AUSTRALASIAN LAW AWARDS 2021 EXCELLENCE AWARDEES
Congratulations to all excellence awardees!
You have been shortlisted and your submission is now being reviewed by an external panel of judges to determine the overall winner. Winners will be announced in a series of breaking news stories from June 15 - June 17, followed by an exclusive comprehensive commemorative guide.
Deal Awards
Debt Market Deal of the Year
Australian Office of Financial Management 'Forbearance' SPV
- Firms: Clayton Utz, Eticore, King & Wood Mallesons
- Accountant: Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu
- Bank: Bank of New York
Heartland reverse mortgage securitisation
- Firms: Allen & Overy,Clayton Utz, Slaughter & May
- Banks: Australian Seniors Finance (a subsidiary of Heartland Bank), BNY, M&G Investments
National Broadband Network medium-term notes issuance
- Firms: Allen & Overy, Allens Linklaters, nbnco Legal Team
- Accountant: Grant Samuel
- Banks: ANZ, Commonwealth Bank, Deutsche Bank, NAB, Westpac
Newcrest US-dollar corporate bond offering
- Firms: Allens, Sullivan & Cromwell
- Accountant: Ernst & Young
- Banks: ANZ, Barclays Capital Asia, BofA Securities, HSBC Securities (USA), J.P. Morgan Securities, MUFG Securities Americas, RBC Capital Markets
Equity Market Deal of the Year
Adore Beauty IPO
- Firm: Gilbert + Tobin
- Accountant: KPMG
- Banks: Crestone Wealth Management, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Shaw and Partners, UBS
Dalrymple Bay Infrastructure IPO
- Firms: Herbert Smith Freehills, King & Wood Mallesons, MinterEllison, Sullivan & Cromwell
- Accountants: PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte
- Banks: Bell Potter Securities, Citigroup Global Markets Australia, Credit Suisse (Australia), Crestone Wealth Management, Merrill Lynch Equities (Australia), Morgans Financial, Ord Minnett, Wilsons Corporate Finance
IOOF combined COVID super-sized placement and accelerated non-renounceable entitlement offer
- Firms: Allen & Overy, Allens, King & Wood Mallesons
- Accountant: EY
- Bank: Citigroup
Nuix IPO
- Firms: Clayton Utz, Gilbert + Tobin, Sidley Austin, Sullivan & Cromwell
- Accountant: PricewaterhouseCoopers
- Banks: Macquarie Capital (affiliate of Macquarie Group), Morgan Stanley Australia Securities
Sydney Airport equity raising
- Firm: Allens, King Wood Mallesons
- Accountants: KPMG, PwC
- Bank: UBS
Infrastructure & Projects Deal of the Year
Gunnedah and Suntop Solar projects
- Firms: Herbert Smith Freehills, K&L Gates, Maddocks, Norton Rose Fulbright
Ichthys LNG Project refinancing
- Firms: Allens, Allen & Overy, Herbert Smith Freehills, Latham & Watkins, NautaDutilh NV
- Banks: Citigroup, Mizuho Bank
Moranbah North-Grosvenor mining complex transaction
- Firms: Barbosa Müssnich Aragão Advogados, Clayton Utz, Freshfields, Linklaters, MinterEllison
- Accountants: EY, PwC
Parramatta Council 5 Parramatta Square and Town Hall project
- Firms: Ashurst, King & Wood Mallesons
Port Kembla LNG import facility
- Firm: Allens, Ashurst, Clayton Utz, Herbert Smith Freehills, HWL Ebsworth, K&L Gates
Insolvency & Restructuring Deal of the Year
Bain Capital acquisition of Virgin Australia
- Firm: Clayton Utz, Herbert Smith Freehills, Jones Day, K&L Gates
- Accountant: Deloitte
- Banks: Jefferies
LJ Hooker restructuring
- Firms: Allens Linklaters, Ashurst, Baker McKenzie, Corrs Chambers Westgarth,Gadens, Gilbert + Tobin
- Accountant: KPMG
Ovato restructuring
- Firms: Allens, Ashurst, Baker & McKenzie, Cornwalls, Herbert Smith Freehills, King & Wood Mallesons, MinterEllison, Norton Rose Fulbright
- Accountants: McGrathNicol, 333 Capital
- Advisors: Duff & Phelps, Scottish Pacific Business Finance, Wexted Advisors
- Banks: ANZ, Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft
Pilbara Minerals acquisition of Altura Lithium Operations
- Firms: Allen & Overy, Clayton Utz, Lavan
- Bank: Macquarie
Purchase of Cockatoo Island mining assets
- Firm: Pragma Lawyers
- Accountant/Receiver-Manager: Auxilium Partners
Mid-Market Deal of the Year
Aroa Biosurgery IPO
- Firms: Aroa Biosurgery IPO, Chapman Tripp, MinterEllison, Rimon Law
BGH Capital acquisition of Healius Primary Care
- Firms: Allens,Herbert Smith Freehills, King Wood Mallesons
- Accountants: EY, PwC
- Banks: Morgan Stanley, UBS
Citadel acquisition of Wellbeing Software
- Firms: Ashurst, Gadens, Gilbert + Tobin, Herbert Smith Freehills, Stephenson Harwood (UK), Taylor Wessing (UK)
Crescent Capital Partners acquisition of PRP
- Firms: Allen & Overy, Allens, Herbert Smith Freehills, Jones Day, MinterEllison
- Accountant: Ernst & Young
- Banks: Barings Global Private Loans, Barings Segregated Loans, BAYVK R PD 1 Loan, Goldman Sachs Australia Capital Markets, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company
eBay acquisition of Cox Australia Media Solutions
- Firms: DLA Piper, Gilbert + Tobin,Hogan Lovells
- Accountant: EY
Piangil Almond Orchard sale
- Firm: Gadens, MinterEllison
Tattarang cross-border purchase of RM Williams
- Firms: Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, Clayton Utz, Gilbert + Tobin, Simpson Grierson
- Bank: Goldman Sachs
M&A Deal of the Year
Anheuser-Busch InBev divestment in Australia
- Firms: Allen & Overy, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Gilbert + Tobin, Johnson Winter & Slattery
- Accountants: EY, PwC
- Banks: Lazard, Nomura, Rothschild
CIMIC divestment of its interest in Thiess
- Firms: Allen & Overy, Allens, Ashurst, Borden Ladner Gervais, Desai Law Group, ENSafrica (Mauritius), Hadiputranto, Hadinoto & Partners, Herbert Smith Freehills South Africa, McKinsey & Company, MinterEllison, MinterEllisonRuddWatts, Morales & Besa, Pimenta e Associados – Sociedade de Advogados, Rajah & Tann Singapore, Shardul AmarchandMangaldas & Co, Wood Mackenzie
- Advisor: Marsh
- Accountants: EY, JP Morgan, PwC
GrainCorp demerger of its international malting business
- Firm: Gilbert + Tobin, KWM
- Accountants: KPMG, PwC
- Banks: Blackpeak Capital, Credit Suisse, Grant Samuel, Macquarie
Resolution Life acquisition of the Australian and New Zealand life insurance businesses of AMP Life
- Firms: Allens, Ashurst, Bell Gully – New Zealand, Chapmann Tripp – New Zealand, Debevoise & Plimpton, Greenwoods, Herbert Smith Freehills, KWM
- Accountant: KPMG
- Banks: Deutsche Bank, UBS
Saracen Mineral Holding merger with Northern Star Resources
- Firm: Ashurst, DLA Piper
- Accountants: Deloitte Corporate Finance, Ernst & Young Strategy and Transactions, PriceWaterhouseCoopers
- Banks: Macquarie Capital, Sternship Advisers
Vodafone Hutchison Australia acquisition of TPG Corporation
- Firms: Allens, Herbert Smith Freehills, Norton Rose Fulbright, Prolegis Lawyers
- Advisor: Lonergan Edwards & Associates
- Accountants: Deloitte, Herbert Smith Freehills, KPMG
- Banks: BofA Securities Inc, Deutsche Bank AG, Macquarie Capital
In-House Awards
Banking & Financial Services In-House Team of the Year
- HUB24 Legal Team
- hummgroup
- Legal & Compliance Team, Active Super
- Macquarie Capital Legal Team
- UBS AG, Australia Branch
Insurance In-house Team of the Year
- AIA Australia
- Berkley Insurance Australia
- HBF Health
- IAG Legal
Young In-House Lawyer of the Year (30 or under)
- Adam Papadakis, Boehringer Ingelheim
- Esther Lee, NSW Treasury
- Kate Cook, TAL Life
- Seyda Andrews, Accor
- Theo Kapodistrias, UpGuard
Australian In-house Lawyer of the Year
- Annie Haggar, Accenture
- Kiri-Ana Libbesson, Settlement Services International
