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News Library
To find out what has been happening at Minter Ellison, select a timeframe below:


Our news


Minter Ellison advises on landmark long term electricity contracts.
12 March 2010
Minter Ellison has advised Alcoa of Australia and Loy Yang Power on new 20-year base-load electricity contracts to power the Portland and Point Henry aluminium smelters. 

Minter Ellison advises University of Melbourne on world-first IBM life sciences collaboratory
18 February 2010
Minter Ellison advised University of Melbourne on a world-first IBM life sciences collaboratory to increase the research and supercomputing capabilities of the Victorian Life Sciences Computation Initiative.

New leaders for competition practice specialist Mergers Unit and Cartels Unit
09 February 2010

Minter Ellison has made two senior appointments within its 60-strong Australasian Competition Group. Geoff Carter will head the Group's Mergers Unit and Paul Schoff the Cartels Unit.


Minter Ellison advises Aevum on merger with IOR Group Limited
05 February 2010
Minter Ellison advised ASX-listed retirement village operator, Aevum Limited, on its merger by way of scheme of arrangement with IOR Group Limited.


Minter Ellison Chinese New Year card competition benefits local school students in Hong Kong
27 January 2010

As part of its ongoing community partnership with Hong Kong's The Fresh Fish Traders' School, Minter Ellison has run a 2010 Chinese New Year card competition.


Minter Ellison appoints China specialist for Shanghai
15 January 2010
Minter Ellison has announced the appointment of Ms Yi Yi Wu as Chief Representative of the firm's Shanghai office.

Senior lawyer wins prestigious pro bono award
17 December 2009
Robert Reed (Senior Associate, Brisbane) has received the Queensland Law Society/QPILCH Pro Bono Award.

Partner honoured with ANZIIF Fellowship
17 December 2009

Pamela Madafiglio (Partner, Sydney) has, in a rare honour, been awarded a Fellowship of the Australia New Zealand Institute of Insurance and Finance (ANZIIF).


Minter Ellison launches the first edition of the Australian and New Zealand Retirement Villages Legislation Compendium
27 November 2009
For more than two decades Minter Ellison has been the law firm of choice to the retirement villages industry across Australia and New Zealand. It is from this knowledge of the industry that the Australian and New Zealand Retirement Villages Legislation Compendium was written - aiming to provide the retirement villages industry with a quick reference guide to key aspects of the legislation regulating retirement villages in each state and territory of Australia and in New Zealand.

Minter Ellison wins world-class cancer centre project
11 November 2009
Minter Ellison has been appointed to advise the Victorian Government on the delivery of the A$1billion Parkville Comprehensive Cancer Centre Project.

Minter Ellison partner to lead World Law Group
16 October 2009

Senior corporate partner and former Chairman of Minter Ellison, Ian Davis, has been elected to the position of President of the World Law Group (WLG), a leading global network of independent law firms, at its annual members' conference held in Zurich this month. His tenure is for two years.


Integrated AML 2009
14 October 2009
The introduction of the Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing Act 2006 has resulted in an increasingly complex web of legislative provisions, rules, regulations, declarations, AUSTRAC policy statements and Guidance Notes. Minter Ellison has developed Integrated AML 2009, an integrated publication to help clients understand the interaction of the legislative provisions with the additional regulatory materials.

Minter Ellison wins Employment/Labour Law Firm of the Year for China
07 September 2009
Voted for by senior in-house lawyers across Asia and the United Arab Emirates Minter Ellison has been awarded Employment/Labour Law Firm of the Year for China 2009 by Asian-Counsel.

Minter Ellison partner appears at senate inquiry on new consumer laws
07 September 2009

On 7 September 2009, the Senate Economics Legislation Committee released reports on its inquiries on the National Consumer Credit Protection Bill 2009 and the Trade Practices Amendment (Australian Consumer Law) Bill 2009. Both reports refer to submissions made by Richard Batten (Partner, Sydney) on behalf of Minter Ellison.


Minter Ellison named top law firm by the insurance industry for third year
03 August 2009
Minter Ellison has been named "Law Firm of the Year" for the third consecutive year at the annual Australian and New Zealand Insurance Industry Awards.

