Minter Ellison

Minter Ellison
Headquarters Sydney, Australia
No. of offices 15
No. of attorneys 200+ partners, 600 lawyers
Key people

Bruce Cowley, Chairman

Tony Harrington, Chief Executive Partner
Revenue A$418 million (2013/2014)
Date founded 1827
Company type Partnership
Website
www.minterellison.com

Minter Ellison is an international law firm based in Australia. A member of the Big Six leading Australian law firms, it is the largest law firm headquartered in Australia,[1] has offices across 15 cities in five countries.[2][3]

History

Minter Ellison dates back to 1827 when F. W. Unwin was admitted to practice in New South Wales. Its first international office was opened in London in 1974. Minter Ellison was one of the first foreign law firms to have a presence in China, initially through a joint venture arrangement in Beijing in the mid-1980s.

In 1987, Ellison Hewison & Whitehead merged with Gillott, Moir & Winneke and with Minter Simpson & Co Ellison to become Minter Ellison.[4]

In 1992, Minter Ellison and Morris Fletcher & Cross merged to become Minter Ellison Morris Fletcher and in 1995, the firm officially becomes known as Minter Ellison. In 2000, the Canberra office merged with Deacon Graham & James.

The firm established offices in Hong Kong in 2000, Shanghai in 2001, Beijing in 2010, and Ulaanbaatar in 2012.

On 1 September 2001 the New Zealand (Auckland and Wellington) law firm of Rudd Watts & Stone changed its name to Minter Ellison Rudd Watts (this firm is a member of the Minter Ellison Legal Group and as an 'associated' firm does not form part of the integrated Minter Ellison partnership.)

Practice areas

Minter Ellison's key areas of practice area:[5]

'Top Tier' firm recognition

Minter Ellison and its lawyers are highly ranked in legal directories such as Chambers Asia Pacific and The Legal 500: Asia Pacific in jurisdictions in which the firm operates – Australia, China and Mongolia. Practice areas where the firm has achieved Top Tier status include Banking & Finance: Property Finance, Government, International Trade / WTO, Insurance, Investment Funds, Restructuring and Insolvency, and Technology, Media & Telecommunications.[6]

Significant legal work

The firm is known for its work in high-profile mergers and acquisitions, including the long-term leasing by the Government of New South Wales of the ports of Newcastle, Botany and Kembla;[7] the A$1.14 billion joint takeover of Aquila Resources Limited[8] by Boasteel Resources Australia Pty Ltd and Aurizon Operations Limited; and the sale by Lloyds Banking Group plc[9] of its Australian asset finance business, Capital Finance Australia Ltd (CFAL), and its corporate loan portfolio, BOS International Australia Ltd (BOSI), to Westpac Banking Corporation for approximately A$1.55 billion in total.

Associated firm in New Zealand

References

  1. ↑ ALB. (2010.) ALB30 Australasia's largest firms.
  2. ↑ Dun and Bradstreet Company360 (database online), entry: Minter Ellison Services Pty Ltd. Accessed 13 August 2011
  3. ↑ Minter Ellison. (2011.) Our offices. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
  4. ↑ "Philip Simpson: Land was the calling of a highflying lawyer". Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. 21 April 2008.
  5. ↑ New South Wales Young Lawyers and the National Pro Bono Resource Centre. (2008.) Pro Bono Practices: A guide to the pro bono practices of NSW’s largest law firms, New South Wales Young Lawyers and the National Pro Bono Resource Centre.
  6. ↑ See http://www.chambersandpartners.com/guide/asia/8/23/1 and http://www.legal500.com/c/australia.
  7. ↑ See 'Port of Newcastle winners tabled $1.75bn knockout bid', AFR, 1 May 2014; ' $3bn expected as Port Botany bids reviewed by lawyers', AFR, 9 April 2013
  8. ↑ Announcement by Aquila Resources to The Australian Stock Exchange, 5 May 2014.
  9. ↑ See 'Minters, Freehills, advise on Lloyds deal', Lawyers Weekly, 11 June 2012

External links