, and leads the Singapore practice alongside Paul Sandosham, who brings vast energy expertise to the wider team. In greater China, the firm has one of the pre-eminent international arbitration offerings, conducting arbitrations in both Mandarin Chinese and English. Hong-Kong based Thomas Walsh leads the practice in that region – with experience of sitting as an arbitrator under all major rules, including the HKIAC, ICC, and SIAC – alongside Shanghai-based Lei Shi, who frequently represents mainland Chinese financial instutions. In Australia, the firm has practitioners working out of Perth, Sydney, and Melbourne, frequently conducting arbitrations in English, French, Spanish, and Chinese. Sam Lutrell and Cameron Hassall are key names in the Perth and Sydney offices, with Spencer Flay in the former bringing extensive strength regarding construction work.