The excellence awardees across six categories were named as well
The Australasian Law Awards has announced the winners of the six deal categories for 2021.
The Australasian Law Awards celebrate excellence across the legal profession in Australia and New Zealand.
Due to the volume of strong contenders this year, excellence awardees have been named in each category in addition to the overall winners.
Debt Market Deal of the Year
Winner: National Broadband Network medium-term notes issuance
- Firms: Allen & Overy, Allens Linklaters, NBN Co Legal Team
- Accountant: Grant Samuel
- Banks: ANZ, Commonwealth Bank, Deutsche Bank, NAB, Westpac
Excellence Awardees
Australian Office of Financial Management 'Forbearance' SPV
- Firms: Clayton Utz, Eticore, King & Wood Mallesons
- Accountant: Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu
- Bank: Bank of New York
Heartland reverse mortgage securitization
- Firms: Allen & Overy, Clayton Utz, Slaughter & May
- Banks: Australian Seniors Finance (a subsidiary of Heartland Bank), BNY, M&G Investments
Newcrest US-dollar corporate bond offering
- Firms: Allens, Sullivan & Cromwell
- Accountant: Ernst & Young
- Banks: ANZ, Barclays Capital Asia, BofA Securities, HSBC Securities (USA), J.P. Morgan Securities, MUFG Securities Americas, RBC Capital Markets
Equity Market Deal of the Year
Winner: IOOF combined COVID super-sized placement and accelerated non-renounceable entitlement offer
- Firms: Allen & Overy, Allens, King & Wood Mallesons
- Accountant: EY
- Bank: Citigroup
Excellence Awardees
Adore Beauty IPO
- Firm: Gilbert + Tobin
- Accountant: KPMG
- Banks: Crestone Wealth Management, Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, Shaw and Partners, UBS
Dalrymple Bay Infrastructure IPO
- Firms: Herbert Smith Freehills, King & Wood Mallesons, MinterEllison, Sullivan & Cromwell
- Accountants: PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte
- Banks: Bell Potter Securities, Citigroup Global Markets Australia, Credit Suisse (Australia), Crestone Wealth Management, Merrill Lynch Equities (Australia), Morgans Financial, Ord Minnett, Wilsons Corporate Finance
Nuix IPO
- Firms: Clayton Utz, Gilbert + Tobin, Sidley Austin, Sullivan & Cromwell
- Accountant: PricewaterhouseCoopers
- Banks: Macquarie Capital (affiliate of Macquarie Group), Morgan Stanley Australia Securities
Sydney Airport equity raising
- Firms: Allens, King Wood Mallesons
- Accountants: KPMG, PwC
- Bank: UBS
Infrastructure & Projects Deal of the Year
Winner: Moranbah North-Grosvenor mining complex transaction
- Firms: Barbosa Müssnich Aragão Advogados, Clayton Utz, Freshfields, Linklaters, MinterEllison
- Accountants: EY, PwC
Excellence Awardees
Gunnedah and Suntop Solar projects
- Firms: Herbert Smith Freehills, K&L Gates, Maddocks, Norton Rose Fulbright
Ichthys LNG Project refinancing
- Firms: Allens, Allen & Overy, Herbert Smith Freehills, Latham & Watkins, NautaDutilh NV
- Banks: Citigroup, Mizuho Bank
Parramatta Council 5 Parramatta Square and town hall project
- Firms: Ashurst, King & Wood Mallesons
Port Kembla LNG import facility
- Firms: Ashurst, Clayton Utz, Herbert Smith Freehills, HWL Ebsworth, K&L Gates
Insolvency & Restructuring Deal of the Year
Winner: Bain Capital acquisition of Virgin Australia
- Firms: Clayton Utz, Herbert Smith Freehills, Jones Day, K&L Gates
- Accountant: Deloitte
- Banks: Jefferies
Excellence Awardees
LJ Hooker restructuring
