White & Case > Sydney, Australia > Firm Profile
White & Case Offices
Level 50, Governor Phillip Tower
1 Farrer Place
SYDNEY, NSW 2000
Australia
White & Case > The Legal 500 Rankings
Australia > Project finance Tier 1
The team at White & Case advises on numerous large projects in Asia and Australia, including construction and infrastructure projects, as well as major energy projects. The group exhibits deep expertise in land access and secondary market sales in relation to both greenfield and brownfield projects. Brendan Quinn, Joel Rennie, and Ged Cochrane jointly lead the team with Quinn having vast experience in advising on the financing of offshore wind farms, Rennie acting for a number of renewable energy companies in refinancing matters, and Chochrane having deep knowledge of acquisition finance and revenue contract related issues.Practice head(s):
Brendan Quinn; Joel Rennie; Ged Cochrane
Other key lawyers:
Isabella Jarrett
Testimonials
‘The key strengths are commerciality of the team, response timeframes, understanding instructions and high-quality legal drafting.’
‘A standout partner is Joel Rennie and a standout senior associate is Isabella Jarrett.’
‘On top of professionalism, the team takes the interest of the project as a priority and adopts a unique client-oriented approach.’
‘Excellent market knowledge. Experts in their practice, with good level of coordination with the rest of the teams.’
Key clients
WestWind Energy
Macquarie Capital
Igneo – Lal lal wind farms acquisition
Neoen
HyperOne
Perdaman Urea Plant
Igneo – Mac Arthur Wind Farm
Nexif Portfolio
Victorian Desalination Plant
CIP Offshore wind
MidOcean – Origin acquisition
Malabar financing
Orion – Thunderbirds mineral sands
FRV Genesis JV – NZ
Work highlights
- Advised WestWind Energy (TagEnergy) on the development and project financing of the A$2bn, 756 MW initial stage of the 1,300 MW Golden Plains Wind Farm in Rokewood in Victoria, Australia.
- Advising Macquarie Capital, the advisory, capital markets and principal investment arm of Macquarie Group, in connection with its investment in Phil-Tower Consortium Inc (PhilTower) to support PhilTower’s acquisition of up to 1,350 towers from Globe Telecom.
- Advised Neoen on the development and project financing of the Capital Battery, a 100 MW/200 MWh lithium-ion battery storage facility near Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).
Australia > Energy (transactions and regulatory) Tier 2
Consistently advising on significant energy projects, White & Case's sizeable energy team have advised on novel domestic wind farm projects. Leading the project finance team, Brendan Quinn works alongside his Melbourne colleagues Andrew Clark, global head of energy and infrastructure, and head of mining, John Tivey, on an array of high-value transactions. Sydney’s Chris Flynn acts for numerous global blue-chip clients and governments on energy, resources and infrastructure transactions and projects, particularly in the upstream, LNG, renewable and non-renewable power sectors.  ÂPractice head(s):
Brendan Quinn; Andrew Clark; John Tivey; Chris Flynn
Testimonials
‘Amazing dedication and professionalism ’
‘Superior understanding of our business, dedication, availability, efficiency’
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Key clients
EIG/MidOcean
Neoen Australia Pty Ltd
Golden Plains
AusNet
Star of the South
Perdaman Urea Plant
Genesis FRV
Southern Green Hydrogen Project
Nexif Energy
Petroliam
Vast Solar
Igneo
Canadian Solar
Tenaga
Epic Energy
Sun Cable
Work highlights
- Advised EIG/MidOcean Energy Holdings Pty Ltd in relation to its proposed acquisition of Origin Energy Limited as part of a consortium with Brookfield.
- Advised Neoen on the development and project financing of the Capital Battery, a 100 MW / 200 MWh lithium-ion battery storage facility near Canberra in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). Construction by Doosan, the project’s Engineering, Procurement & Construction contractor, commenced in December 2021 and the asset is expected to be operational in the first half of 2023.
- Advising AusNet on its bid to the Australian Energy Market Operator to build, own and operate the contestable assets for the Western Victoria Transmission Network Project.