New head of Minter Ellison's Greater China employment practice team
23 July 2009
Minter Ellison has announced the appointment of Winnie Ng as head its Greater China employment practice.  Ms Ng is one of the few employment lawyers in that market who is fluent in English, Cantonese and Mandarin, and who specialises in both Hong Kong and PRC employment laws.

Mining uranium in Australia: frequently asked questions
23 July 2009
A report published this week by Minter Ellison highlights the unique position Australia is in to capitalise on the growing worldwide demand for uranium. Mining uranium in Australia: frequently asked questions examines the matrix of regulatory regimes that govern Australia's uranium industry – covering current federal and state laws and policies regulating mining and exploration, environmental safeguards, non-proliferation and foreign investment.

Minter Ellison elects new Chairman
26 June 2009
Russell Miller AM has been elected to the position of Chairman of the Firm. He takes over on 1 July 2009 from Gillian Brown, who returns to full-time practice as a specialist finance lawyer and head of the firm's Finance team in Queensland.

Minter Ellison Legal Group adds 15 new partners
26 June 2009
The Minter Ellison Legal Group appoints 15 new partners, 8 Special Counsel and 22 Senior Associates effective 1 July 2009. All of the new partners are internal promotions.

Minter Ellison wins three ALB Australasian Law Awards
22 May 2009
Minter Ellison's innovative work on landmark transactions and in the development of technology platforms was acknowledged when the firm won three coveted 2009 ALB Australasian Law Awards.  The accolades were:

  • Debt Market Deal of The Year: for the Primary Health Care-Symbion Health acquisition financing

  • Project Finance Deal of the Year: for the Energy Infrastructure Investments Group's assets sale

  • Innovative Use of Technology Award: for the constructionlawmadeeasy.com website and the liift platform.

Unique online library of resources launched for Hong Kong construction sector
29 April 2009
Minter Ellison has launched an interactive, online library of resources for construction, property and infrastructure industry professionals in Hong Kong.

Clever aid provides real opportunity for Australian industry
29 April 2009
The emphasis placed on 'aid for trade' by Australia is a hugely positive element of this country's aid program and is smart policy.

Unnecessary regulation holding back export of Australian legal services
20 March 2009
Chief Executive Partner, John Weber, told the Australian Services Roundtable Summit in Canberra this week that unnecessary regulatory restrictions are standing in the way of  law firms boosting the value of earnings from the export of Australian legal services.

Minter Ellison named a 2009 Employer of Choice for Women
20 March 2009

Minter Ellison has been awarded a 2009 Employer of Choice for Women citation by the Federal Government's Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA).


Minter Ellison expands Asian projects, construction & infrastructure offering
20 March 2009

One of the Asia Pacific's largest law firms, Minter Ellison, has expanded its Asian Projects, Construction & Infrastructure offering by joining forces with Hilary Cordell and Fiona Connell from Cordells, a Hong Kong law firm that specialises in commercial real estate, project development and financing.


Political and corporate heavyweight joins Minter Ellison
20 March 2009
Minter Ellison has appointed former senator and ALP national president Stephen Loosley as a special counsel.

Sustainability Series to help businesses understand emissions trading
13 March 2009
Minter Ellison has joined forces with MOSS, the industry body for corporate responsibility and sustainability, to help businesses understand how to survive and prosper in a low carbon economy.

Accolade for Minter Ellison's Canberra team
13 March 2009
Minter Ellison was named joint winner of the Best ACT Professional Services Firm award at the announcement of BRW / St George Client Choice Awards in Sydney this week.

Our work on award-winning deals wins international recognition
12 March 2009
Minter Ellison's involvement in two ground-breaking cross-border transactions was recognised when the deals won their category for the prestigious International Financial Law Review (IFLR) Asia 2009 Awards.

Minter Ellison's International Trade Group ranked Australian leader
10 March 2009
Two international surveys have recognised the strength of Minter Ellison's international trade law/WTO practice, confirming the team as Australian leaders.

