Corporate/M&A

MinterEllison offers impressive Australasian coverage, bolstered by offices in China, Mongolia and London, facilitating the support of cross-jurisdictional transactions. It is active on both public takeovers and privatisations and noted for its adept handling of energy and resources, financial services, and technology and telecommunications mandates. The team advises a significant number of domestic and regional private equity firms on substantial transactions. It is further noted for close attention to client objectives, including assistance in the identification of transactional risk and the development of negotiation strategies. Notable clients include Dai-ichi Life, Slater & Gordon and Liberty Hall Capital Partners.

"The team displayed not only legal acumen, but commercial awareness and skilled stakeholder management. This is definitely a multiskilled offering, which is solution-oriented rather than black letter law-constrained."

"The responsiveness from the bench was timely and on point, and issues that arose were anticipated in advance, which meant that they were handled effectively."

"No concerns ever arose about additional members of the team not being up to the level needed. The partner leading our transactions always involved the level of skill and sophistication needed."

MinterEllison acted for AMP on the sale of its Global Equities and Fixed Income business to Macquarie Asset Management.

Bart Oude-Vrielink is a well-regarded figure in the Melbourne market, noted not only for assisting clients with significant corporate transactions but also for advising on the attendant regulatory issues. "When I ask Bart a complicated question, he will come back with the right answer."

Con Boulougouris is based in Sydney and offers an impressively varied body of public and private M&A experience, covering such diverse sectors as those of agribusiness and food, engineering, and gaming and leisure. "Con has vast experience and is highly technical and commercial in his advice." "Con has the ability to see the bigger picture, always understands the relevant macro environment at hand and never fails to deliver practical solutions to the most complex legal matters."

Jeremy Blackshaw acts on public and private M&A transactions in the consumer brand, financial services, healthcare and other sectors, offering particularly noteworthy expertise where the representation of foreign clients is concerned. He is based in Melbourne. "He is very calm, does not get flustered at all, and he knows what the client is looking for – we don't want to discuss legal details; we want to know what we should do – and that is his strength." "He has been fabulous. He is very responsive, remains very calm and pragmatic."

Shaun Clyne is noted for his long experience of acting for domestic and international clients across a comprehensive range of transaction types, as well as his knowledge of the takeover space, enhanced by numerous appearances in Takeovers Panel proceedings. "Quite simply, he is a pleasure to deal with and you know his advice will always be excellent, commercial and solution-seeking." "Shaun was decisive and knowledgeable when it came to crunch matters. His key strength was a clear articulation of risk in key decisions that needed to be made quickly, and good advice on how to move forward."