Piper Alderman

PIPER ALDERMAN

World-Class Law Expertise Tony Britten-Jones, Managing Partner at Piper Alderman, tells us about his company’s agile approach to law in Australia Writer: Sean Galea-Pace Project Manager: Ben Weaver We are a firm that prides itself on our ability to evolve and innovate.”

This is Tony Britten-Jones, Managing Partner at Piper Alderman.

His company is a premier commercial law firm in Australia, with offices in Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney. Today, Piper Alderman has eight main speciality areas – commercial litigation, corporate and commercial, property and development, projects, infrastructure and construction, employment relations, restructuring and insolvency, financial services and fintech and intellectual property and technology.

Having first joined Piper Alderman in 2003, Britten-Jones stepped into his current role in January 2015. With over two decades of experience, he is quite clear about Piper Alderman’s competitive advantage.

“We compete at the highest levels in our niche areas of practice, but have managed to retain our independence and a personal relationships focused approach to our clients as well as avoiding the ‘Big Law’ characteristics of the majority of 2 | APAC Outlook issue 50

other firms providing corporate and commercial law services at a national level across Australia. We are known for our pragmatism, our ability to get deals done as well as successfully conducting ground-breaking litigation in a number of areas.

“We have a diverse range of clients within our areas of practice,” discusses Britten-Jones. “A particular concentration with our sweet spots being midcap public and larger private entities that operate at a national or semi national level, entrepreneurs whose businesses are in growth mode, select public sector, education and not for profit institutions and overseas based companies operating or investing in Australia.”

COMMUNITY FOCUS Piper Alderman has a strong commitment to its community service. The organisation has created a robust culture which prioritises ethical choice and social responsibility. This means its people are passionate about helping others both inside and beyond the firm.

The organisation believes in access to justice for everyone. As such, Piper Alderman’s team is dedicated to the provision of pro bono legal services across all levels of the firm.

Piper Alderman actively supports organisations with limited access to legal services including schools and educational institutions, charities and community legal centres.

FINANCE

PIPER ALDERMAN

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Over this time, I have developed a close and productive working relationship with Office Manager, Loula Kentish.

Our cleaners know it is a privilege to work for Piper Alderman.

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We achieve this by maintaining a team of highly trained, professional, caring staff who consistently deliver outstanding results.

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ABOUT TONY BRITTEN-JONES Tony specialises in commercial property and has particular expertise acting in relation to retail and office developments, residential and mixed-use projects, commercial tenancies, community and strata title matters.

Tony provides stamp duty and GST advice and negotiates with landlords, tenants, builders, financiers and the FIRB. Tony has been recommended in The Legal 500 Asia Pacific for his ‘confident, timely, professional and well considered advice’ as well as his ‘breadth of knowledge.’ Client feedback has described him as a ‘very competent, no fuss lawyer that gets stuff done quickly and efficiently.’

Tony was named as The Best Lawyers® in Australia ‘Adelaide Lawyer of the Year’ for Leasing Law in the 2019 edition and for Real Property Law in the 2013 edition. He has also been recognised by Best Lawyers® every year since 2012 for Real Property Law and since 2018 for Leasing Law.

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Its Corporate and Social Responsibility Committee, led by a partner, oversees a range of charity events including initiatives designed to reduce its ecological footprint and tackle climate change. The Piper Alderman team country-wide supports many great causes both locally and in wider communities.

Piper Alderman is committed to the continuous improvement of its environmental footprint. The organisation is continuously seeking ways to lessen its impact on the environment through more efficient business practices including reduced paper use, recycling and minimising energy consumption.

In April 2021, it was announced that 51 of Piper Alderman’s lawyers have been recognised across 42 areas of law in The Best Lawyers® in Australia, 2022 edition.

“Recognised in their respective fields as experts in their area of practice, the 50 percent increase in our number of recognised lawyers since

FINANCE

Tim O’Callaghan Deputy Managing Partner, Piper Alderman

Cinderellas Commercial Cleaning

Mark Ferdinands, Managing Director, Cinderellas Commercial Cleaning

At Cinderellas, we provide an extensive range of property services, including: • Commercial Cleaning • Wash Room Hygiene • Carpet Cleaning • Flood Damage and Restoration • Builders Cleaning • Exit / End of Lease / Vacate Cleaning • Bolon Floor Cleaning • High Pressure Cleaning • Biohazard Decontamination • Biohazard Remediation • Hazardous Waste Removal • Licence to Transport Dangerous Goods • Chemical Spills and Truck Rollovers • Event Cleaning • Eco Friendly Waste Solutions • Bin Cover Hire • Method Bin Recycling Systems

To speak to one of our friendly team members: Ph: +61 8271 6677 | www.cinderellas.com.au

the 2017 edition is indicative of the firm’s growth and journey over the last six years,” comments Britten-Jones.

A HISTORY OF PIPER ALDERMAN Piper Alderman is a long-established law firm tracing its roots back to Adelaide in 1846. In 1988, renowned Adelaide law firms Aldermans and Piper Bakewell & Piper merged to become Piper Alderman and formed one of the leading law companies in Adelaide. The company has evolved from a one-city entity to a national name with total staff of approximately 350 across its Australian offices.