- Marnie Manning, Coroners Court of Victoria
- Michael Chin, eftpos Payments Australia
- Nathan Lanthois, Transdev Australasia
- Paul Gregory, WesTrac
Australian In-house Team of the Year
- Australian Federal Police (AFP) Chief Counsel Portfolio, comprising AFP Legal and Criminal Assets Litigation teams
- DPDHL In House Legal Team
- James Hardie Industries plc
- NSW Treasury Office of General Counsel
- Regulatory Legal Services Branch in the Therapeutic Goods Administration (part of the Australian Government Department of Health)
- Sydney Airport Legal Team
NZ In-house Team of the Year
- AIA New Zealand
- Airways
- Fonterra Cooperative Group
- Metlifecare
- Perpetual Guardian Legal Team
- UBS New Zealand
Industry Awards
Resolution Institute Australian Mediator of the Year
- Dr. Anne Purcell, Resolution Partners
- Alison James, SHAW Dispute Resolution
- Lisanne Iriks, Life Mediation
- Marguerite Picard, Smart Separation
Sponsored by

Legal Service Provider of the Year
- BigHand
- GlobalX
- LOD
- Sprintlaw
- Thomson Reuters Australia
Firm Awards
NZ Deal Firm of the Year
- Bell Gully Corporate
- Chapman Tripp
- MinterEllisonRuddWatts
- Russell McVeagh - Corporate Advisory
- Simpson Grierson - Corporate Advisory
Australian Dealmaker of the Year
- Chelsey Drake, Allens
- James Stewart, DLA Piper
- Sandy Mak, Corrs Chambers Westgarth
- Timothy Sackar, Clayton Utz
- Tony Damian, Herbert Smith Freehills
NZ Dealmaker of the Year
- Anna Buchly, Bell Gully
- Ian Beaumont, Russell McVeagh
- Michael Pollard, Simpson Grierson
- Nathanael Starrenburg, Harmos Horton Lusk
- Roger Wallis, Chapman Tripp
- Silvana Schenone, MinterEllisonRuddWatts
Corporate Citizen Firm of the Year
- Ashurst
- Barry.Nilsson.
- Clayton Utz
- Lander & Rogers
- Gadens
Excellence in Employee Health & Wellbeing
- Allens
- Baker McKenzie
- Clayton Utz
- Hamilton Locke
- Legalite
Excellence in Technology & Innovation
- Clayton Utz
- Gilbert + Tobin
- Herbert Smith Freehills
- Lander & Rogers
- LodgeX Legal
- K&L Gates
Employment Law Specialist Firm of the Year
- Aitken Legal
- Australian Business Lawyers & Advisors (ABLA)
- Danny King Legal
- Harmers Workplace Lawyers
- McDonald Murholme
- Workdynamic Australia
Insurance Specialist Firm of the Year
- Barry.Nilsson.
- Gilchrist Connell
- Holman Webb Lawyers
- Meridian Lawyers
- Moray & Agnew
- TurksLegal
Boutique Firm of the Year
- Aptum Legal
- Clarendon Lawyers
- Keystone Lawyers
- Speirs Ryan
- The Fold Legal
- Wright Legal - Banking and Finance Lawyers
Young Private Practice Lawyer of the Year (30 or under)
- Declan Norrie, Proximity
- Kerrie Duong, Baker McKenzie
- Kevin Pai, Bugden Allen Lawyers
- Kevin Shum, Allen & Overy
- Lauren Jeffries, Herbert Smith Freehills
Law Firm Leader of the Year (≤200 employees)
- Amanda Banton, Banton Group
- Bechara Shamieh, Madison Marcus
- Kelli Martin, KLM Solicitors
- Nick Humphrey, Hamilton Locke
- Sam Frey, KCL Law
- Stipe Vuleta, Chamberlains
Law Firm Leader of the Year (>200 employees)
- Andrew Pike, Herbert Smith Freehills
- Anthony Foley, Baker McKenzie
- Genevieve Collins, Lander & Rogers
- Levent Shevki, Cornwalls
State/Regional Firm of the Tear
- Ailier
- Cooper Grace Ward
- Keypoint Law
- NDA Law
- New South Lawyers
Law Firm of the Year (1-100 lawyers)
- Banton Group
- Chamberlains Law Firm
- Coutts Lawyers & Conveyancers
- LegalVision
- Thynne + Macartney
Law Firm of the Year (101-500 lawyers)
- Baker McKenzie
- Clyde & Co
- Gilbert + Tobin
- Hall & Wilcox
- Mills Oakley
- Sparke Helmore Lawyers
Law Firm of the Year (>500 lawyers)
- Allens
- Ashurst
- Clayton Utz
- Corrs Chambers Westgarth
- Herbert Smith Freehills
Diversity Initiative of the Year
- Ashurst
- Bird & Bird
- Hall & Wilcox
- Harmers Workplace Lawyers
- Wotton + Kearney