Thomson Geer

Thomson Geer has led major Australian media company Nine Entertainment Co to a landmark defamation win that saw Australia's "public interest" defence for journalists successfully applied for the first time. Australian surgeon Dr Munjed Al Muderis sued Nine and three journalists in the Federal Court of Australia over articles in The Age and Sydney Morning Herald newspapers and 60 Minutes television program in 2022 alleging they defamed him. The articles predominantly related to a procedure called osseointegration Dr Al Muderis performs on amputees, with Dr Muderis claiming the publications conveyed imputations that he inappropriately selects patients for surgery, fails to explain risks and complications, fails to provide adequate post-operative care, and is unethical and dangerous. Nine defended the reporting, arguing defences of contextual truth, honest opinion and public interest. Justice Wendy Abraham found Nine had established both contextual truth and the public interest defences and dismissed Dr Muderis's case. She did not consider the honest opinion defence. “I accept the evidence of the journalists that they each held a subjective belief that the publications were in the public interest,” Justice Abraham said. “The positive media coverage his practice had enjoyed needed correcting, and the investigation revealed another side of his practice.” The Thomson Geer team was led by Partner John-Paul Cashen, who said: "The judgment is vindication for the reporting by Nine's journalists and was an important test for Australia's public interest defence. "This decision will have far reaching consequences for investigative media in Australia and may make those who want to sue for defamation consider carefully their position." The team included Partner Marlia Saunders, Senior Associate Samantha McGeoch, and Associates Sophie Meixner and Isabelle Gwinner. They were assisted by Lawyers Natasha Connors, Nina Tierney, Simon Pandoulis, Natasya Currie, Reina Nakamura, and Jonathan Li and Media Team Manager Rachel Stellas. The team briefed barristers Matt Collins, KC, Declan Roche, SC, Claire Roberts, Melissa Marcus and Sandip Mukerjea for the trial, while Renee Enbom, KC, Lyndelle Barnett, Bianca Gallifuoco, Hannah Ryan and John Heard were also engaged at various stages of the case. Nine's internal lawyers were Kiah Officer and Larina Alick. The trial ran for 14 weeks between September 2023 and June 2024 with Nine calling approximately 50 witnesses. Dr Al Muderis has signalled he will appeal the judgment.  

Global law firm Ashurst and major Australian law firm Thomson Geer announce that Ashurst's Canberra office is moving to Thomson Geer. The office, renowned for its Commonwealth Government practice, will officially become part of Thomson Geer in early July, 2025. The team joining Thomson Geer includes seven Partners – Rob Andersen, Mathew Baldwin, Melanie McKean, Steve McKinney, Sarah Ross-Smith, Elissa Speight and Angela Summersby. These partners bring with them decades of experience working for a wide range of Commonwealth clients, which they look forward to continuing with Thomson Geer. Ashurst and Thomson Geer are working closely with their Commonwealth clients to ensure a seamless transition of work for relevant client matters. Lea Constantine, Ashurst's Head of Region for Australia said: "As a consequence of a review of our strategic priorities, Ashurst has decided to wind down its work for the Commonwealth under one of its panel arrangements." "Once we reached this decision, we were pleased to connect with Thomson Geer, a major Australian law firm that has a commitment to high quality and cultural standards. This will ensure the Commonwealth Government will continue to receive the very best legal advice and services, as they have come to expect from our Canberra team. Meanwhile, we are confident that all our people moving to Thomson Geer will continue to have the very best career opportunities." "We thank Thomson Geer for working collaboratively and professionally with us on this transition. We also thank our Canberra colleagues for their many years of hard work and dedication to our firm. They leave with our best wishes and our full support to continue their outstanding work for the Commonwealth Government." Thomson Geer Chief Executive Partner Adrian Tembel said: "Ashurst has built an outstanding Commonwealth Government legal practice. I congratulate them on what they have created. We will build on their success and invest further to ensure that this practice continues to be the 'go to' team for complex Commonwealth Government legal work across all areas of the Whole of Australian Government legal services panel. We look forward to welcoming the excellent lawyers at all levels of the Ashurst Canberra team to Thomson Geer." "This move reflects the next stage of ongoing evolution of the Australian legal services market."  

Thomson Geer has hired top Queensland based technology and cyber lawyer Hayden Delaney and his team of eight, bolstering the firm's national Intellectual Property and Technology team and providing greater depth to the needs of clients. Hayden and the team will join Thomson Geer in the new year, with Hayden joining as a Partner. He and his team are highly regarded and considered one of Queensland's best technology law practices. Thomson Geer Chief Executive Partner Adrian Tembel said: "The technology sector is rapidly evolving, with themes around digitisation, artificial intelligence and cyber security of keen interest for clients. With Hayden and his team on board, we will be able to better serve our clients on such critical issues." Hayden advises on complex technology transactions, privacy, cyber security and data protection, intellectual property strategy and enforcement. He has been recognised in a number of legal directories including Best Lawyers in Australia for IP Law, Information Technology Law and Privacy and Data Security Law; Doyles Guide as a Leading Technology, Media and Telecommunications Lawyer in Brisbane and Queensland; and World Trademark Review's WTR 1000 as one of the world's leading trade mark professionals. World Trademark Review describes Hayden as: "One of Australia’s leading IP and technology lawyers, whose breadth of skill and experience is top notch"..."He – along with the team he supervises – is responsive, pragmatic, creative and professional; they know their stuff and deliver it in a way that suits their clients.” The team joining Thomson Geer consists of Hayden, Partner Steven Hunwicks, Special Counsel Briar Francis, Senior Associate Hannah Fas, Associates Sarah Buchanan, Thomas Copley and Monica Nery, Lawyer Jacob Currie and Paralegal Sarah Lucas. This is the second group Thomson Geer has taken out of HopgoodGanim. In 2022 Thomson Geer strengthened its Perth corporate practice by appointing resources sector specialists Paul Harley and Sarah O'Brien-Smith and their team of eight, including a mining tenement management team. Paul and Sarah joined as Partners, adding deep resources knowledge to the firm and complementing the extensive transactional experience of Thomson Geer's Perth corporate team.  

