Clifford Chance > Perth, Australia > Firm Profile
Clifford Chance Offices
GROUD FLOOR, 235 ST GEORGES TERRACE
PERTH, WA 6000
Australia
Clifford Chance > The Legal 500 Rankings
Australia > Dispute resolution: arbitration Tier 1
The arbitration team at Clifford Chance operates domestically, regionally and internationally, with practitioners working out of Perth, Sydney and Melbourne, conducting advocacy in English, French, Spanish and Chinese. Sam Luttrell and Cameron Hassall co-lead the team from Perth and Sydney, respectively. Luttrell has notable experience in French-speaking markets, Hassall in Hong Kong and China. Spencer Flay has particular strength regarding construction matters; operating out of Perth, he advises developers, project sponsors and contractors on disputes arising from natural resources, oil and gas, and infrastructure development projects. Sydney-based counsel Robert Tang and Julia Dreosti specialise in energy and resources, and aerospace and defence, respectively. In Perth, senior associate Rodolphe Ruffié-Farugia is noted for his cross-border work.Practice head(s):
Sam Luttrell; Cameron Hassall
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Cameron Hassall is a superb lawyer, a careful analyst and a sensible, reasonable person who embodies all the skills necessary for proper and efficient dispute resolution.’
Australia > Banking and finance Tier 2
Clifford Chance is known in the market for its expertise in leveraged finance, acquisition and infrastructure finance and financial regulatory issues. ‘Technically strong lawyer‘ Elizabeth Hundt Russell is an expert in senior and mezzanine financings, unitranches, convertible notes, Holdco PIKs, vendor loans and TLBs. Managing partner Richard Gordon is highlighted for his work in corporate lending and restructurings. For project and energy finance, Chad Bochan and Philip Sealey are key figures.Practice head(s):
Richard Gordon
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘Liz Hundt Russell is a technically strong lawyer, able to get complex debt transactions done, and is a good advisor. ‘
‘Market leading practice with globally connected experience in managing large and complex financing structures.’
‘Richard Gordon – market leader and strong relationships with credit funds / institutional debt providers.’
Key clients
Asian Development Bank
Credit Suisse
Five V
Global Infrastructure Group
HSBC
Partners Group
OCP Asia
Allegro
Anchorage Capital
Adamantem
Work highlights
- Advised Partners Group on its sale of CWP Renewables, a vertically integrated renewable energy platform in Australia, to Squadron Wind Energy Assets.
- Advised on the financing for private equity firm Anchorage Capital Partners’ acquisition of Australian luxury retailer David Jones from South Africa’s Woolworths Holdings.
- Advising the lenders on the financing made available to Global Infrastructure Partners to fund the acquisition of a 49% stake in Woodside’s $7.6bn JV for the Pluto Train 2 LNG train project.
Australia > Energy (transactions and regulatory) Tier 2
Jointly led by Nadia Kalic in Sydney, and Philip Sealey and Sam Luttrell in Perth, Clifford Chance's team has experienced growth in its renewable energy capabilities, and an increase clean hydrogen and energy storage mandates. Luttrell is known for his specialism in contentious matters, and Sealy is noted for his deep knowledge of banking and finance related issues. Kalic maintains a M&A focused practice, with her primary area of focus being infrastructure projects.Practice head(s):
Nadia Kalic; Philip Sealey; Sam Luttrell
Other key lawyers:
Cameron Hassall; Reuben van Werkum
Testimonials
‘Quality and timeliness of work product. Personable responsive staff. Quality of strategic thinking. Manner of interaction with clients and access to wide range of legal expertise. Ability to manage relationships with other counsel and to deal accross jurisdictions.’
Work highlights
- Advised the Viva Energy Australia group on its proposed acquisition from Coles of the Coles Express retail convenience business which operates at Shell branded service stations throughout Australia. At completion of the transaction, Viva Energy will terminate its existing alliance arrangements with Coles and will enter into a number of commercial agreements to support the ongoing retailing operations at the sites and to maintain the existing customer fuel discount loyalty arrangements.
- Advised Partners Group on its sale of CWP Renewables, a vertically integrated renewable energy platform in Australia, to Squadron Wind Energy Assets.
- Acting for Gelion Technologies Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of the LSE-listed company Gelion plc, in relation to the proposed development and scaling up of a technology business related to silicon-based nanoparticles/materials for application in batteries.
