Minter Ellison > Canberra, Australia > Firm Profile

Minter Ellison > The Legal 500 Rankings

Australia > Infrastructure projects and construction Tier 1

Minter Ellison continues to be instructed by government bodies and developers on high-profile front-end and back-end infrastructure mandates; in one recent example, Jonathon Williams led the Brisbane team to assist Queensland Rail on all aspects of the Cross River Rail and the Inner City European Train Control System project. Sydney-based Elizabeth McKechnie has extensive expertise in project development and large-scale infrastructure contract negotiations and dispute resolution. Peter Wood (in Melbourne) and Andrew Orford (in Brisbane) are heavyweight construction litigators. Also in Melbourne, infrastructure industry lead Owen Cooper and senior advocate Stewart Nankervis are the lead partners in the planning and delivery of complex construction, PPP and infrastructure projects, and managing partner Cameron Ross oversees the construction business unit.

Australia > Labour and employment Tier 1

Drawing upon the strength of eight offices in Australia, and backed by support from offices in London and across the Asia Pacific region, ‘nothing is too hard’ for the employment team at Minter Ellison. The group is led by Brisbane’s Trent Forno, who often handles high-profile matters and is a key point of contact for large mining and energy companies, major banks and insurers, as well as government agencies. The bench includes Jim Fox, a trusted advisor to national and multinational companies, Dan Williams, who is well known for his prowess in dispute management and industrial relations advice, in addition to Amanda Watt, who, with over 30 years of experience working in employment law, is entrusted with sensitive investigations and discrimination, bullying and sexual harassment cases. Melissa Harvey is a ‘standout’ lawyer.

Australia > Real estate Tier 1

With a sizeable retirement village practice, Minter Ellison continues to handle portfolio management work for a variety of significant institutional property owners and tenants operating in Australia. Adrian Rich in Brisbane is noted for his capabilities in property acquisitions, developments and disposals. Peter Mitchell caters to leasing arrangements for landlords and tenants, while Carla Deluca is often engaged in construction, property development and PPP projects. Virginia Briggs in Sydney is trusted by significant public and private organisations. All of the individuals that have been mentioned are located in Melbourne, unless otherwise stated.

Australia > Restructuring and insolvency Tier 1

Well versed in high-value, cross-border cases, Minter Ellison is regularly seen working on fraud investigations, external administrations and disputes both in Australia and internationally. Sydney-based partner Michael Hughes heads the practice and is well regarded for his capabilities across restructuring, insolvency and related litigation matters. In Melbourne, Catherine Macrae and Brendon Watkins are also key names to note, with Watkins regularly engaged to advise on multi-jurisdictional finance-sector insolvencies.

Australia > Tax Tier 1

The tax practice at Minter Ellison fields ‘professional experts' and is a popular choice among multinational corporations seeking advice on a range of cross-border tax matters. The team has particular expertise in the infrastructure, government, real estate, health, educational, energy and financial services sectors. At practice head level, Adrian Varrasso leads from Melbourne and is well regarded for his corporate tax expertise. Also leading from Melbourne is tax controversy expert Carmen McElwain, and in Sydney, Rhys Guild is the lead on indirect tax. The team in Sydney also features land tax expert Nathan Deveson and Rimma Miller, who is well versed in tax litigation at both the state and federal level. Corporate tax expert Elissa Romanin is based in Melbourne. Special counsel Craig Bowie in Brisbane is a key contact for clients in the infrastructure, energy and financial services sectors.

Australia > Banking and finance Tier 2

Minter Ellison has carved out a reputation for working with debt funds, non-bank lenders, sovereign wealth funds and real estate private equity houses in respect of their activities, including mezzanine debt, preferred equity and equity co-ventures. Tony Berriman has a keen focus on property finance. Also on the property side, Daniel Marks advises on infrastructure projects, wholesale fund and portfolio financing. Practice head James Mok specialises in asset-based lending and structured finance transactions, and corporate finance partners Matthew Cunningham and Geoff Earl are also of note.