Based on extensive client and market feedback, our team has been ranked Tier 1 in the latest Chambers Global Guide to the World's Leading Lawyers for Business published in London last week. Commenting on the team's work, Chambers Global notes: "[In the past year] the group has gone from strength to strength, advising on the full range of trade issues, including customs and excise, tariffs, WTO disputes, trade remedies and regulatory matters."

Deals shortlisted for the International Financial Law Review (IFLR) Asia Awards
17 February 2009
Two of our deals have been shortlisted for the prestigious International Financial Law Review (IFLR) Asia Awards – the Sinosteel/ Midwest takeover (in the M&A category) and the Macquarie Bank's Smart Series 2008-1E, a securitisation issue of automobile and equipment receivables (in the structured finance/securitisation category).

New Managing Partner for Minter Ellison's Canberra Office
04 February 2009
Minter Ellison has announced that Paul McGinness has been chosen as the new Managing Partner of the firm's Canberra office. He takes over from John Weber, who was appointed Minter Ellison's new Chief Executive Partner earlier this year.

New Chief Executive Partner announced
23 December 2008
Minter Ellison has announced the appointment of John Weber as the firm's new Chief Executive Partner.

New Chief Executive to take over reins at Minter Ellison
23 December 2008
Minter Ellison has announced the appointment of John Weber as the firm's new Chief Executive Partner.

Submission to the New Zealand government in relation to the Consultation Draft of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Bill 2008
24 October 2008
Submission to the New Zealand government in relation to the Consultation Draft of the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Bill 2008

Minter Ellison advises on award-winning deals
17 October 2008
Against a backdrop of a hostile takeover battle and deteriorating global financial and share markets stemming from the sub-prime credit crisis Minter Ellison continues to deliver value to clients and help them achieve their business goals. Their team approach to client service in the instance of Primary Health Care, executed and delivered a complete financial restructuring package which helped to project Primary Health Care into the ASX top 100 companies list and consolidate its position as one of Australia's key health care service providers

Scheme takeovers & fewer tactics, simpler for shareholders
15 October 2008
To scheme or not to scheme, that is the question. Schemes of arrangement are now often the preferred structure for executing friendly takeovers. A current review of scheme law is unlikely to reduce the attractions of this structure, which offers target shareholders a single decision point to approve or reject an often complex takeover proposal. One positive outcome of the review may be to bring the disclosure regime for schemes into line with that for takeover bids.

Award winning technology company helps business to work smarter
02 October 2008

Minter Ellison's subsidiary, liift pty ltd has won the Award for Innovation in Legal IT at this year's 3rd Annual CMS LawTech Awards in Byron Bay.

liift is the brainchild of a multi-disciplinary team of lawyers and business analysts from Minter Ellison who last week took out the award for their suite of user friendly technology platforms, including the highly successful liift Franchisor software.


Accolades for Greater China employment team
15 August 2008

Recognition for our Greater China Employment team continues to grow. The team has been voted Asian-Counsel's Hong Kong Employment Team of the Year 2008 and this week was announced as a finalist for the China Law & Practice 2008 Awards.


Minter Ellison wins Insurance 'Law Firm of the Year' Award for second consecutive year
08 August 2008

Minter Ellison has received the Australia and New Zealand Insurance Industry 'Law Firm of the Year' Award for the second consecutive year.


Minter Ellison announced as finalist for 'Law Firm of the Year' award
24 July 2008

Minter Ellison is a finalist for the Australia and New Zealand Insurance Industry Awards 'Law Firm of the Year' category for the second year running. The firm's highly respected Insurance practice won the award last year.


Meet our new partner - George Krashos
22 July 2008

George has 10 years' experience in workers compensation law and represented both plaintiffs and insurers in common law and statutory insurance jurisdictions.


Meet our new partner - Sophie Carman
21 July 2008

Sophie is a specialist in the area of workers compensation and has practised in the area of statutory insurance, specifically, workers compensation, for over 10 years.


Meet our new partner - Julie Whitehead
21 July 2008

Julie advises government, owners, contractors and proponents across a range of industry sectors, including commercial building, transport infrastructure, energy, mining and resources.