Australia > Environment and planning Tier 2
Headed by ESG and sustainability specialist Tim Power, the Melbourne based practice at White & Case exhibits deep expertise in renewable energy projects, namely, battery, solar and wind farms. The group is known for handling a broad range of issues relating to mining and critical minerals, transport, and land contamination. Michelle Keen and Fiona Curl are particularly active in the renewable energy sector while the latter also specialises in road projects.Practice head(s):
Tim Power
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘The W&C team have deep experience and expertise. Their attitude, approach, and ethic have made them core members of our broader team. ’
Key clients
Star of the South
Perdaman Chemicals and Fertilisers Pty Ltd
Crowley Government Services
AusNet Transmission Group Pty Ltd
Suburban Rail Loop Authority
Rail Projects Victoria
Esso Australia Pty Ltd
Wind Prospect Pty Ltd
Fosterville Gold Mine Pty Ltd
Alinta Energy Pty Ltd
Golden Plains Wind Farm Management Pty Ltd
OSMI Australia Pty Ltd
Woolnorth Wind Farm Holdings Pty Ltd
Work highlights
- Advised on Star of the South, Australia’s first proposed offshore wind farm, located in Gippsland Victoria.
- Advising Perdaman Chemicals And Fertilisers Pty Ltd in relation to the environmental and Aboriginal cultural heritage aspects of the USD$4bn Urea Plant.
- Advising Crowley in relation to the development of a fuel storage facility in Darwin, Northern Territory.
Australia > Infrastructure projects and construction Tier 2
Praised for its ‘exceptional understanding of complex infrastructure projects and documentation’, White & Case team is highly recommended for M&A, project finance, construction and project development, as well as contentious matters. Brad Strahorn and Kate Perumal (both based in Sydney) and Alan Rosengarten are trusted counsel in high-value disputes within the transportation and renewables sectors. Andrew Clark serves as global head of the Asia-Pacific energy, infrastructure and projects practice and is a leader in the representation of key players in the transport and rail sectors. Jared Muller and Adeline Pang are skilled in the preparation and negotiation of engineering, procurement and construction contracts. All lawyers are based in Melbourne unless stated otherwise.Practice head(s):
Andrew Clark; Brad Strahorn; Kate Perumal; Alan Rosengarten; Jared Muller; Adeline Pang
Testimonials
‘Market knowledge, excellent communication skills, client oriented, efficient processes, great level of coordination.’
‘Extremely strategic and commercial. Exceptional understanding of complex infrastructure projects and documentation, and good at managing multiple party negotiations.’
‘Alan Rosengarten is an outstanding infrastructure and projects practitioner. He is extremely commercial and strategic. He looks for solutions to complex problems. He has a wonderful calm manner which is essential in tense multi-party negotiations. He understands our business deeply which makes him someone we readily turn to.’
‘Extremely responsive, including in relation to a large amount of urgent, out-of-scope work we asked W&C to perform. The team added resources as needed in order to meet our very demanding requirements. The team really went above and beyond, taking time and care to understand the ins and outs of our struggles and providing suggestions to move forward.’
‘Excellent, well-resourced team with genuine expertise on major infrastructure and construction projects. The team covers both front and back-end matters.’
‘Kate Perumal has unparalleled knowledge of the ins and outs of major infrastructure and construction projects, and is able to leverage her deep experience for the benefit of clients. She is able to identify innovative solutions to high-value and complex matters.’
Key clients
Suburban Rail Loop Authority
AusNet Services Group (AusNet)
TagEnergy
Macquarie Capital
Igneo Infrastructure Partners
Neoen Capital
Brookfield Asset Management
HyperOne Pty Ltd
Star of the South
Perdaman Urea Plant
Sydney Fish Market Pty Ltd
Brookfield Infrastructure Group (Australia) Pty Ltd
Genesee & Wyoming Inc (G&W)
Work highlights
- Advising the Suburban Rail Loop Authority in relation to the procurement and delivery of the AU$50 billion Suburban Rail Loop.
- Advising AusNet on its bid to the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) to build, own and operate the contestable assets for the Western Victoria Transmission Network Project.
- Advised TagEnergy on the development and project financing of the AU$2 billion, 756MW initial stage of the 1,300MW Golden Plains Wind Farm in Rokewood in Victoria, Australia.
Australia > Tax Tier 2
The team at White & Case is appreciated for its ‘deep technical expertise in the infrastructure space married together with deep technical expertise in Australian income tax law‘. The practice is regularly seen advising its clients on large-scale complex transactions, as well as on tax disputes before the Federal and High Courts of Australia. Tax dispute expert and practice head Aldrin De Zilva is praised for his ‘outstanding technical and commercial perspectives’ while Tim Neilson is well versed in assisting with acquisitions and Cameron Rider is a seasoned tax litigator.Practice head(s):
Aldrin De Zilva
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Talented professionals that have achieved a lot in their careers. Strengths include technical capability and results focused.’
‘Aldrin is an extremely valued advisor with outstanding technical and commercial perspectives.’
‘Aldrin knows the key issues to focus on and handles client sensitivities and time pressures.’