Australia > Project finance Tier 2
Nadia Kalic, Chad Bochan and Richard Gordon are the trio at the helm of Clifford Chance and work out of the firm’s Sydney office. The group leverages its energy and infrastructure transactional expertise in the Asia Pacific group, and regularly lead transactions in Asia Pacific out of Australia, utilising resources and offices in both Australia and the wider region. Senior associate Dale Straughen, also located in Sydney, is well placed to assist clients with renewable energy matters given his experience in this area. Although the practice is multi-disciplinary, particular sector strengths include banking and finance, energy and resources, and M&A.Practice head(s):
Nadia Kalic; Chad Bochan; Richard Gordon
Other key lawyers:
Work highlights
- Advised Webuild on the successful restructure and acquisition of the Australian business of the Clough Group out of insolvency.
- Advised Partners Group on its sale of CWP Renewables, a vertically integrated renewable energy platform in Australia, to Squadron Wind Energy Assets.
- Advised the lenders to a consortium led by Morrison & Co on the acquisition financing of a 49% stake in Telstra’s InfraCo Towers business.
Australia > Capital markets
Clifford Chance‘s capital markets team is co-led by Richard Gordon and David Clee in Sydney, and Mark Chan in Hong Kong, and also has team members based in Perth. It operates as a regional team collaborating with colleagues across Asia Pacific, offering deals structured according to Australian, Singapore, Japanese, US, English and Hong Kong law. The firm's focus is on advising financial institutions acting in arranger and manager roles on Australian debt issuance programmes, with additional expertise in acting as issuer counsel, specifically for banking clients.Practice head(s):
Richard Gordon; Mark Chan; David Clee
Work highlights
- Advised BNP Paribas as arranger on the technical update of Wesfarmers Limited’s $3,000,000,000 medium term note programme.
- Advised Citi and HSBC as joint arrangers on the technical update of Fonterra’s $4,000,000,000 medium term note programme.
- Advised Citi, HSBC and MUFG as joint lead managers on Chorus’ issue of €500,000,000 3.625 per cent fixed rate notes due 2029 under its $2,000,000,000 euro medium term note programme.
Australia > Corporate and M&A Tier 3
Offering an end-to-end M&A experience, the team at Clifford Chance attracts a national and global client base and is best known for its ability to adeptly navigate cross-border and multi-jurisdictional transactions. Mark Currell handles work in the energy and resources, education and healthcare sectors, while David Clee deals with work in the real estate and finance sectors. Other names to note include corporate specialists Reuben Van Werkum, Nadia Kalic and Jacob Kahwaji, who practice from the Sydney office.Practice head(s):
Mark Currell
Other key lawyers:
Reuben van Werkum; Jacob Kahwaji; Nadia Kalic; Elizabeth Hill; Andrew Crook
Testimonials
‘Very high attention to detail, provides extreme comfort on technical legal matters, takes time to make it as easy as possible for the client.’
‘Jacob Kawaji – a very strong technical lawyer, outstanding attention to detail, very responsive.’
‘David Clee – technically strong, calm under pressure, highly reliable.’
‘Long standing relationships with clients, strong sense of collaboration, proactive and commercial approach.’
‘Young and hungry, strong work ethic. Shared values. Investing in the client relationship. Key partners: Andrew Crook, Reuben van Werkum and Jacob Kahwaji.’
‘Technically very good and responsive.’
‘David Clee and his team provide a first-rate service, with an unparalleled level of client dedication. Their legal support is invariably pragmatic and solution-oriented, and they are adept at cutting through high-pressure and complex counterparty negotiations. Highly recommended.’
Key clients
AC Newco Pty Ltd (AC Newco)
Management Team of MotorOne; owned by Quadrant Private Equity (Quadrant)
Partners Group Holding AC (Partners Group)
Biocare Projects Pty Ltd (BioCare Projects)
Viva Energy Group Limited (Viva Energy)
Five V Capital Pty Ltd (Five V Capital)
BBRC Private Equity (BBRC)
Adamantem Capital Management Pty Ltd (Adamantem Capital)
HOCHTIEF Australia Holdings Limited (HOCHTIEF)
Kinela
Viva Energy Group Limited
Xpansiv Limited
Goldman Sachs
Work highlights
- Advised AC Newco on its acquisition of a majority interest in Amarco Enterprises, the exclusive distributor of Danné Montague-King skincare products across Australia and New Zealand.
- Advised the management of MotorOne on its entry into a new Management Equity Plan and advised on amendments to the shareholders agreement and constitution of the new holding company.