Meet our new partner - Alberto Colla
17 July 2008

Alberto practices in corporate and securities law with a wide range of experience in equity capital markets transactions and mergers and acquisitions. 


Meet our new partner - Samantha Betzien
14 July 2008

Samantha joined the partnership in 2008 and continues to apply her expertise in employment and industrial relations law to the benefit of our clients.


Meet our new partner - Paul Kallenbach
09 July 2008

Paul is a technology law specialist, with a particular focus on strategic sourcing, ecommerce, technology licensing, intellectual property and electronic payment systems.


Meet our new partner - Penny Murray
08 July 2008

Penny specialises in advice on environmental and town planning law, compensation and compulsory acquisition and advice on contaminated land.


Meet our new partner - David Stevens
08 July 2008

David is a property specialist with extensive experience in all aspects of property law and has worked on some of the largest property transactions and developments in Queensland.


Meet our new partner - Nigel Clark
02 July 2008

Nigel heads the Minter Ellison London Finance practice. He advises financiers, corporates and law firms on all aspects of English and Australian finance law.


Minter Ellison Legal Group adds 14 new partners
30 June 2008

The Minter Ellison Legal Group has announced the appointment of 14 new partners, effective 1 July 2008.


Minter Ellison launches innovative website resource for the construction industry
19 June 2008

Minter Ellison today launches a free, innovative website for those involved with the construction industry. This online resource is designed to make the job of people working in construction, property development and infrastructure development easier.


Minter Ellison senior associate receives the Order of Australia medal
10 June 2008

Minter Ellison senior associate, Andrew Lu, received the Order of Australia medal (OAM) "For service to the arts through a range of administrative roles, and to the community". The Honour Announcement was made in the Queen’s Birthday 2008 Honours List published on Monday, 9 June 2008.


Minter Ellison consultant awarded the Order of Australia Medal
10 June 2008
Minter Ellison consultant, Ron Laird, has been awarded the Medal (OAM) of the Order of Australia in the 2008 Queen's Birthday Honours.

Minter Ellison works on award-winning deals
23 May 2008
Minter Ellison's work on two market-leading deals was recognized in Sydney last night at the annual Australasian Legal Business Law Awards.

Minter Ellison gets Gold for corporate responsibility
20 May 2008
Minter Ellison, a founding participant in the Australian Corporate Responsibility Index (CRI), has attained a GOLD ranking in the 5th annual CRI results released today.

Seat at infrastructure power table for Minter Ellison Industry Leader
20 May 2008

Mark Birrell, leader of Minter Ellison's National Infrastructure Industry Group, has been appointed to the Rudd Government's inaugural Infrastructure Australia Board.


Minter Ellison Rudd Watts named Employer of the Year
12 April 2008
Minter Ellison Rudd Watts' employee Nick Jones has earned the firm the Territorial Forces Employer Support Council (TFESC) Employer of the Year Award.  The inaugural award recognises employers who are committed to supporting Reservists in their workplace.

Meet our new partner - Richard Dammery
11 April 2008

Richard is a Partner in our Corporate group with over 15 years' experience as a senior legal adviser and general manager.


Minter Ellison ranked one of the top firms in environmental law
08 April 2008
Minter Ellison's national environmental law practice has been voted one of the best in the country.

Minter Ellison young lawyer off to 2020 Summit
08 April 2008
Phoebe Knowles, a corporate lawyer in Minter Ellison's Melbourne office and a human rights lawyer at the Public Interest Law Clearing House is one of the 1,000 Australians who will participate in the Prime Minister's 2020 Summit.

Meet our new partner - Lynne Peach
01 April 2008

Specialising in intellectual property, Lynne Peach provides advice in relation to all aspects of the creation, acquisition, commercialisation, management and protection of Intellectual Property rights.


Minter Ellison welcomes new IP partner
25 March 2008
Minter Ellison has boosted its intellectual property team with the appointment of Lynne Peach, who joins the firm as a partner.

Corporate heavyweight joins Minter Ellison in Melbourne
13 March 2008

Minter Ellison has added yet more firepower to its corporate practice with the hire of Coles Group's executive General Counsel and Company Secretary. Richard Dammery joins the firm as a partner and will be part of Minter Ellison's strong national M&A team.


