DLA Piper > Brisbane, Australia > Firm Profile

DLA Piper > The Legal 500 Rankings

Australia > Dispute resolution: arbitration Tier 1

Counting a litany of public bodies, sovereign states, and blue-chip multinational engineering and construction companies among its clientele, DLA Piper regularly handles major arbitrations - both domestic and international in nature. Construction, energy, and natural resources are key sector focuses for the practice, with Perth-based construction co-chair Richard Edwards anchoring the team's expertise in the former. The team is spearheaded by Gitanjali Bajaj, the firmwide co-chair for international arbitration in the Asia Pacific region who also serves as vice president of the Australian Centre for International Commercial Arbitration (ACICA). Melbourne-based Gowri Kangeson and Brisbane-based Liam Prescott are also recommended.

Australia > Data protection Tier 2

Entrusted by a diverse roster of large corporates, governments and specialist internet companies, recent standout engagements for the ‘responsive and commercial’ group at DLA Piper include advising Australia’s independent financial ombudsman, the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA), in relation to its landmark ‘Digital Modernisation Programme’. The firm’s international presence and access to expertise in areas such as digital transformation projects, means that the type of projects the team is taking on are becoming ever more complex. Practice head Tim Lyons is at the forefront of the group’s government offering, routinely assisting the high-level public sector bodies with privacy law matters. Lyons frequently works in conjunction with Sarah Birkett, who has over 14 years of experience in this area. At the senior associate level, the ‘technically impressive‘ Claire Kermond – based in Sydney – is recommended. All named lawyers are based in Melbourne unless stated otherwise.

Australia > Fintech and financial services regulatory Tier 2

DLA Piper's strategic focus is split equally between financial services regulatory and fintech work. In the latter space, the team’s far-reaching expertise include issues relating to corporate, securities and financing; payments, alternative lending, data and analytics, and software; blockchain and cryptocurrency; and data protection. Sydney-based Anthony Lloyd and Melbourne-based Joel Cox are the key contacts for the firm's technology clients. On the risk management and compliance side, Samantha O’Brien and Natalie Caton – both based in Brisbane – sit at the helm.

Australia > Infrastructure projects and construction Tier 2

Deftly balancing contentious and commercial capabilities, DLA Piper advises a range of prominent clients on the delivery of major infrastructure and property development projects. The team is especially strong in international matters stemming from the firm’s global network, supporting international clients on important domestic projects, and vice versa. John Gallagher is a reputed name in the market, advising clients on infrastructure and engineering projects across Australia. Gitanjali Bajaj is an experienced advisor with respect to dispute resolution and risk management of major international projects, particularly those within the renewables, defence, construction, and transport sectors.

Australia > Insurance Tier 2

Powered by offices in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, the insurance group at DLA Piper provides a comprehensive service to major Australian insurers and reinsurers, underwriters, policyholders, industry bodies, and regulators on a diverse range of matters. Core areas of expertise include business interruption cases, regulatory investigations and enforcement, D&O disputes and W&I claims. The team is jointly headed by Brisbane-based risk product expert Samantha O’Brien, a key port of call for many of the firm’s blue-chip clients, and experienced commercial litigator James Morse, who works out of the firm’s Sydney office. Other key figures include insurance sector authority Tricia Hobson, who maintains a presence in both Sydney and London, and policy coverage dispute specialist Carmen Elder, as well as senior associates Clancy O’Donovan and Ann-Marie Coleman, who are based in Sydney and Brisbane, respectively.

Australia > Intellectual property Tier 2

DLA Piper regularly represents some of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies in a slew of contentious and non-contentious matters. Nicholas Tyacke in Sydney and Robynne Sanders in Melbourne jointly head up the ‘commercial, pragmatic’ group. Sanders, who is praised for his ‘great attention to detail', focuses chiefly on patent litigation for clients in the medical devices, engineering, and IT sectors, while Tyacke - life sciences IP and regulatory practice head - is a leading patent and IP litigator who regularly acts for large pharmaceutical companies.  The pair is ably supported by the Sydney-based Jessie Buchan, noted for her expertise in soft IP issues.

