EVENTS | China Law Awards >> Australasian Law Awards 2010 >>
Why: • Continues to gain traction with major clients including significant panel appointments throughout 2009 • Highly regarded by clients and cross-referral firms • Despite the GFC, maintained strong revenue growth last financial year
FINALISTS • KELLY & CO • LYNCH MEYER
• HALL & WILCOX • HERBERT GEER
PERTH FIRM OF THE YEAR WINNER ►► LAVAN LEGAL
Why: • Very strong brand which has come to the fore with the recent emphasis on litigation and insolvency work • Involved in some very high profile insolvencies including ABC Learning Centres, TimberCorp and Octaviar
FINALISTS • CHANG, PISTILLI & SIMMONS • GILBERT + TOBIN • TRUMAN HOYLE • COLIN BIGGERS & PAISLEY
BRISBANE FIRM OF THE YEAR
MANAGING PARTNER OF THE YEAR
WINNER ►► MCCULLOUGH ROBERTSON
WINNER ►► GAVIN BELL, FREEHILLS
L-R: Calley Kempson, Lavan Legal; Gabriel Moens, Murdoch University
L-R: Brett Heading, McCullough Robertson; Olivia Perkiss, Australian Women’s Lawyers
Why: • Queensland’s largest law firm with strong market reputation • Opening of Newcastle office in late 2009 demonstrated firm’s strength during difficult economic circumstances and office has since grown to six people • Advised on some major deals including the Narrabri Coal joint venture and the takeover of Gloucester Coal by Noble Limited, which are just part of a strong and active resources practice
Why: • Maintained double digit revenue growth during GFC without an increase or decrease in professional staff numbers • Only local firm to be appointed to the new Woodside panel and also appointed to the National Australia Bank,Westpac and HSBC panels • Donated over A$130,000 to charities
Why: • Led the only large law firm that avoided legal redundancies while continuing to employ graduates, maintain business and innovate • Also sits on the board of the Australian Graduate School of Management, the education committee of the Business Council of Australia and the Chairman’s panel of the Great Barrier Reef Foundation
FINALISTS • BLAKISTON & CRABB • JACKSON MCDONALD
SYDNEY FIRM OF THE YEAR WINNER ►► HENRY DAVIS YORK
FINALISTS • CARTER NEWELL • COOPER GRACE WARD • HOPGOOD GANIM • MACDONNELLS LAWYERS
L-R: Gavin Bell, Freehills; Jonathan Gill, Cicero
FINALISTS • DANNY GILBERT, GILBERT + TOBIN • DAVID FAGAN, CLAYTON UTZ • GARY McDIARMID, RUSSELL MCVEAGH • ROGER PARTRIDGE, BELL GULLY • SHARON COOK, HENRY DAVIS YORK
MELBOURNE FIRM OF THE YEAR WINNER ►► MILLS OAKLEY
L-R: Stuart Lewin, Mills Oakley; Terry Lyons, Macquarie Bank; John Nerurker, Mills Oakley; Stephen Arony, Mills Oakley; Daren Curry, Mills Oakley
Why: • Firm made the ALB Fast 10 list for the third consecutive year in 2009 – its sixth year of double digit growth, much of which was achieved organically • Last year won appointments to several highly-coveted ASX200 legal panels, including Telstra, Suncorp and GPT • Has embraced alternative billing strategies and service guarantees as well as offering clients far greater certainty on their legal costs
FINALISTS • CLARENDON LAWYERS
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L-R: Ross Harding, Work Arena; Sharon Cook, Henry Davis York
Australasian Legal Business ISSUE 8.6