Thomson Geer

Chair: Loretta Reynolds

Chief Executive Partner: Adrian Tembel

Languages: Afrikaans, Arabic, Bahasa, Bosnian, Cantonese, Chinese, Croatian, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Malayalam, Malaysian, Mandarin, Russian, Polish, Serbian, Sinhalese, Spanish, Tagalog, Tamil, Turkish, Vietnamese

Thomson Geer is a major Australian corporate law firm. The firm has more than 800 people including more than 155 partners operating out of offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Canberra. The firm’s origins date back to 1885.

Website: www.tglaw.com.au

TG Public Affairs –Public policy advisory firm

TG Legal + Technology –Providing legal services to clients with high volume legal needs – Workplace and insurance services, Resolution, Recoveries and Disputes; Stream leasing; Retirement village rollovers

TG Mining Services –Providing specialist tenement management services to Australian and international miners and explorers

• Advertising & Marketing
• Agribusiness
• Banking & Finance
• Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical
• Capital Markets
• Class Actions
• Competition & Regulation
• Construction & Projects
• Corporate & Advisory
• Education
• Employment, Workplace Relations & Safety
• Energy & Resources
• Environment & Planning
• Franchising
• Funds Management & Financial Services
• Gaming & Leisure
• Government
• Health, Aged Care, Disability & Retirement Living
• Insurance
• Intellectual Property
• Litigation & Dispute Resolution
• Media, Broadcasting & Entertainment
• Mergers & Acquisitions
• Property
• Restructuring & Insolvency
• Sports Law
• Superannuation & Wealth Management
• Tax
• Technology
• Telecommunications
• Transport & Logistics
• Wills and Estates

Corporate/M&A

30+ partners, 62 fee earners

• Advising Kirin Holdings Company, Limited on its A$1.8 billion acquisition of Australian-listed healthcare company Blackmores Ltd via a scheme of arrangement.
• Advising leading marine and subsea services company MMA Offshore on its acquisition by Cyan Renewables by way of scheme of arrangement for A$1.1 billion. The deal is reportedly the largest takeover deal in the wind power segment in the Asia-Pacific region for 2024.
• Acted as Australian counsel to ASX-listed Westgold Resources on its A$1.1 billion cash and scrip merger with Canadian-listed Karora Resources.
• Advising ASX-listed Genesis Minerals Ltd on its A$628 million acquisition of the Gwalia gold mine from St Barbara.
• Advising the second largest shareholder in a Pacific Equity Partners-led consortium acquiring Australian logistics company Freight Management Holdings (FMH) from leading Asia Pacific logistics provider SingPost for A$1.02 billion.
• Advising Yindjibarndi Aboriginal Corporation to advise it on the establishment of a renewable energy project partnership worth more than A$1 billion.

Contacts: Scott Gibson - Sanushka Seomangal - David Schiavello

Tel: +61 8 9404 9152 +61 2 8248 3443 +61 3 8080 3704

Emails: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Property & Development (including Construction, Infrastructure & Environment):

30+ partners, 68 fee earners

• Advising Acciona on a 50-50 joint venture with CPB Contractors (ACACPB JV) who have been engaged by Australian Rail Track Corporation (ARTC) to deliver the Inland Rail Southern Civil Works Program valued at more than $1.2 billion.
• Advised charity The Salvation Army on its partnership with delivery partner, Investa for a landmark A$230 million development project in the heart of the Sydney CBD.
• Advised major social housing provider St George Community Housing on the acquisition of a hundreds of apartments in large residential developments in Sydney.
• Advising Gamuda on the A$2.16 billion Western Tunnelling Package for Sydney Metro West.
• Advising Infrastructure NSW on development of a new Sydney Fish Market worth A$650 million - A$750 million.
• Acting for BCS New Zealand Ltd, the New Zealand arm of listed Japanese material handling giant Daifuku (market cap JPY1.5 trillion), in relation to a dispute with New Zealand Post over the design and construction of the new Auckland Processing Centre, one of the largest mail processing centres in the southern hemisphere.
• Advising Acciona and Genus Joint Venture on their bid to work on the A$1.1 billion Hunter Transmission Project, one of the largest energy infrastructure projects in New South Wales.
• Advised Richard Crookes Constructions on the construction contract for the A$650 million Sydney Biomedical Accelerator project at Sydney University.
• Advising French rail infrastructure giant Alstom on its bid for the multi-billion dollar Suburban Rail Loop, a 90km rail loop around Melbourne.

Contacts: Franco Aversa - Simon Ralton - Andrew Kelly

Tel: +61 2 8248 3469 +61 2 8248 3426 +61 7 3338 7550

Email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Media:

3 Partners, 10 fee earners

• Successfully defending Network Ten in a defamation case brought by former Liberal Party staffer Bruce Lehrmann, with a judge finding, on the balance of probabilities, that Lehrmann raped Brittany Higgins in a ministerial office in Parliament House. Lehrmann is appealing the decision.
• Acting for Nine Entertainment Co in a landmark defamation win against surgeon Dr Munjed Al Muderis that successfully applied Australia's "public interest" defence for the first time.
• Acting for The Australian newspaper in successfully striking out defamation claim in landmark "serious harm" ruling, in case brought by alleged murderer John Peros over the Shandee's Story podcast, which analysed the murder of Shandee Blackburn at the hands of her ex-boyfriend Peros.
• Acting for 36 major media organisations and journalists charged with contempt of court when Catholic Church Cardinal George Pell was found guilty of child sex offences (since overturned on appeal).
• Acting for an Australian newspaper in a five year campaign to overturn suppression orders in the “Lawyer X” scandal in High Court and in the Royal Commission into the Management of Police Informants.
• Advising on production of Australia’s most downloaded podcast “The Teacher’s Pet” about a man accused of murdering his wife more than 30 years ago.