Australia > Capital markets Tier 3

With a national presence spanning Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, the seasoned equity capital markets group at DLA Piper advises issuers, underwriters and financial advisers on a diverse range of matters. Headed by the Sydney-based David Ryan, the team assists multinational clients across such sectors as life sciences, resources, and tech, particularly with institutional placements, share purchase plans, high-value IPOs, and secondary raisings. The group is supported by ECM specialist Kelly Morrison in Brisbane.

Australia > Competition and trade Tier 3

In addition to regularly receiving instructions from the ACCC in respect of market-shaping transactions and enforcement proceedings, DLA Piper's competition and regulatory team advises a number of major Australian companies on high-profile contentious and non-contentious matters across the full spectrum of competition and trade law. Melbourne-based practice chair Simon Uthmeyer is noted for his experience in merger clearances, cartel investigations, anticompetitive business practices, and abuse of dominance issues. John Fogarty is an experienced litigator who specialises in regulatory enforcement matters, while Fleur Gibbons focuses on competition and access law, as well as economic regulatory requirements.

Australia > Corporate and M&A Tier 3

At DLA Piper, the team ensures that its capabilities closely map the sectors trending in the Australian market, which most recently has included technology – including fintech – energy, and natural resources. Grant Koch heads up both the corporate and private equity offerings from Sydney, with Lyndon Masters and Shane Bilardi providing support from the Brisbane and Melbourne offices, respectively. The practice spans the full gamut of corporate and commercial work, spanning recapitalisations, unregulated takeovers, share buybacks, employee incentive schemes, and distressed M&A, amongst others.

Australia > Dispute resolution: class actions Tier 3

Set within the firm’s broader litigation and regulatory team, which is led by Cameron Maclean from Perth, DLA Piper's class actions offering boasts experience across shareholder, consumer, and professional negligence matters. Melbourne-based Kieran O’Brien, global co-chair of the firm’s class actions and mass torts group, is active in areas including employee and product liability claims, while Tricia Hobson and James Morse, both in Sydney, are key contacts for clients in the insurance industry; a major sector focus for the firm.

Australia > Dispute resolution: litigation Tier 3

Litigation and regulatory practice head Cameron Maclean steers a team with broad experience and national reach – including in class actions and arbitrations with strong international dimension – from DLA Piper‘s Perth office, where construction specialist Richard Edwards is also a key name to note. Gitanjali Bajaj is a central figure in Sydney, possessing particular experience in complex project work in the energy, defence, and construction and infrastructure sectors. Beyond Sydney and Perth, Liam Prescott in Brisbane and Gowri Kangeson in Melbourne are also recommended. Tricia Hobson, who joined from Norton Rose Fulbright in July 2022, is noted for her insurance expertise.

Australia > Energy (transactions and regulatory) Tier 3

DLA Piper‘s energy and natural resources team is highly reputed for its ability to advise on renewable energy deals. The cross-disciplinary offering comprises a range of specialists across various practice groups, including finance, restructuring, regulatory and tax. The team is led by Alex Jones, a specialist mining and natural resources lawyer who advises clients in relation to acquisitions, feasibility assessments, and the development and operation of major infrastructure projects. Stephen Webb has extensive experience in international project across the energy and infrastructure sectors. Kate Muller is no longer at the firm.

Australia > IT and telecoms Tier 3

A diverse roster of fast-growing, international technology, IT, and e-commerce companies turn to DLA Piper for its capabilities in a variety of cross-border projects. The team is lauded by clients as, ‘the market leader in advising on outsourcing contracts‘, an ares in which Sydney-based data protection and cybersecurity specialist Nicholas Boyle draws particularly high praise. ‘Commercially pragmatic‘ Melbourne-based practice head Tim Lyons also works on the procurement elements of outsourcing transactions, while the Sydney-based Anthony Lloyd – global co-chair of the firm’s technology transactions and strategic sourcing group – counts a number of major financial services companies among his client base. At associate level, Sarah Dolan is noted for her 'deep understanding of risk beyond the contractual T&Cs'.