- Advised global private markets firm Partners Group on its sale of CWP Renewables, a vertically integrated renewable energy platform in Australia, to Squadron Wind Energy Assets.
Australia > Dispute resolution: litigation Tier 3
Clifford Chance‘s litigation and dispute resolution team is ‘very commercial and practical’ in its advice, with particular strength acting for financial investors. Angela Pearsall in Sydney heads the team with Perth-based Sam Luttrell. Pearsall specialises in contentious regulatory investigations and large-scale commercial litigation, the latter is also an area of expertise for Grave. In Perth, Spencer Flay is a major projects and contentious construction specialist, advising clients across the natural resources, oil and gas, and infrastructure sectors. Naomi Griffin in Sydney is also recommended.Practice head(s):
Angela Pearsall; Sam Luttrell
Other key lawyers:
Spencer Flay; Stephanie Huts; Naomi Griffin; Cameron Hassall
Testimonials
‘Very deep thinking about the real issues in the litigation and the ability to eschew the marginal or irrelevant issues.’
‘Angela Pearsall is intelligent, deep thinking and great leadership.’
‘Diligent, tactical team.’
‘Angela Pearsall and Naomi Griffin are very diligent.’
‘Stephanie Huts is a, if not the, go-to person. She combines a deep knowledge of the way the industry works with considerable litigation and advisory experience. She has sound judgement and is able to take difficult and important decisions, while always retaining the confidence of her clients.’
‘Very commercial and practical in their advice.’
‘Cameron Hassell is very responsible and pushes for a positive outcome.’
Australia > Competition and trade Tier 4
Clifford Chance is home to over 100 competition lawyers who operate across Australia and the wider APAC region, Europe and the US. The team recently bolstered its practice through the June 2023 hire of Elizabeth Richmond from Clayton Utz; she arrives with a stellar track record in merger clearance, competition litigation, and gas-related regulatory/advisory work. Counsel Mark Grime, who is notably qualified in both Australia and New York, regularly advises on high-stakes competition law matters with a particular focus on complex merger clearance work.Practice head(s):
Elizabeth Richmond
Other key lawyers:
Mark Grime; Angel Fu
Testimonials
‘We have used Clifford Chance in Australia and internationally. The strength that I see in using Clifford Chance is that their antitrust team operates globally and seamlessly, which means we benefit from the international experience of solicitors who have oversight of regulatory actions in our markets in overseas jurisdictions, as well as local expertise. This capability cannot be under emphasised, and cannot be delivered by law firms that only operate in Australia.
‘We always value collaborative, responsive and skilled personnel. Clifford Chance’s culture is particularly collaborative – both with each other and with their clients. They operate collectively and as part of our team. This makes them stand out. A special mention goes to Angel Fu, a Senior Associate in the Sydney office was highly responsive and easy to work with.’
‘The exceptional skill and expertise of individuals within the team make this team a standout amongst its competitors. The advice provided is always very timely, commercial and practical which helps to ensure that it gets cut through and supported within other business units within my organisation.’
‘Elizabeth Richmond is an absolute superstar and I could not recommend her more highly! She can always be relied on to provide prompt, proactive, and high-quality legal advice, sometimes at extremely short notice. Despite how busy Elizabeth must be, as a client you always feel like you have her utmost priority and attention, which is always very greatly appreciated. Elizabeth is a very skilled communicator, with the ability to distill and clearly communicate complex legal issues to a wide range of stakeholders including to Boards and Commercial teams. ’
Key clients
Viva Energy
Qatar Airways
British Airways
Iberia
WeBuild S.p.A
Adobe Inc.
Lactalis Australia
Bunnings / Beaumont Tiles
Amazon
Work highlights
- Represented Lactalis in legal proceedings commenced by the ACCC for allegations regarding breaches of the Dairy Code of Conduct.
- Advised British Airways, Qatar Airways, and Iberia on all antitrust matters and antitrust immunity filings relating to a revised and expanded passenger joint business agreement.
- Advised Viva Energy on all of the competition related aspects of its AU$1.15 billion acquisition of convenience retailer OTR Group from Peregrine Corporation.
