COVER FEATURE / RISING STARS
Banking and finance Rebecca Wood, K&L Gates Admitted: 2013
Wood is one of K&L Gates’ rising stars, with a workload focusing on restructuring and insolvency matters. She has assisted the firm’s major banking clients in obtaining possession of properties, in litigation of secured and unsecured debts, and enforcement and priority issues regarding the Personal Property Securities Act. Wood’s key achievements include assisting a banking client in obtaining possession of a large rural property in difficult circumstances where unusual issues arose with the property and a range of allegations were made against the bank. As part of the team acting for the bank, she obtained possession for her client and continues to masterfully deal with allegations against her client.
Abigail Farrelly, Ashurst Admitted: 2011
A senior foreign associate in Ashurst’s banking and finance team, Farrelly has impressed through her work on a number of large-scale corporate, real estate and project finance transactions. Recent highlights include advising AquaSure consortium on its $3.7bn refinancing of the Victorian Desalination Project, and advising lenders on the $250m Essendon Airport refinancing. She has also advised on numerous residential and retail property financing matters. Prior to joining Ashurst, Farrelly spent three and a half years at Allen & Overy LLP in London.
Robert Murphy, Norton Rose Fulbright Admitted: 2007
Catherine Zahra, Gilbert + Tobin Admitted: 2009
Zahra combines strong technical capabilities with a clear understanding of clients’ commercial needs and goals. An impressive young lawyer in Gilbert + Tobin’s banking and finance practice, she has worked on a number of high-profile infrastructure projects, including advising the financiers in relation to the Queensland Schools, Sydney Convention Centre and Eastern Goldfields Regional Prison PPP projects, and the consortium on the NSW Northern Beaches Hospital concession bid. In addition to her considerable PPP experience, she also advised the financiers in relation to the Sydney Desalination Plant privatisation and Healthscope on its project financing and project negotiations for the Gold Coast Private Hospital.
Since moving to Norton Rose Fulbright from King & Wood Mallesons, Murphy has worked on a range of complex debt transactions for an impressive array of major clients, including ANZ, Standard Chartered Bank, Macquarie Bank and NAB. His abilities have come to the fore on a range of complex matters, such as a US$200m syndicated facility that was used by an SPV company owned by ANZ to fund an iron ore prepayment facility provided to Fortescue Metals Group. He took a lead role on this matter and was responsible for drafting and negotiating the innovative facility agreement, which was the first of its kind provided by ANZ. Subsequently, Murphy was also involved in the upscale of the facility.
Tim Ma, King & Wood Mallesons Admitted: 2009
Ma was promoted to senior associate in July 2014 and has already had a stellar year as the running lawyer on the EastLink Tollway PPP, acting for ConnectEast, the concessionaire of the project, on the establishment of its domestic MTN program and ConnectEast’s $250m capital markets issuance. He also advised on its $1.05bn bank debt facilities. This year Ma has also advised the financiers to Axiom Education, the concessionaire of the VicSchools PPP, on the refinancing as part of AMP Capital’s acquisition. Outside the office, Ma is tournament director of the ‘Bolton v Stone’ Melbourne inter-law-firm cricket competition.
26 | SEPTEMBER 2014