The Legal 500 > Asia Pacific > Australia > Banking and finance

At Allens, the banking group fields specialist practitioners across the full gamut of finance work including leveraged finance expert Mark Kidston, Renee Boundy, who leads the structured and asset finance group and property finance specialist Jo Folan. Corporate finance partner Alan Maxton recently took over as group head from Tom Higham; Higham remains active in the team’s corporate finance, leveraged finance and subscription finance work. Alongside its substantial bank lender client base, which includes ANZ and CBA, the group also acts for non-bank lenders and borrower clients. It is also singled out for its expertise in innovative financing structures (it handled the first unitranche loan in Australia), cross-border mandates, where it leverages its global alliance with Linklaters LLP; aircraft finance work and asset-based loans. Fund financing expert Rita Pang was promoted to the partnership in 2019, and Ben O’Hoy is also a key name to note for corporate finance work.

Brenton Key heads up the department at Ashurst, which has an active lender client base encompassing major Australian and global banks, private equity sponsors, funds and alternative lenders; the group is also expanding its borrower representation and counts Qantas, Woolworths and Oxford Properties as key examples. Notable areas of expertise for the team include acquisition and leveraged finance, corporate finance, property finance and asset finance mandates; it also stands out for its unitranche financing knowledge and ability to utilise the firm’s wider global network on cross-border matters. Shawn Wytenburg and Steve Smith are key practitioners in the Sydney office, while Martin Coleman is a noteworthy name in the Melbourne office. Jock O’Shea and counsel Paul Zanelli are recommended for property finance matters.

With a substantial lender client base, Gilbert + Tobin counts the four major Australian banks and multiple global banks as clients and also acts for private equity companies, funds and investment banks including the Carlyle Group, RBC Capital markets and Goldman Sachs. Practice head John Schembri and Gail Christopher are highly regarded in the acquisition finance space; both also regularly handle unitranche structures. Simon Lynch is also key name for acquisition finance mandates alongside advising on corporate facilities, LBOs, property financing work and project finance matters; David Kirkland focuses on leveraged finance, acquisition finance and restructuring issues; and Adela Smith focuses on the infrastructure and renewable energy sectors. Project finance specialist Peter Doyle joined from King & Wood Mallesons in 2019.

Herbert Smith Freehills assists with the full range of structures and funding lines for a client base spanning national and international banks, non-bank lenders, funds, corporates and private equity houses. The group handles work across asset finance, acquisition finance, property finance and corporate finance mandates at a domestic and global level, leveraging the firm’s network throughout Asia and globally. Andrew Booth leads the department, which also includes debt finance specialist Lucy McCullagh, who leads the Melbourne-based finance group; highly regarded leveraged finance expert Hayley Neilson, property finance specialist Melita Cottrell and John Angus, who focuses on asset and structured finance matters. Other key practitioners include executive counsel Marnie Fels and senior associate Steven Catanzariti.

Fielding one of the largest banking practices in Australia, King & Wood Mallesons handles the full breadth of financing work, regularly acting on innovative finance solutions and matters involving fintech and regtech issues; derivatives specialist Scott Farrell also recently advised on the new open banking regime review. The department is jointly led by Yuen-Yee Cho and Paul Smith in Sydney, and Jonathan Oldham in Melbourne; Cho focuses on corporate and acquisition finance work, Smith is a structured finance expert and Oldham handles project and corporate finance mandates. Real estate finance specialist Ken Astridge is also singled out, as are asset and aviation sector expert John Canning and special counsel Charlie Detmold, who handles infrastructure transactions. Tim Ma and Will Stawell were promoted to the partnership in Melbourne and Sydney respectively, and Peter Doyle departed to Gilbert + Tobin.

Allen & Overy LLP’s Sydney and Perth-based practice acts for lender and borrower clients on the full gamut of financing transactions spanning acquisition, corporate and property finance work; it also has notable fund financing expertise and fields an asset finance team, led by Jason Huinink, which focuses on aviation and equipment leasings. The banking group, which is headed up by Adam Stapledon, is singled out for handling deals involving multiple lenders and several jurisdictions; as well as benefitting from the firm’s global network, the Australia team also has UK and US law capabilities. Other names include David Christensen, who focuses on structured debt finance, energy and infrastructure transactions; James Abbott, and Perth-based partner Peter Wilkes.