Australia > Natural resources (transactions and regulatory) Tier 4
Australia > Transport: shipping Tier 4
Clifford Chance is ‘a strong participant among the admiralty and maritime players in Perth’, where practice head Pat Saraceni is based; she is described as ‘an excellent, results driven lawyer, operating at the top of her game’. Senior associates Nathan Sexton and Shannen Bowen are also key team members, especially for contentious work. The group has additional experience dealing with regulatory and compliance issues and deals with Australian regulators such as the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Authority.Practice head(s):
Pat Saraceni
Other key lawyers:
Testimonials
‘A strong participant among the admiralty and maritime lawyers in Perth.’
‘Pat Saraceni is an excellent, results driven lawyer, operating at the top of her game.’
‘The expertise and service delivery at CC is truly excellent.’
‘Pat Saraceni – world leader in the field.’
Australia > White-collar crime Tier 4
Primarily based in Sydney, the practice group at Clifford Chance handles mandates involving enforcement agencies, displaying broad expertise in advising on post-settlement remedial actions, crisis management and proceeds of crime matters. Angela Pearsall is particularly adept at acting for accounting firms in financial reporting litigation. Dividing her time between Hong Kong and Sydney, Donna Wacker frequently handles investigations into cryptocurrency trading platforms and rate-fixing. Since publication, former practice co-head Tim Grave departed in February 2024.Practice head(s):
Angela Pearsall; Donna Wacker
Other key lawyers:
Lara Gotti
Testimonials
‘Incredibly disciplined & thorough across both detail & summary level of key issues. Strong subject matter expertise. Empathetic.’
Australia > Restructuring and insolvency Tier 5
Clifford Chance utilises its global presence to assist clients in complex and cross-border transactions. By partnering with its market-leading funds and private equity practice, the team advises clients on distressed lending solutions and loan to own strategies. The team has a particular focus on natural resources and energy-sector assets. Perth-based team head Mark Gillgren has specialist expertise in the mining and oil and gas sectors. David Clee operates from the Sydney office and has particular experience in the real estate and financial services sectors.Practice head(s):
Mark Gillgren
Other key lawyers:
Work highlights
- Advised Webuild on the restructure and acquisition of the Australian and PNG business of the Clough Group out of insolvency.
- Advising DTT and DTC in their defence of a class action brought in the Federal Court of Australia by the shareholders of Hastie Group.
- Advised an ad-hoc group of lenders to Boart Longyear on its debt-for-equity swap transaction under which $830m of debt and accrued interest owed by BLY and its subsidiaries was cancelled in exchange for BLY equity.
Asia Pacific: Regional International Arbitration > Leading firms
Clifford Chance has vast reach across the region, with offices across China, Hong Kong, Australia and Singapore, advising on complex international law issues across all sectors. The firm has a range of experienced practitioners across all offices in the region. Nish Shetty is dual-qualified in England and Singapore, and leads the Singapore practice alongside Paul Sandosham, who brings vast energy expertise to the wider team. In greater China, the firm has one of the pre-eminent international arbitration offerings, conducting arbitrations in both Mandarin Chinese and English. Hong-Kong based Thomas Walsh leads the practice in that region – with experience of sitting as an arbitrator under all major rules, including the HKIAC, ICC, and SIAC – alongside Shanghai-based Lei Shi, who frequently represents mainland Chinese financial instutions. In Australia, the firm has practitioners working out of Perth, Sydney, and Melbourne, frequently conducting arbitrations in English, French, Spanish, and Chinese. Sam Lutrell and Cameron Hassall are key names in the Perth and Sydney offices, with Spencer Flay in the former bringing extensive strength regarding construction work.Work highlights
Clifford Chance > Firm Profile
The firm: Clifford Chance is one of the world’s pre-eminent law firms, with significant depth and range of resources across five continents. As a single, fully integrated, global partnership, it prides itself on its approachable, collegial and team-based way of working. The firm always strives to exceed the expectations of its clients, which include corporates from all the commercial and industrial sectors, governments, regulators, trade bodies and not-for-profit organisations. It provides them with the highest quality advice and legal insight, which combines the firm’s global standards with in-depth local expertise.
Types of work undertaken
Capital markets: the capital markets practice concentrates on securities transactions and other products sold into the capital markets. The practice is founded on a full-service US and UK securities law capability, complemented by local securities law expertise in each of the key financial centres. It provides practical, integrated legal advice covering the full spectrum of global capital raising activities including public and private domestic and international offerings of traditional debt and equity securities as well as convertible and other derivative and structured securities.
