James Abbott > Corrs Chambers Westgarth > Sydney, Australia > Lawyer Profile

Boasting ‘excellent depth of team and industry knowledge‘, Corrs Chambers Westgarth‘s sizeable bi-coastal practice made great strides in expanding its front-end project capabilities with the high-profile lateral hires of Allen & Overy‘s projects co-head Adam Stapledon and project finance partners James Abbott and Simon Huxley (all of whom joined the Sydney office in late 2022). ‘Exceptional problem solver‘ Chris Ryder (in Perth) and ‘technically brilliant‘ practice co-head Andrew Stephenson (in Melbourne) are the standout construction lawyers, while Joseph Barbaro is another key Melbourne contact for project delivery and outsourcing. Litigators Carla Mills and practice co-head Matthew Muir are also highly recommended in Sydney and Brisbane, respectively. In Victoria, senior partner John Walter and David Warren act for governments, sponsors, contractors and financiers on road and rail PPPs, rolling stock procurement and social infrastructure projects.

Corrs Chambers Westgarth‘s growing project finance practice, which spans Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, ‘has deep capability across levels and continues to provide access to partners and senior associates as required.’ One key name is Clare Corke in Brisbane, who is described by one client as ‘a very astute lawyer who delivers a good legal service.’ Adam Stapledon, who joined the group from Allen & Overy LLP in July 2022, heads up the team, along with James Abbott, who has experience on a wide range of project financings across the infrastructure, energy and resources sectors, including high-value debt financing. Other key elements of the practice are bankable structures mandates and diversified funding sources. Paul Brickley is a key name for government infrastructure projects. Special counsel Julie Myers, also in Brisbane, has a strong grasp of matters relating to bilateral and syndicated facilities.