Contacts: Justin Quill - John-Paul Cashen - Marlia Saunders

Tel: +61 3 8080 3748 +61 3 8080 3753 +61 2 8248 5836

Emails: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Dispute Resolution:

30+ partners, 92 fee earners

• Acting for the Kingdom of Spain in seeking to oppose the recognition and enforcement of a (purported) international arbitral award of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) issued to Dutch investors, NextEra Energy Global Holdings BV and NextEra Energy Spain Holdings BV.
• Successfully acting for Mitsubishi Motors Australia Ltd in its appeal to the High Court of Australia over allegations fuel efficiency labels affixed to its popular Triton utility vehicle were misleading and breached consumer laws.
• Advising Mitsubishi in a consumer class action in the Federal Court in relation to fuel consumption labelling on certain of its Triton utility vehicles. The case is the first class action of its kind commenced in Australia relating to the results of fuel consumption testing.
• Acting for ASX-listed health, wellness and beauty consumer products maker McPherson's Limited (MCP) and its former Managing Director, Laurence McAllister to defend Federal Court proceedings brought by corporate regulator ASIC.
• Acting for Astro Fort, a property developer, in its defence of a class action in the Federal Court of Australia arising out of the failure of a large residential development project at a site in Western Sydney known as the Clydesdale Estate under the ownership of a prior developer before its subsequent sale and refinance.
• Acting for gaming company Konami in a precedent-setting patent dispute with fellow gaming company Aristocrat. Aristocrat sued Konami in the Federal Court of Australia claiming Konami had infringed five patents relating to electronic gaming machines.

Contacts: Sylvia Fernandez - Bronwyn Lincoln - Scott Castledine

Tel: +61 2 8248 3499 +61 3 8080 3565 +61 2 8248 3413

Emails: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Technology & Telecommunications:

11 partners, 22 fee earners

• Advising Hyland Software on new contractual arrangements for IT products and services provided to icare, the New South Wales government's workplace injury insurance corporation.
• Advising City of Sydney on “one of the largest advertising contracts in Australian history”.
• Advising Rohde & Schwarz Australia on the awarding of a major contract to supply the integrated communications systems for Australia’s new A$40 billion+ Hunter class frigates being built by BAE Systems Maritime Australia.
• Advising ASX-listed property developer Lendlease (market cap A$4.4 billion) on a contract for the supply and implementation of a telecommunications network and services for two large Build to Rent Developments.
• Acting for major price comparison website Compare the Market on the decoupling of its entire ICT systems from its parent company, insurance giant Auto & General, following competition law requirements.
• Advising mining technology company Chrysos Corporation on all aspects of its key commercial arrangements with operators of mines and mineral testing facilities and the suppliers of its core systems. We also advised Chrysos in connection with its initial public offering which raised A$183.5 million, Australia's largest IPO as at May 2022.

Contact: Mark Feetham - Demetrios Christou

Tel: +61 2 8248 5847 +61 2 8248 3428

Email: [email protected], [email protected]

Restructuring & Insolvency:

20+ partners, 40 fee earners

• Acting for Chinese energy and resources company Shunkang Holding Group Co. Ltd after it was accused of engaging in an unlawful conspiracy to cause economic harm to DGR Global Ltd. - the largest creditor and shareholder of Armour Energy - which owned various energy assets in a number of Australian states and territories.
• Acting for facilities management and construction firm Canstruct in relation to the collapse of a planned A$1.5 billion aquaculture project called Project Sea Dragon – which was planned to be the largest prawn farm in the world.
• Advising the external administrators of Australian flow battery manufacturer Redflow on a range of commercial issues arising out of the company going into administration, including its Australian and international contractual obligations – as well as technical work relating to insolvency issues arising in the administration and liquidation.

Contact: Peter Harrison - Scott Guthrie - Nick Curran

Tel: +61 2 9225 2533, +61 7 3338 7516, +61 3 8080 3557

Email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Sydney - Sixty, Martin Place, Level 14, 60 Martin Place, Sydney, NSW 2000

Melbourne - Level 23, Rialto South Tower, 525 Collins Street, Melbourne, VIC 3000

Brisbane - One Eagle - Waterfront Brisbane, Level 28, 1 Eagle Street, Brisbane, QLD 4000

Perth - Level 29, Central Park Tower, 152-158 St Georges Terrace, Perth, WA 6000

Adelaide - Level 7, 19 Gouger Street, Adelaide, SA 5000

Canberra - Level 9, Civic Quarter, 68 Northbourne Avenue, Canberra ACT 2601