‘The breadth of operational understanding results in advice that aligns easily to our entity. The team understand our business intimately with such ease, compared to other firms we have used, that it makes each assignment much easier.’
‘It’s like working with an old friend when we engage Aldrin De Zilva. His care and understanding of our business and needs is second to none. Aldrin’s technical knowledge and ability to explain issues/risks in terms that are easily understood has provided much comfort to our executive and Boards. He has assisted us to achieve regulator outcomes and regulator relationships that I really don’t think we would have achieved with another firm. We feel very comfortable in recommending White & Case LLP to others.’
‘W&C’s tax team, specifically Aldrin DeSilva is exceptionally technical, responsive, and great to work with.’
‘Specifically Aldrin De Zilva is exceptionally technical, responsive, and great to work with. He is able to consume a significant amount of material in a very short period of time and output a very strong technical response.’
‘Excellent technical and restructuring ability, problem solving team, focussed on client service and working with the client to find a solution to matters. Advice that is practical and includes implementation not only the legal answer. Takes into account accounting, legal, risks, etc’
Key clients
Sydney Transport Partners (WestConnex)
AusNet Services
Deputy Commissioner of Taxation v State Grid International Australia Development Company & AusNet FCA (2022)
Perdaman Group
IOOF Holdings
Transurban
NorthConnex
AusNet Services v Commissioner of Taxation (VID 389/2022)
UniSuper
Work highlights
- Advised AusNet on the on-market acquisition by Australian Energy Holdings No 4 (a company controlled by Brookfield Asset Management, Inc.) by way of a scheme of arrangement.
- Acting as ongoing legal taxation counsel to WCX and advising the STP Consortium in respect of the successful acquisition of the remaining 49% equity stake in WCX.
- Acted as IOOF’s legal tax counsel to assist it in its successful acquisition of the MLC wealth management business from National Australia Bank for A$1.4bn.
Australia > Natural resources (transactions and regulatory) Tier 3
John Tivey, Christopher Flynn, Joel Rennie, and Jared Muller are the quartet leading the White & Case team, which operates across all areas of energy, oil and gas, and mining projects, and often appears in international projects. Brendan Quinn has a strong project finance practice, which lends itself to energy projects or matters with a financial aspect to them. Emblematic of the team more widely, Flynn advises Australian and multinational companies on transactions and projects in an array of sectors including upstream and LNG.Practice head(s):
John Tivey; Christopher Flynn; Joel Rennie; Jared Muller
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Highly professional and capable. Consistently delivers as promised. Compares favourably to others.’
‘Strong focus on client care and delivery. High quality delivery and advice. Highly skilled pragmatic and practical approach.’
‘Great industry knowledge and experience.’
‘Strong client-care and delivery focus. High quality delivery and advice. Highly skilled pragmatic, practical approach.’
Key clients
EIG/MidOcean
Neoen Australia Pty Ltd (Neoen)
Golden Plains
AusNet
Star of the South
Perdaman Urea Plant
Genesis FRV
Southern Green Hydrogen Project
Nexif Energy
Petroliam
Vast Solar
Igneo
Canadian Solar
Tenaga
Epic Energy
Malabar Resources Limited
Sun Cable
Work highlights
- Advised EIG/MidOcean Energy Holdings Pty Ltd on its proposed acquisition of Origin Energy Limited as part of a consortium with Brookfield.
- Advised MidOcean Energy Holdings Pty Ltd on all aspects of its acquisition of Tokyo Gas’ interests in four Australian LNG projects (Pluto LNG, Gorgon LNG, Ichthys LNG and QCLNG) for US$2.15bn
- Acted for Malabar Resources Limited in the financing of the construction and operation of its Maxwell Underground Mine with 141Mt JORC Reserves (770Mt JORC Resources) located in the Upper Hunter region of New South Wales.
Australia > Banking and finance Tier 4
Acquisition and leveraged finance lies at the heart of White & Case‘s finance practice, alongside a growing portfolio of real estate and asset-based financing transactions. Mark Wesseldine has a good reputation for representing international credit funds, financial institutions and specialist senior loan investors in multi-tranche and unitranche capital investments. Cross-border leveraged buyout financing is another area of focus.Practice head(s):
Mark Wesseldine
Key clients
TagEnergy
MidOcean Energy Holdings Pty Ltd
ING Bank (Australia) Limited
Norddeutsche Landesbank Girozentrale, Singapore Branch
Siemens Bank GmbH, Singapore Branch
Work highlights
- Advised MidOcean (an EIG portfolio company) in relation to its proposed acquisition of Origin Energy as part of a consortium with Brookfield.