Corporate: the corporate practice handles some of the world’s largest and most complex M&A transactions. It combines global transaction capability with a full service of English, US and civil law expertise in the key financial centres across Europe, the Americas and Asia Pacific. In addition to mainstream M&A, the firm also encompasses leading specialist practices in: commercial contracts, competition and antitrust, communications, energy, healthcare, financial institutions, funds, investment banking, insurance, media and technology, and private equity.
Finance: Clifford Chance’s finance practice is the leading international finance practice of any law firm. The practice provides highly commercial and practical advice across the full spectrum of financial products including syndicated lending and leveraged and acquisition finance, asset finance, derivative products, project finance, financial regulatory, insolvency, restructuring and structured finance.
Litigation, dispute resolution and risk management: the firm has experience in virtually all segments of the business and financial markets across multiple jurisdictions. The lawyers work with clients to resolve disputes efficiently and effectively – whether through arbitration, litigation or other techniques.
Real estate: Clifford Chance’s leading real estate practice offers UK, European, Asian and US real estate capability. The practice advises the real estate industry’s leading players on the entire property ‘life-cycle’ from the initial acquisition, development, leasing, joint venturing and financing through to the final exit, as well as tax structuring, PFI/PPP, corporate outsourcing, planning, environment and litigation.
Tax, pensions, employment and incentives: Clifford Chance has one of the world’s largest international tax groups within a single law firm. The firm is uniquely placed to provide leading edge advice to clients, and the practice is structured on an integrated global basis. Local tax groups within the practice work closely with areas such as securitisation, securities, M&A, corporate restructuring, private equity, real estate and funds.
The pan-European VAT group advises on all areas of VAT and has particular strength advising on novel and complex issues in the structured finance, financial services, corporate finance and real estate sectors.
The team of experienced employment, employee benefits, ERISA, immigration and pensions specialists work with clients from a wide range of sectors to address local and cross-border issues.
International offices: Abu Dhabi, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Beijing, Brussels, Bucharest, Casablanca, Dubai, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Istanbul, Kyiv*, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, Moscow, Munich, New York, Paris, Perth, Prague, Rome, São Paulo, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo, Warsaw, Washington, D.C., Riyadh**
*Clifford Chance has a best friends relationship with Redcliffe Partners in Ukraine.
**Clifford Chance has a co-operation agreement with Abuhimed Alsheikh Alhagbani Law Firm in Riyadh
Lawyer Profiles
Photo | Name | Position | Profile |
---|---|---|---|
Mr Richard Gordon | Richard Gordon specialises in financing transactions, including leveraged acquisitions, project and infrastructure… | View Profile | |
Pat Saraceni | View Profile |
Staff Figures
Number of partners : 550 Number of other fee-earners : 3,300Legal Briefings
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Competition for competition claims?
Until recently, the lion’s share of follow-on claims in relation to large EU-wide cartels were brought in the English courts. The claimant is the one who decides where to bring the claim (subject to the chosen courts having jurisdiction) and the availability of broad disclosure and other aspects of English procedure have made England an … -
Securities litigation gathers momentum in the UK
Clifford Chance’s Ian Moulding, Chris Yates, Jason Epstein and Ryan Byrne consider the rising tide of US-style ‘stock drop’ shareholder class actions in the UK, and offer practical tips for in-house counsel on managing the risk of shareholder litigation Shareholders can bring claims against listed companies to recover losses suffered as a result of a drop …
Comparative Guides
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United States: Competition Litigation
Published: July 2023
Authors: William Lavery Joe Ostoyich Weisiyu Jiang Kimberly Shi
This country-specific Q&A provides an overview of Competition Litigation laws and regulations applicable in United States.
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United Kingdom: Merger Control
Published: October 2023
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This country-specific Q&A provides an overview of Merger Control laws and regulations applicable in United Kingdom.
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France: Real Estate
Published: December 2023
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Germany: Real Estate
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Spain: Real Estate
Published: December 2023
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This country-specific Q&A provides an overview of Real Estate laws and regulations applicable in Spain.
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The Netherlands: Real Estate
Published: December 2023
Authors: Liesbeth BuiterLotte de BruinStern FlikCile ArnoldyGülsah Vural
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United Kingdom: Real Estate
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This country-specific Q&A provides an overview of Real Estate laws and regulations applicable in United Kingdom.
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United States: Real Estate
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Poland: Investing In
Published: January 2024
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EU: Life Sciences
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This country-specific Q&A provides an overview of Insurance & Reinsurance laws and regulations applicable in United Kingdom.