Bruce Cooper leads the department at Clayton Utz, which easily adapts to market trends thanks to its ability to act for lender and borrower clients and cover the full spectrum of financing mandates from acquisition and property finance work to leveraged and structured finance mandates. The group’s client base encompasses domestic and international banks, private equity houses, funds and corporate borrowers; CBA, JP Morgan and ANZ are key examples. Noteworthy practitioners include property finance expert Kathy Santikos, Alexander Schlosser, who leads the acquisition finance and corporate finance practices; and project finance specialists Rohan Mishra and Marcus Davenport, who are based in Perth and Melbourne respectively. Graeme Gurney departed to Mills Oakley and Fran Rush moved in-house at QSuper.

Minter Ellison takes a specialised sector-focused approach to its banking work, acting for a range of lender and borrower clients across the financial services, health, energy, agribusiness, technology, real estate and private equity sectors; it has also recently grown its representation of alternative capital providers. The practice, which is led by structured finance and asset finance expert James Mok, also fields separate acquisition and corporate finance, property finance, and agri corporate finance teams, led by Stewart Robertson, Tony Berriman and Matthew Cunningham respectively. Other key practitioners include John Mosley, who focuses on acquisition finance work; Daniel Marks and senior associate Leigh Schulz.

Arnold Bloch Leibler’s predominantly Melbourne-based team advises on the full spectrum of banking transactions with notable expertise in property finance, corporate finance and project finance mandates, capital raisings and restructuring issues. The group, which is led by property finance expert Stephen Sharp, counts domestic and international trading and investment banks, corporates, property developers, private equity houses, hedge funds and institutional investors as clients. Ben Mahoney focuses on debt and equity financing and restructuring transactions, Paul Rubenstein is managing partner of the Sydney office, Genevieve Sexton handles corporate finance work, and Sydney-based Nathan Briner is increasingly focused on non-bank lending issues.

HWL Ebsworth stands out for its property finance expertise counting borrowers in the aged health care, retail, hospitality, property and agribusiness sectors as clients; it also counts a range of Australian and international banks, funds and financial institutions on its client roster. Harry Cormack heads up the practice, which also includes Paul Gatward, Mark Russell and Tom Suttie. The department also fields a financial services regulatory sub-group, which includes regulatory specialists Andrew Galvin and James Moore. With the capacity to assist with domestic and international mandates, the firm’s national network includes offices in every Australian state and territory.

Gadens Lawyers’ practice is jointly led by Doug Scoobie and Craig Green, who are based in Melbourne and Brisbane respectively, and is a key name in the market for property, construction and development financing work; the practice has also recently grown its corporate finance and debt refinancing expertise. The group’s client roster encompasses banks, funds, non-bank debt funds, superannuation funds, offshore lenders, listed and unlisted corporates and property developers; examples include ANZ, Bank of Queensland, Cbus Property and NAB. Elliott Raleigh is also a key name to note. Danny Moore retired, Craig Chapman moved in-house at the Bank of Queensland, and Renae Suttor joined from Minter Ellison.

Led by Jason Opperman, K&L Gates’ finance practice excels in mid-market real estate and corporate financing transactions, and also leverages the firm’s global network to act on cross-border mandates. Clients span banks, alternative lenders, debt funds, professional trustees, sponsors and corporate lenders; examples include Macquarie Group, Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, and Citigroup. Noteworthy individuals include Melbourne-based Alan Maclean, project finance expert Richard Gray and aviation asset finance specialist Brian Santos, who are both in the Sydney office; Brisbane-based property finance partner Deborah Bean, and Sydney-based special counsel Eric Boone, who provides US law capabilities.

The team of property finance experts at Colin Biggers & Paisley is led by Kate Craig, who focuses her practice on the hotel, residential and commercial property sectors; other areas of expertise for the group include the construction, tourism, aged care and faith-based not-for-profit industries. Clients encompass domestic and international financial institutions, funds and fund managers, developers, contractors, investors and corporate borrowers. Toby Blyth is also active in the space and regularly handles risk management issues and regulatory matters.