- Advised the mandated lead arrangers, underwriters and bookrunners in relation to the senior syndicated debt facilities provided to a consortium comprising Amber Infrastructure Group and DIF Capital Partners (sponsors) for the acquisition of Rail First Asset Management.
Australia > Corporate and M&A Tier 4
The team at White & Case has grown further with several significant recent hires: Belinda Harvey joined from Norton Rose Fulbright; Stefanie Benson arrived from A&O Shearman; and Caroline Sherrell moved across from the firm's London office. Practice head John Tivey, who specialises in energy and natural resources transactions, co-heads the team from the Melbourne office with Nirangjan Nagarajah, whose client list includes a number of listed companies. In the Melbourne office, Christopher Flynn is called upon to advise domestic and international companies and governments on energy, resources and infrastructure projects.Practice head(s):
John Tivey; Nirangjan Nagarajah; Christopher Flynn
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘The Corp and M&A Team are very client focused. Their advice is delivered timely, and always with the client’s specific needs and position in mind. Billing has always been sensitive to ensure that the client gets the best value for money.’
‘With the White & Case Team, it feels like a partnership with the client where they invest their time and efforts to ensure that the client gets to the finishing line.’
Key clients
MidOcean Energy Holdings Pty Ltd
Petronas
Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited
Vast Solar
First Sentier Investors
Metric Capital
Brookfield Infrastructure Group
Brookfield Asset Management
Palisade Investment Partners
Canadian Solar Inc.
Tenaga Nasional
Work highlights
- Advised EIG/MidOcean Energy Holdings in relation to its proposed acquisition of Origin Energy as part of a consortium with Brookfield.
- Advised EIG/MidOcean Energy on all aspects of its acquisition of Tokyo Gas’s interests in four Australian LNG projects for $2.15bn.
- Advised Kumul Petroleum Holdings in relation to its proposed acquisition of an additional 5% interest in the PNG LNG Project from Santos Limited.
Australia > Restructuring and insolvency
Australia > Competition and trade
Australia > Dispute resolution: litigation
Singapore > Projects: foreign firms
With a reputation for being ‘a real powerhouse in the energy sector’, White & Case Pte. Ltd. ’s project development and finance team is well known for its work within oil and gas and petrochemicals sectors, and is adept at handling infrastructure and energy transition projects. The group is well placed to assist major international developers, financial institutions, and government entities, often spanning multiple jurisdictions, with project acquisitions, financings and developments. Brendan Quinn and Andrew Clark jointly head the practice out of the firm’s Melbourne office; Saul Daniel, Nettie Choo, Fergus Smith, and Tim Fourteau are key practitioners in Singapore.Practice head(s):
Brendan Quinn; Andrew Clark
Other key lawyers:
Saul Daniel; Matthew Osborne; Fergus Smith; Tim Forteau; Nettie Choo
Testimonials
‘Very experienced in local and regional projects, as well as sector specific projects. The advice and information is current and fresh.’
‘They understand the needs of the clients and find an approach to help commercial negotiation.’
‘Extremely competent, well-sized team with a wide array of lawyers, all excellent in their areas of expertise. They are a pleasure to work with, with a positive culture of finding practical, creative solutions, always helping to successfully close even the toughest negotiations. They are very responsive, and never miss a deadline.’
‘Each lawyer in the team brings to the table excellent legal skills and a very positive attitude. I have nothing but praise for each and every member of this team. Saul Daniel is an excellent partner and leader, always available and bringing real added value to every negotiation. This clearly reverberates throughout the top-class team that he has built.’
‘Nettie Choo is a fantastic associate: she can independently manage complex matters and is always available to help.’
‘The team is very experienced and responds quickly.’
‘Nettie Choo is very supportive, responsive and good at negotiating.’
Key clients
Saudi Aramco
Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP)
Asian Development Bank (ADB)
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC)
International Finance Corporation (IFC)
Stonepeak Infrastructure Partners
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
PT Kilang Pertamina Balikpapan
RATCH Group
Jeonnam Offshore Wind Power Co. Ltd.
Work highlights
- Advised Jeonnam Offshore Wind Power Co. Ltd. on the development and project financing of the 99 MW Jeonnam 1 offshore wind project located off the coast of Shin-an County in South Korea.
- Advised PT Kilang Pertamina Balikpapan on the US$4 billion project financing for the purpose of upgrading its Balikpapan refinery in Indonesia.
- Advised Saudi Aramco on the development of a greenfield refinery and petrochemical complex in northeast China.
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