Quay Law Partners

Quay Law Partners (QLP) is an Australian law firm focused on providing clear and strategic regulatory advice, including through to litigation, if this is unavoidable.

We seek to work with clients to develop long term relationships as a trusted external adviser.

We aim to provide responsive and practical advice to corporates to successfully navigate complex and changing regulatory environments with a clear-eyed focus on important policy developments coming over the horizon.

QLP is a new Australian law firm having started in April 2023.

QLP fills the niche of an Australian regulatory firm acting for a finite range of core clients with which it has built deep relationships and which is trusted by the Australian Government, its departments and other agencies, as well as key regulators.

Whether it is through making submissions to the Government or its agencies, or engagement in relation to regulatory matters, we seek to provide meaningful and appropriate engagement on behalf of our clients.

While QLP is new, we bring two very experienced senior partners in Dave Poddar and Angela Flannery who have both leading practices in antitrust and telecommunications, media and technology, including competition and privacy/data issues related to those sectors. QLP is focused on developing our long-established relationships with clients across key segments of Australian industry. In particular, we bring specialist antitrust expertise in tech and AI to help our clients achieve their commercial aims.

We are well on our way to being 4 partners and 8 associates by the end of 2024.Our existing 2 partners and team are very experienced lawyers able to cover the field in antitrust issues, in particular in relation to tech and AI, but we also have an ability to litigate on criminal antitrust matters given the commercial law experience of our team.

Notwithstanding the short establishment period, QLP already acts for well-known Australian and international companies in relation to significant antitrust matters.

Having our established client base come to the new firm demonstrates our trusted adviser relationships and focus on client alignment. This has meant that the firm is already acting on some of Australia’s most significant antitrust matters.

We provide responsive and practical advice to corporates to successfully navigate complex and changing regulatory environments with a clear-eyed view on important policy developments coming over the horizon. These include changes in competition, privacy and other laws, such as content regulation. Our experience and contacts at senior levels of the ACCC and other regulators allows us to cut through issues when necessary. We are also cognisant of over-zealous regulatory approaches by some agencies and are prepared to litigate if this is necessary to defend our clients.In addition, our Government experience means we are well placed to have constructive discussions with Treasury and other Government departments which key regulators report to, so as to provide alternative and real-world perspectives on law reform proposals.

• Antitrust and competition
• Tech, media and telecommunications
• Data privacy and cybersecurity
• Disputes and investigations
• Foreign investment

Competition/Antitrust

Practice head: Dave Poddar

• Acting for Bunnings Group in relation to the successful acquisition by its subsidiary Beaumont Tiles of Surfaces by Hynes.This work was undertaken at both a former firm and Quay Law Partners.
• Acting for various clients in relation to advice on the application of section 50 (the mergers test) under Australia’s Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (CCA).
• Acting for various clients in relation to advice regarding the application of the restrictive trade practices provisions of Part IV of the CCA.
• Acting for various clients, including Oracle Corporation in relation to submissions to Government consultation processes related to competition issues.
• Acting for various clients in regulatory investigations undertaken by the ACCC, including in relation civil and criminal cartel investigations and misuse of market power.
• Acting for clients advising on antitrust issues related to joint ventures, alliances and access matters.

TMT:IT & Telecommunications

Practice head: Angela Flannery

• Acting for Oracle Corporation in relation to submissions to the Australian Government on a number of consultation processes impacting on competition regulation, including submissions to the ACCC’s Digital Platform Services Inquiry.
• Acting for Eutelsat OneWeb in relation to various regulatory issues regarding establishment of its business in Australia.
• Acting for Oracle Corporation in relation to submissions to the Attorney-General’s Department’s consultations on proposed Privacy Act changes, including the impacts of those sectors on digital platforms.
• Advising a Commonwealth agency in relation to the interpretation of Part IVD of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 and associated regulations, relating to Australia’s consumer data right regime.
• Acting for the manufacturer of connected vehicles in determining requirements for compliance with Australia’s regulatory regime applicable to carriage service providers including engagement with the Australian Communications & Media Authority.

Dispute resolution

Practice head: Dave Poddar

• Acting for BGC Group in defending proceedings commenced by Brickworks Ltd under sections 46 (abuse of market power) and 50 (merger control) of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010.This case will be heard in early 2025.
• Acting for Lactalis Group Limited in defending Lactalis in the first Dairy Code proceedings brought by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC).Lactalis was successful on the major arguments alleged by the ACCC. This work was undertaken at both a former firm and Quay Law Partners.

TMT:Media

Practice head: Angela Flannery

• Acting for Free TV Australia, the industry body for commercial free-to-air television broadcasters, on various consultations by the Australian Government on regulatory reform impacting the free-to-air commercial television sector, including the implementation of a prominence regime for connected televisions and the implementation of a mandatory news media bargaining code for the payment by digital platforms for the use of news content.
• Acting for Commercial Radio & Audio, the industry body for commercial free-to-air radio broadcasters, on various consultations by the Australian Government on regulatory reform impacting commercial radio broadcasters, including the implementation of a prominence regime for relevant services and in relation to copyright proposals.
• Acting for a commercial radio broadcaster in relation to a proposed conversion of its services from AM to FM and the necessary spectrum regulatory amendments to achieve that conversion.
• Acting for Free TV Australia in relation to submissions to the Attorney-General’s Department’s consultations on proposed Privacy Act changes, including the specific impacts on the media sector.
• Acting for Guardian Australia in relation to submissions to the Attorney-General’s Department’s consultations on proposed Privacy Act changes, including the specific impacts on the media sector.
• Acting for Warner Bros Discovery in relation to various content arrangements with Australian service providers.

Fee earners: 5

Office location: Sydney