Australia > Capital markets

The equity capital markets team at Minter Ellison is led by Daniel Scotti (from Sydney) and James Hutton (from Melbourne); Scotti has extensive experience working with energy sector clients, while Hutton is the firm’s life sciences industry leader. The team supports clients through a range of equity and hybrid capital raisings, including IPOs, placements and share purchase plans. Sydney-based John Elias heads the debt capital markets and securitisation teams, specialising in structured finance and structured credit products for financial institutions and corporate clients alike.

Australia > Competition and trade Tier 2

The practice at Minter Ellison is headed by Paul Schoff who serves as a go-to for misuse of market power, price fixing and merger clearances, among other affairs; he works from the firm’s Sydney office where Haydn Flack serves as an expert for ACCC cartel investigation and consumer protection matters. At the Melbourne office, Miranda Noble is a standout for clearances pertaining to global transactions, while senior associate Tom Faulls is routinely involved in the group’s standout matters.

Australia > Dispute resolution: litigation Tier 2

Characterised by ‘broad industry experience that enables insightful advice’, Minter Ellison‘s dispute resolution team is led by James Beaton in Sydney. A commercial litigator with experience in regulatory investigations, Beaton represents a number of key financial services clients. In Melbourne, Ross Freeman is experienced in class actions, regulatory investigations and civil penalty proceedings, and leverages his white-collar crime experience to strengthen the team’s enforcement work. Brisbane-based Tom Fletcher is recommended for his ‘unwavering commitment‘; he is a specialist in education sector work alongside government-related dispute resolution. Beverley Newbold in Sydney has notable experience in cross-border disputes.

Australia > Energy (transactions and regulatory) Tier 2

Minter Ellison is well known for its strength in renewable energy, having advised the State of Victoria on the Victorian Renewable Energy Target (VRET) 2 program to facilitate the development of 623MW of solar projects. Practice head Simon Scott advises on a broad range of M&A, joint ventures and commercial mining mandates. Brendan Clark and Clay Wohling display vast expertise in project development and issues affecting projects within the electricity market. 'Technically savvy' Fiona Lewis is regularly instructed by governments on major energy policy implementation. Counsel Simon Batten advises on general electricity regulatory and compliance matters.

Australia > Environment and planning Tier 2

The environment and planning department at Minter Ellison advises a litany of blue-chip clients on the environmental and planning aspects of mixed use, residential and retail developments. The practice often assists clients with projects across the infrastructure, mining, and urban renewal sectors, in addition to advising on regulatory compliance relating to land use, planning law. In Sydney, Simon Ball leads the group has experience in administrative law, while Luke Walker is noted for his knowledge of resource recovery law. In Brisbane, Tim Hanmore is known for handling a range of compliance, development, and operational issues.

Australia > Insurance Tier 2

Australia > Intellectual property Tier 2

Minter Ellison has a successful track record in all aspects of intellectual property, including commercialisation transactions, confidential information, and domain names. The practice also handles copyright, patent and trade mark matters across the education, hi-tech, life sciences and pharmaceuticals sectors. With over three decades of experience, Robert Cooper leads the team from Melbourne and specialises in patent disputes, while John Fairbairn is particularly focused on the digital, media and telecoms sectors. Simone Mitchell is skilled in patent infringement, oppositions, and revocation cases. All of the individuals are located in Sydney, unless stated otherwise.

Australia > IT and telecoms Tier 2

With offices across Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, Canberra and Sydney, Minter Ellison offers national expertise to its client base, which includes governmental bodies, financial institutions and companies operating in the energy, aviation, telecoms, media and education sectors. Leadership is shared between Nicholas Pascoe, who advises clients on ICT matters across the public and private sectors; Paul Kallenbach, head of cyber law and data privacy; and Amanda Story, whose work is backed by 18 years of experience advising on tech procurement within the government sector. Kylie Diwell is another key practitioner in the team.

Australia > Media and entertainment Tier 2

With eight offices across Australia, Minter Ellison offers clients national expertise alongside an international reach. The team is well versed in advising across the gamut of content and communication issues and, drawing upon its ‘decades of experience’, specialises in high-profile, high-risk defamation cases. Peter Bartlett has substantial experience in the field and advises on privacy issues, breaches of confidence and super injunctions. The team is also home to ‘outstanding practitioner’ Dean Levitan, who is well known for acting for key media companies in the federal and state supreme courts; media litigator David Poulton, who expertly handles defamation cases; and Patrick Considine, who was recently promoted to the partnership.