Thomson Geer is pleased to announce two Partners from the Australian office of international law firm Clyde & Co will be joining the firm in 2025.Construction expert Phillip Coady and Financial Services regulatory specialist Liam Hennessy will join Thomson Geer's Sydney and Brisbane offices respectively. Phillip and Liam will between them bring around 14 senior and junior lawyers. Thomson Geer Chief Executive Partner Adrian Tembel said: “We look forward to welcoming Phillip, Liam and their teams to Thomson Geer. "Our domestic strength, the simplicity of how we operate and our competitiveness is highly attractive to Partners like Phillip and Liam. We think by coming to Thomson Geer they have found a firm that will assist them to reach their full potential." Phillip and his team will bolster the wider Construction team and strengthen collaboration across Thomson Geer's east coast offices. Phillip advises on the full lifecycle of construction projects, including dispute resolution, across the infrastructure and energy and natural resources sectors. He has worked for top tier firms in Australia and overseas, and in-house for a major international construction company. He has been named as a recommended construction lawyer in legal directory Doyle's Guide and been nominated for Construction and Infrastructure Partner of the Year in the Lawyers Weekly Partner of the Year Awards. His experience includes acting for contractors on multi-billion dollar infrastructure projects, as well as in court disputes and arbitrations. Liam specialises in financial services risk and compliance, licensing and regulatory matters. He has extensive experience in advising on digital assets such as cryptocurrencies and NFTs. His practice also includes advising on the establishment of wholesale and retail funds and associated advice, assisting insurance and superannuation funds with Financial Accountability Regime implementation, and all other aspects of financial services advice. Liam is a thought leader in the cryptocurrency space, regularly commenting in the media on issues affecting the sector and contributing articles on the topic. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Law at Griffith University in Queensland, lecturing in Financial Service Regulation. Liam has worked at top tier Australian and international law firms and is a strong cultural fit for Thomson Geer. His joining Thomson Geer is a "return home" for him. He was a lawyer at the firm between 2010 and 2012. Phillip and Liam's move to Thomson Geer follows the announcement of the appointment of top Queensland-based technology and cyber lawyer Hayden Delaney and his team of eight to the Brisbane office.  

Thomson Geer is pleased to welcome new Workplace law Partner Adrian Wong and his team to Thomson Geer, expanding the firm's capability and adding depth to our national Employment law offering. Adrian specialises in workforce strategy (including enterprise bargaining), employment compliance, transfer of business, misconduct matters and litigation. Thomson Geer Chief Executive Partner Adrian Tembel said: "We are pleased to welcome Adrian and his team to the firm. They are a high performing group of lawyers doing quality work and who will complement our existing Employment practice. "With Australia's industrial and workplace relations landscape going through significant changes, clients need advisers who have the skills and experience to successfully navigate them." Adrian and his team will be based in Thomson Geer's Melbourne office. "We are excited to join Thomson Geer and become part of its plan for growth," Adrian said. "We see many opportunities to collaborate across the firm on some of the most pressing and complex workplace issues clients face today." Adrian's team includes: Senior Associate Katherine Southwell, Associate Tara Malishev and Graduate Hailey Summers.  

Thomson Geer has advised Western Australia-based gold miner Westgold on its A$1.2 billion merger with Canadian-listed Karora Resources and dual-listing on the Toronto Stock Exchange to create a top five Australian gold producer. The merger saw Westgold acquire all the shares in Karora in a cash and scrip offer to Karora shareholders via a plan of arrangement under the Canada Business Corporations Act. The new enlarged Westgold will have a pro forma market capitalisation of approximately A$2.5 billion and bring together the Western Australia mining assets of Westgold and Karora to be capable of producing more than 400,000 ounces of gold per annum. It will also benefit from significant savings through synergies between the companies. Thomson Geer advised Westgold on all aspects of the transaction including strategy and structuring, regulatory analysis and compliance (including ASX, ASIC, Foreign Investment Review Board and Takeovers Panel), due diligence and documentation, working closely with Westgold's financial advisor Argonaut PCF and Canadian law firm Stikeman Elliott on Canadian cross border matters. The Thomson Geer team was led by Partner David Church who said: "It has been a privilege to work with Westgold on this strategically significant merger to create a top five gold producer in Australia. Our multi-disciplinary team worked closely with Westgold's advisors in Australia and overseas to bring together the merger quickly and efficiently." Westgold Managing Director and CEO Wayne Bramwell said: "We are grateful for the expertise David and the Thomson Geer team brought to this merger that creates a significantly larger, unhedged and well-funded Australian gold producer. David's solutions-oriented approach and ability to work seamlessly across jurisdictions with multiple advisers set him and his team apart." David was supported by Energy & Resources Partner Paul Harley, Corporate Partner Michael Ng, Senior Associates Kajal Parmar and Lawrence Ward and members of Thomson Geer's Employment, Property, Planning and Environment and Litigation teams.