About

Provided by Herbert Smith Freehills

Herbert Smith Freehills is the pre-eminent Australian law firm for M&A, advising on the most innovative, high profile deals and market defining transactions in the market across a variety of sectors. We take pride in consistently achieving top rankings in Corporate M&A work, recognised by leading industry intelligence platforms.  

Our team provide market-leading advice on public and private M&A transactions, including significant cross-border transactions, and is focused on ensuring strong commercial outcomes at each stage of a transaction and for each transaction type, from implementing corporate restructures in preparation for potential acquisitions, negotiating acquisitions, disposals and joint ventures and advising mergers and takeovers. 

Advising on the most significant and complex transactions in the market, our team is at the forefront deals that are transformative for the nation, the economy and major sectors and the large volume of M&A transactions we advise on ensures there is rarely an M&A issue our team have not dealt with before. 

Chambers Review

Provided by Chambers

Corporate/M&A - Australia

1
Band 1

What the Team is Known For

The standout Herbert Smith Freehills practice is renowned for its consistent involvement in many of the most prominent and challenging transactions. The team frequently acts on both major public M&A and private equity transactions and is able to apply debt and capital markets expertise when required. It is noted for its immense depth of resources and longstanding relationships with a variety of top-flight multinationals, and is especially valued for its ability to provide substantial, multi-jurisdictional support at both the regional and global levels. The firm is trusted to coordinate multibillion-dollar divestment and demerger deals for a varied roster of financial, mining, IT and healthcare services clients.

Work Highlights

Provided by Herbert Smith Freehills

  • Herbert Smith Freehills advised CSR on all aspects of its proposed AUD4.3 billion acquisition by Compagnie de Saint-Gobain by way of a scheme of arrangement.

  • Herbert Smith Freehills advised Origin on its proposed AUD18.7 billion acquisition by MidOcean Energy and Brookfield Asset Management consortium by way of a scheme of arrangement.

Strengths

Provided by Chambers

Notable Practitioners

Provided by Chambers

Baden Furphy
1
Baden Furphy
1
Band 1

Baden Furphy handles public M&A and private equity mandates with equal readiness from the Melbourne office and is frequently engaged to assist clients on matters relating to demergers, buy-backs and hostile takeovers.

Philippa Stone
1
Philippa Stone
1
Band 1

Philippa Stone commands the highest respect among both clients and other sources in this space, not only for handling public M&A deals as effectively as the equity capital markets transactions for which she is especially renowned, but also in the spheres of negotiated deals, privatisations and corporate reconstructions.

She is extremely well-connected, one of the leading practitioners in the market in Australia and someone we look to for strategic advice on very large files.

Philippa is a bit of a titan in the Australian legal market. She has a lot of experience, is very hardworking and very responsive.

Rebecca Maslen-Stannage
1
Rebecca Maslen-Stannage
1
Band 1

Rebecca Maslen-Stannage is the firm's chair and senior partner, and she offers an impressive track record in the representation of prominent domestic and multinational clients in some of Australia's highest-profile mergers and takeovers.

She is one of the top in the market. She is knowledgeable and accessible; nothing is ever too much trouble. She is a really lovely person. 

I don't know how she has the time, but she's always on the tools and across everything all the time. She's incredibly commercial, solutions-oriented to our risk appetite and gives pragmatic advice. 

Rodd Levy
1
Rodd Levy
1
Band 1

Rodd Levy advises on substantial M&A transactions, takeover defence and corporate governance issues from the Herbert Smith Freehills Melbourne office.

Andrew Rich
3
Andrew Rich
3
Band 3

Andrew Rich handles both public and private M&A mandates in, among other spheres, the consumer products, energy and TMT sectors, and offers noted experience of cross-border transactions. He is based in Herbert Smith Freehills' Sydney office.

Raji Azzam
3
Raji Azzam
3
Band 3

Raji Azzam co-heads the private equity team from the Melbourne office and is widely acknowledged as a prominent and effective practitioner in the space, attracting particular acclaim for his relationships with major private equity firms.

Raji is an excellent commercial coverage partner who brings strategic insight to the projects he leads.

Kam Jamshidi
5
Kam Jamshidi
5
Band 5

Kam Jamshidi is skilled in private equity transactions and public M&A, including schemes of arrangement. He is based in Herbert Smith Freehills' Melbourne location.

He is consistently across the details, works extremely hard and is very user-friendly, always putting our needs first.

Ranked Lawyers at
Herbert Smith Freehills

Provided by Chambers
Filter by
Band

Australia

Corporate/M&A

Baden Furphy
1
Baden Furphy
1
Band 1
Philippa Stone
1
Philippa Stone
1
Band 1
Rebecca Maslen-Stannage
1
Rebecca Maslen-Stannage
1
Band 1
Rodd Levy
1
Rodd Levy
1
Band 1
Andrew Rich
3
Andrew Rich
3
Band 3
Kam Jamshidi
5
Kam Jamshidi
5
Band 5
Private Equity

Baden Furphy
2
Baden Furphy
2
Band 2
Raji Azzam
3
Raji Azzam
3
Band 3