Goodbye witching hour
27 February 2008

Minter Ellison's Perth office has refined its parental leave policy to ensure it delivers genuine work/life balance for new fathers.


Meet our new partner – Peter Block
27 February 2008
Peter is a partner in the firm’s Projects and Finance Division. He has extensive experience acting for participants in the development and financing of greenfield projects (including BOTs, BOOTs and BTs) particularly in the areas of energy, oil and gas, telecommunications and large complex infrastructure projects.

Meet our new Darwin Partner – Lyn Bennett
05 February 2008
Lyn is head of the commercial department in our Darwin office. She has more than 25 years' experience in the legal industry, with a focus on commercial and property law.

Minter Ellison boosts Corporate practice in Greater China
23 January 2008
Minter Ellison has announced the arrival of Matthew Hibbins to its Hong Kong Corporate team.

Five new partners to kick off 2008
22 January 2008
The Minter Ellison Legal Group is powering into 2008 with the appointment of five new partners.

Meet our new Corporate partner - Victoria Mathewson
18 January 2008
Victoria has extensive corporate law experience and acting for a range of corporate clients including Australian listed entities and financial institutions.

Minter Ellison lawyers amongst best in the world
14 January 2008

A record number of Minter Ellison lawyers have been recognised as amongst the best in the world in the 2008 edition of the respected international directory, Chambers Global.


Meet our new Corporate Partner – Christopher Brown
07 January 2008
Christopher initially joined Minter Ellison in April 2002, having spent a period in private practice in London. His principal areas of practice are mergers and acquisitions, Corporations Act and Listing Rules advice, joint ventures and commercial contracts.

SAFETRAC appoints a new Managing Director
04 December 2007

SAFETRAC and Minter Ellison today announced the appointment of Mr Ed Stockdale as Managing Director of SAFETRAC Pty Ltd. SAFETRAC is a subsidiary of top tier corporate law firm Minter Ellison.


Minter Ellison advises Barclays Global Investors iShares launch
07 November 2007

Minter Ellison has advised Barclays Global Investors and iShares on the launch of iShares in Australia, the first exchange traded fund of this type to be introduced in Australia.  


Minter Ellison welcomes new COO/CFO
11 October 2007

Minter Ellison is pleased to announce the appointment of Tony Brennan to the position of Chief Operating Officer / Chief Financial Officer.


Minter Ellison welcomes real estate specialist partner
09 October 2007

Minter Ellison is pleased to announce real estate specialist, Virginia Briggs, will join the firm as a partner on 15 October.


Minter Ellison's Integrated FSR Toolkit now available
08 October 2007

The updated version of Minter Ellison's Integrated FSR Toolkit is now available. It is an essential aid to understanding the financial services regime and includes information up to 30 September 2007.  The toolkit brings together the financial services provisions of Chapter 7 of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) and related regulations, explanatory materials, class orders and references to Treasury and ASIC material in a single easy-to-use package.


Minter Ellison leads way forward on Hong Kong's employment law
05 October 2007
Minter Ellison was specially requested to produce the first comprehensive guide to Hong Kong's Employment Law by leading media partner CCH. Hong Kong Employment Law: A Practical Guide waslaunched on 5 October, 2007.

Minter Ellison Partner to chair LAWASIA business law
05 October 2007

Minter Ellison Partner, Peter Bartlett has been elected chairman of the Business Law Section of LAWASIA, an association of lawyers in the Asia Pacific Region.


New Managing Partner for Minter Ellison's Brisbane office
04 July 2007
Ross Landsberg has taken over as Managing Partner of Minter Ellison's office in Brisbane from Denis Gately, whose tenure ended on 30 June.

Hong Kong Construction Team achieves success in ferry pier development litigation
23 March 2007
The Hong Kong Construction Team have recently achieved a successful result for the Government of the Hong Kong SAR in relation to an aborted ferry pier development.

Construction Team enjoys market recognition
23 March 2007

Minter Ellison’s reputation for having one of the strongest construction teams in the Asia Pacific region was again recognised by external commentators with award nominations and improved rankings for our lawyers and the team as a whole.