Australia > Labour and employment Tier 3

With a team working across offices in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney, the labour and employment team at DLA Piper assists high-profile corporates and financial institutions on the gamut of contentious and non-contentious matters, including transactional support compliance issues, executive exits, and harassment and discrimination claims. Headed by Sydney-based Nicholas Turner, a specialist in cross-border employment structuring, the group’s diverse client portfolio spans the tech, life sciences, financial services, health, food and beverages, insurance and retail sectors. Beyond Turner, key names to note include industrial relations strategist Rick Catanzariti and experienced employment litigator Leanne Nickels, based in Melbourne and Perth, respectively. Joanne Leveridge in Perth and Clancy King in Sydney were both promoted to special counsel in May 2022.

Australia > Native title Tier 3

Folded into its finance, projects and restructuring practice, the native title group at DLA Piper coordinates with its business and human rights teams in London on sustainability and environmental, social and governance (ESG) matters, and to advise proponents on Aboriginal heritage issues across the mining, infrastructure, oil and gas, renewables and real estate sectors. Regulatory expert Rhys Davies leads the team - dividing his time between the firm's Perth and Melbourne offices. He is supported by special counsel Katherine Perincek, based in Perth.

Australia > Natural resources (transactions and regulatory) Tier 3

The cross-practice energy and natural resources group at DLA Piper comprises specialists in a number of different industries, including finance, corporate, litigation, and tax. Leveraging the firm’s global network of offices, the team is able to take on a significant volume of cross-border work arising from a number of jurisdictions. The team is headed up by global energy co-chair Alex Jones, a specialist mining lawyer acting for prominent mining companies on domestic and offshore projects. Rhys Davies is the firm’s international sustainability and ESG lead, specialising in native title and cultural heritage for mining and infrastructure projects, while special counsel Joanne Steer advises clients in the hard rock mining industry on acquisitions, disposals, and development matters.

Australia > Project finance Tier 3

Australia > Real estate Tier 3

Praised for its ‘broad expertise across a variety of asset classes‘, the real estate team at DLA Piper fields a number of specialists whose expertise collectively encompasses environmental, tax, zoning, and Foreign Investment Review Board matters. Practice group head Les Koltai and ‘knowledgeable‘ Kate Pickthall are among the key names to note, in addition to the ‘responsive and pragmatic’ Carolyn Harding-Smith, who advises on major development projects and complex leasing transactions. All named lawyers are based in Sydney.

Australia > Tax Tier 3

Powered by offices in Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney, the tax team at DLA Piper utilises its global footprint to advise a diverse roster of household-name multinationals involved in high-value, cross-border transactions and complex tax litigation. Headed by veteran practitioner Jock McCormack, the team’s comprehensive service extends to debt and equity structuring, divestments, transfer pricing, and tax aspects of major projects. The team is supported by Eddie Ahn, an expert in tax structuring acquisitions and internal corporate reorganisations, and Paul McNab , who specialises in tax controversy matters and managing audits by the ATO. At senior associate level, Jun Au and Kenny Mui are among the key names to note. The practice’s active client base spans the tech, oil and gas, financial services, real estate and infrastructure sectors. Partner Adam Smith in Melbourne, known for his work advising on insurance tax matters, arrived from Norton Rose Fulbright in June 2022. All the lawyers mentioned work in Sydney unless noted otherwise.

Australia > White-collar crime Tier 3

DLA Piper‘s litigation and regulatory team works on a range of contentious and non-contentious matters, with particular experience dealing with and acting for regulators at both state and federal level. Brisbane-based team lead Natalie Caton is a treble-qualified (New Zealand, Hong Kong, and Australia) partner who possesses particular expertise in the regulatory and investigations space. In Melbourne, competition specialist John Fogarty and class actions and financial services litigator Matthew Spain are also noted.

Australia > Banking and finance Tier 4

Australia > Restructuring and insolvency Tier 4

Sitting within the firm’s wider global restructuring group, DLA Piper handles a range of cross-border, often multi-jurisdictional instructions from debtors and creditors alike. Underpinned by its international capabilities, the team’s broad sector coverage encompasses defence, pharmaceuticals, steel and materials, property, and retail. The practice is co-headed by Onno Bakker and Lionel Meehan, who work out of Sydney and Melbourne, respectively. Meehan, in particular, has a strong track record working on restructuring cases for distressed Japanese investors in Australia, as well as other investors in Australian based in Asia.