Chambers Review
Provided by Chambers
Corporate/M&A - Australia
What the Team is Known For
King & Wood Mallesons acts for a substantial proportion of Australia's leading ASX-listed companies and major international players on commercially significant transactions. Asia-headquartered and substantially focussed on the region, it offers a particularly powerful capability for China-related transactions as well as for broader global deals. The team regularly acts on complex sponsor-led private equity transactions and has a wealth of experience on the full investment life-cycle, including acquisition finance, securities, tax and funds. Its versatile range embraces strengths in the energy, resources and financial services spaces in addition to the agribusiness, healthcare and infrastructure sectors.
Strengths
KWM’s communication style was clear, commercial and responsive. They delivered across every facet. They supported us with complex decisions and tight deadlines, ensuring alignment with our objectives.
They bring thought leadership and commercial pragmatism. Their ability to handle complex matters in a commercial and pragmatic way is a core strength of this team.
The lawyers are very calm and very commercial. They've seen a lot and have a wide range of experience to draw from. They give grey areas the consideration they need and adopt pragmatic approaches.
Work Highlights
King & Wood Mallesons advised Blackstone on its acquisition of AirTrunk for AUD24 billion.
King & Wood Mallesons assisted Altium on its takeover by Renesas Electronics.
Notable practitioners
David Friedlander is a fantastic practitioner.
David Friedlander is so clever and has a very calm approach. He is very good at dialling down pressure.
David is very experienced and knowledgeable. In the Australian market, he is one of the leading practitioners. He helps with the tricky issues, is very client-centric and easy to deal with.
Jason Watts is an exceptional partner to our business.
Jason Watts has an intimate knowledge of our business and is a trusted partner.
Peter Stirling advises extensively on both transactional and corporate governance mandates and frequently assists clients from the energy, natural resources and financial services sectors. He is based in Melbourne.
We are very satisfied with Peter Stirling. He is a subject matter expert, easy to deal with and always available.
He is our go-to advisor on all strategically important matters. He is trusted to provide clear and thoughtful input that is relevant in our context.
Peter Stirling is very good and has done great work for us. He is highly skilled and very attuned to assisting client and is very, very client-centric.
Meredith consistently demonstrated exceptional responsiveness, clarity and professionalism. She saw the bigger picture and helped drive practical, strategic outcomes.
She is a commercially minded, pragmatic adviser. Meredith is also highly responsive and committed to achieving the best outcomes for us.
Nicola Charlston is highly commercial. She's firm about the important things and flexible where we don't need to fight the battle. She has been extremely reliable and delivers according to timelines.
Nicola is excellent, I'm a big fan. She's super responsive and very pragmatic in the advice she provides.
Nicola is exceptional in terms of legal and interpersonal skills. She provides advice in the context of our business. She’s not hesitant to deal with delicate matters.
Will Heath is based in the Melbourne market and is reputed for his work advising ASX-listed companies on complex transactions, including takeovers and cross-border M&A.
People like Will Heath are helping us bring regional and cross-border matters together in a seamless way.
He handles complex matters with ease, is highly commercial and always a pleasure to work with.
Antonella Pacitti's Perth-based public markets practice sees her advising on high value transactions, including acquisitions for clients in the natural resources space.
Antonella is an industry expert with deep technical knowledge, high accessibility and a strong team.
Antonella Pacitti is a very good team leader, very good at communicating with clients and coming up with practical solutions.