ARIC Rail Mission to New Zealand
13 March 2007

Minter Ellison Rudd Watts and the Australian Trade Commission are delighted to co-host the ARIC Rail Mission board meeting at Minter Ellison Rudd Watts Auckland premises, 2-5 April 2007.


Acquisition of increased stake in Australian uranium explorer by Areva
12 March 2007
Minter Ellison has advised Areva, a world leader in nuclear power and nuclear manufacturing plants, on the acquisition by its Australian subsidiary of a further six million new shares in the ASX-listed uranium explorer Northern Uranium Limited.

Helen Macfarlane - new special counsel in Environment & Planning group
01 February 2007

Helen joined Minter Ellison as a senior associate in 2000 and was appointed to special counsel as at 1 January 2007.


New special counsel joins the Perth office
18 January 2007
Neil Fearis, a new special counsel, has joined the Perth's corporate and commercial group after many years at one of Australia's largest national law firms.

Minter Ellison's Shanghai office relocation
03 January 2007

Minter Ellison's Shanghai office has relocated to a new address.


Minter Ellison announces its latest senior appointments
15 December 2006
The Minter Ellison Legal Group is delighted to announce its latest senior appointments. These specialist lawyers understand their clients’ businesses and industries and focus on achieving successful business outcomes. Teamwork and collaboration drive the way they work with each other and how they engage with clients.

Human Resources group wins two awards in China
15 December 2006
The Greater China Employment and Human Resources group has won two awards from HRoot, a reputable Chinese HR organization based in Shanghai.

Minter Ellison's latest scorecard in two leading international legal directories
27 November 2006

Minter Ellison lawyers and offices have achieved some outstanding results in the latest edition of two respected international legal directories published recently. These directories provide good benchmarks for the legal services market and independent recognition of both leading individual lawyers and leading practice groups in the Asia Pacific region.


Perth office welcomes new Managing Partner
01 September 2006

There's been a changing of the guard in the firm's Perth office – with John Poulsen taking over from Sean Larkan as Managing Partner.


Acquisition of former Westpoint site in joint venture
14 August 2006
Minter Ellison acts for investment Babcock and Brown on the acquisition of the former Emu Brewery site in Perth's inner city.

Minter Ellison Legal Group announces 12 new partners
30 June 2006

The Minter Ellison Legal Group has announced the appointment of 12 new partners, to take effect from 1 July 2006.


Minter Ellison helps bring Las Vegas to Singapore
29 May 2006

Minter Ellison has advised Las Vegas Sands Inc ("LVSI") on the US company's successful bid for the right to build and operate Singapore's first casino.


Minter Ellison remains sole law firm in the Corporate Responsibility Index
15 May 2006

Minter Ellison remains the only law firm globally, and the only professional services firm in Australia, to participate in the Corporate Responsibility Index (CRI).


Two wins in the NSW Land and Environment Court
09 May 2006

Minter Ellison's Environment & Planning team has helped clients to significant wins in the NSW Land and Environment Court.


Minter Ellison's success at the ALB Deals of the Year awards
07 April 2006
Two deals, in which Minter Ellison was a key adviser, have won accolades at the ALB Australasian Law Awards.

New head for Minter Ellison's superannuation practice
22 March 2006
Minter Ellison has announced that new partner Maged Girgis will head the firm's strong national superannuation practice.

Airservices Australia joint venture
06 March 2006
Minter Ellison's IP commercialisation team acted for Airservices Australia in negotiating its first international commercial joint venture, announced recently at the aviation industry's annual Air Traffic Control exhibition, ATC Maastricht.

Burdekin Pipeline Project
16 February 2006
Minter Ellison advised SunWater on the commencement of the Burdekin Pipeline Project – a water pipeline in central Queensland designed to ensure a reliable and adequate water supply to the state's coal-rich Bowen Basin.

International trade agenda picks up pace
06 January 2006
Minter Ellison has boosted its international trade practice, announcing a senior appointment for the firm's Canberra office and a senior promotion in Melbourne.

© Minter Ellison 2010
News highlight