Australia > Natural resources (transactions and regulatory) Tier 2

MinterEllison demonstrates a ‘great depth of capability and ability to provide a full service across all areas’, including a range of acquisitions and divestment matters in the natural resources space. Among the ‘great partners and great senior associates’ is group head Simon Scott in Brisbane, who has a history of working on M&A matters and commercial matters in the natural resources arena, particularly mining. Bryn Davis has since departed the practice. The group works out of the firm’s offices across the country, including Adelaide and Darwin, emblematic of the group’s ability to provide clients with a national presence and strong knowledge of the local market.

Australia > Transport: aviation Tier 2

Australia > Corporate and M&A Tier 3

Minter Ellison is equipped to handle domestic deals and also has notable cross-border capabilities, offering an end-to-end service on a full range of M&A, joint ventures, spin-offs and demergers, private equity, joint ventures and strategic alliances. The team is co-headed by Constantine Boulougouris and Joseph Pace, and the private equity team is led by Kimberley Low, a new addition from Linklaters LLP, London. Other key individuals include Bart Oude-Vrielink, who is sought out by clients for assistance on schemes of arrangement, governance and regulation, and foreign investment, and Jeremy Blackshaw, who has over 30 years’ experience advising on public and private M&A deals.

Australia > Fintech and financial services regulatory Tier 3

Providing regulatory advice on transactional matters, remediation of past breaches and guiding financial institutions through regulatory reforms and developments such as the Financial Accountability Regime and the Consumer Data Right scheme are all sweet spots for Minter Ellison. The team is additionally praised for its ‘deep understanding of the life insurance industry’. Michael Lawson and Richard Batten oversee matters from the firm’s Sydney office. The latter has in-depth knowledge of the regulation and wealth management and insurance services. Melbourne-based Ross Freeman’s contentious credentials are underlined by the fact that he is the lead external counsel for ASIC’s enforcement matters, while Ian Lockhart frequently provides regulatory advice to clients ranging from Australian banks to government entities from the firm’s Brisbane office.

Australia > Labour and employment: workplace health and safety (WHS) Tier 3

The team at Minter Ellison works with clients from a range of sectors, from transport to health. Co-led by Deanna McMaster, a specialist in health and safety, and experienced practitioner Trent Forno, the group advises on the gamut of WHS matters. The ‘exceptional’ Harriet Eager handles work in the financial services and higher education sectors, while Craig Boyle assists clients in the agriculture, logistics and mining sectors. Rhian O’Sullivan advises across the private and public sectors and represents clients in various courts and tribunals.

Australia > Project finance Tier 3

Minter Ellison provides clients such as borrowers, financiers, and government departments with an end-to-end, integrated construction, infrastructure and project finance offering. Practice co-heads James Mok and Jordan Phillips are instrumental in this capability. Peter Block is the go-to lawyer for complex infrastructure projects, while Ros O’Mally departed from the firm in October 2022. Elsewhere, Paul Paxton is well known for his PPP project work.

Australia > White-collar crime Tier 3

Active on bribery, fraud, compliance, investigation and insider trading litigation mandates, Minter Ellison is routinely active before ASIC and ACCC, among other federal and state agencies. James Beaton, based in Sydney, is an expert in corruption, anti-bribery, governance and compliance matters, in addition to matters pertinent to the Corporations Act.

Australia > Dispute resolution: class actions Tier 4

The class actions lawyers at Minter Ellison in Sydney ‘are at the top of their game’, acting as part of the wider dispute resolution group led by James Beaton and Beverley Newbold. Newbold specialises in class actions, with experience acting for listed companies. David Taylor is noted for his ‘encyclopaedic knowledge of the law’ and is an expert in shareholder and superannuation class actions with particular strength regarding quantification of loss. Jacky Wong is also recommended.

Australia > Data protection