• 1840s – William Bakewell began the practice of Bartley & Bakewell.

• 1892 – Arthur William Piper joined Bartley & Bakewell, forming Piper Bakewell & Piper. The firm acted for families and private clients as well as representing commercial interests in steelmaking, manufacturing, banking, insurance,

Commercial team primary production and retailing.

• 1928 – Aldermans was founded by Sir Harry Alderman in 1928. By 1988, Aldermans employed 70 percent, including nine partners and focused on insurance and commercial law.

• 1988 – Piper Alderman was formed

under its current name upon the merge of Aldermans and Piper Bakewell & Piper.

• 1998 – The organisation established an office in Sydney in order to best meet the needs of its clients operating in the eastern states.

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PIPER ALDERMAN

WHY PIPER ALDERMAN? • 2000 – Piper Alderman established an office in Melbourne.

• 2004 – Four years later, the company expanded further and formed an office in Brisbane.

• 2016 – Piper Alderman merged with Adelaide-based boutique corporate law firm Watsons Lawyers, boosting the energy and resources practice.

• 2017 – On 1 November 2017, Piper Alderman merged with Melbournebased boutique corporate and commercial firm Norton Gledhill.

• 2018 – The company celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Aldermans and Piper Bakewell & Piper merge, as well as 20 years of national expansion into Sydney.

MEETING COVID’S CHALLENGE HEAD-ON COVID-19 has impacted most industries either directly or indirectly.

In order to mitigate disruption amidst the pandemic, Piper Alderman assembled a COVID-19 response 6 | APAC Outlook issue 50

PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP – The firm takes the time to develop flexible and long-lasting relationships with its clients.

HIGH-LEVEL PARTNER CONTACT – Its business model and approach to practice ensures that partners are proactive and directly involved throughout the conduct of its clients’ matters.

COLLABORATING TO ADD VALUE – Piper Alderman focuses on achieving practical commercial outcomes, innovation in service delivery and deep engagement with industry.

RELIABILITY – Piper Alderman’s clients tell the firm that it is highly responsive and make meeting deadlines a priority.

EFFICIENCY AND COST CERTAINTY – Piper Alderman offers flexible fee arrangements in order to provide cost certainty and cost efficiencies which match budget, requirements and expectations together with a range of value-adds.

NATIONWIDE – With offices in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney, its practice undertakes work for clients throughout all states and territories across Australia.

SEAMLESS TRANSITION – Piper Alderman recognises the difficulties that comes with transitioning legal service providers and procedures to ensure a seamless transition.

FINANCE

Dispute team

“WE CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT WHERE INDIVIDUALS CAN FLOURISH BUT ARE SUPPORTED” – TONY BRITTEN-JONES, MANAGING PARTNER, PIPER ALDERMAN

team that was quick to adapt to the changing landscape. Its policy directives help to protect against the spread of the virus, while at the same time ensuring that service delivery is maintained and the company’s customer-centric approach isn’t compromised during challenging times.

“As we move forward and hopefully beyond COVID, business activity and consequential demand for legal services in Australia are increasingly buoyant,” explains Britten-Jones.

“Obviously, it’s been harder for some businesses to adapt than others, but those that are adapting are facing a very exciting period.”

TARGETING FUTURE GROWTH With reference to Piper Alderman’s most influential projects, BrittenJones points to the success achieved in representing the interests of boutique and the many new players in the gas and energy space.

“We are leaders in the fintech and emerging non-mainstream financial services sectors,” he explains. “We have successfully transacted a wide range of significant agribusiness investments, frequently representing the interests of offshore investors and we have an exceptionally innovative ‘claims origination team’ who have identified and successfully implemented a number of recovery strategies for aggrieved investors and minority shareholders.”

Over the past few years, Piper Alderman has achieved exponential growth. As such, the firm’s annual revenue has increased from $50 million to $85 million during the last five years. “It has come from an even blend of organic growth, lateral hires and smaller merger and acquisition actions,” discusses Britten-Jones.

“We have avoided opportunities for large scale mergers because of the difficulties such mergers present in terms of retaining the culture

and nimbleness that has led to our success.”

Piper Alderman believes in the value of its staff and operates with a mantra of ‘attract, train and retain.’

“We create an environment where individuals can flourish but are supported,” explains Britten-Jones.

“As Managing Partner, I say yes far more frequently than no.”

Moving forward, Piper Alderman is set to continue its growth as a national firm through responsiveness to clients and an innovative approach.

“Developing our internal IT will be crucial to achieve and manage that growth so that will certainly be a key focus,” he explains.

piperalderman@piperalderman.com.au www.piperalderman.com.au

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PIPER ALDERMAN Adelaide Level 16 70 Franklin Street Adelaide SA 5000 T +61 8 8205 3333 Brisbane Level 26, Riparian Plaza 71 Eagle Street Brisbane QLD 4000 T +61 7 3220 7777 Melbourne Level 23 459 Collins Street Melbourne VIC 3000 T +61 3 8665 5555 Sydney Level 23, Governor Macquarie Tower 1 Farrer Place Sydney NSW 2000 T +61 2 9253 9999 piperalderman@piperalderman.com.au www.piperalderman.com.au

PRODUCED BY APAC OUTLOOK MAGAZINE