- Firms: Allens Linklaters, Ashurst, Baker McKenzie, Corrs Chambers Westgarth,Gadens, Gilbert + Tobin
- Accountant: KPMG
Ovato restructuring
- Firms: Allens, Ashurst, Baker & McKenzie, Cornwalls, Herbert Smith Freehills, King & Wood Mallesons, MinterEllison, Norton Rose Fulbright
- Accountants: McGrathNicol, 333 Capital
- Advisors: Duff & Phelps, Scottish Pacific Business Finance, Wexted Advisors
- Banks: ANZ, Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft
Pilbara Minerals acquisition of Altura Lithium Operations
- Firms: Allen & Overy, Clayton Utz, Lavan
- Bank: Macquarie
Purchase of Cockatoo Island mining assets
- Firm: Pragma Lawyers
- Accountant/Receiver-Manager: Auxilium Partners
Mid-market Deal of the Year
Winner: BGH Capital acquisition of Healius Primary Care
- Firms: Allens, Herbert Smith Freehills, King Wood Mallesons
- Accountants: EY, PwC
- Banks: Morgan Stanley, UBS
Excellence Awardees
Aroa Biosurgery IPO
- Firms: Aroa Biosurgery IPO, Chapman Tripp, MinterEllison, Rimon Law
Citadel acquisition of Wellbeing Software
- Firms: Ashurst, Gadens, Gilbert + Tobin, Herbert Smith Freehills, Stephenson Harwood (UK), Taylor Wessing (UK)
Crescent Capital Partners acquisition of PRP
- Firms: Allen & Overy, Allens, Herbert Smith Freehills, Jones Day, MinterEllison
- Accountant: Ernst & Young
- Banks: Barings Global Private Loans, Barings Segregated Loans, BAYVK R PD 1 Loan, Goldman Sachs Australia Capital Markets, Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company
eBay acquisition of Cox Australia Media Solutions
- Firms: DLA Piper, Gilbert + Tobin, Hogan Lovells
- Accountant: EY
Piangil Almond Orchard sale
- Firms: Gadens, MinterEllison
Tattarang cross-border purchase of RM Williams
- Firms: Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, Clayton Utz, Gilbert + Tobin, Simpson Grierson
- Bank: Goldman Sachs
M&A Deal of the Year
Winner: Vodafone Hutchison Australia acquisition of TPG Corporation
- Firms: Allens, Herbert Smith Freehills, Norton Rose Fulbright, Prolegis Lawyers
- Advisor: Lonergan Edwards & Associates
- Accountants: Deloitte, Herbert Smith Freehills, KPMG
- Banks: BofA Securities Inc, Deutsche Bank AG, Macquarie Capital
Excellence Awardees
Anheuser-Busch InBev divestment in Australia
- Firms: Allen & Overy, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, Gilbert + Tobin, Johnson Winter & Slattery
- Accountants: EY, PwC
- Banks: Lazard, Nomura, Rothschild
CIMIC divestment of its interest in Thiess
- Firms: Allen & Overy, Allens, Ashurst, Borden Ladner Gervais, Desai Law Group, ENSafrica (Mauritius), Hadiputranto, Hadinoto & Partners, Herbert Smith Freehills South Africa, McKinsey & Company, MinterEllison, MinterEllisonRuddWatts, Morales & Besa, Pimenta e Associados – Sociedade de Advogados, Rajah & Tann Singapore, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co, Wood Mackenzie
- Advisor: Marsh
- Accountants: EY, JP Morgan, PwC
GrainCorp demerger of its international malting business
- Firms: Gilbert + Tobin, KWM
- Accountants: Blackpeak Capital, Credit Suisse, Grant Samuel, Macquarie
- Banks: KPMG, PwC
Resolution Life acquisition of the Australian and New Zealand life insurance businesses of AMP Life
- Firms: Ashurst, Bell Gully – New Zealand, Chapmann Tripp – New Zealand, Debevoise & Plimpton, Greenwoods, Herbert Smith Freehills, KWM
- Accountant: KPMG
- Banks: Deutsche Bank, UBS
Saracen Mineral Holding merger with Northern Star Resources
- Firms: Ashurst, DLA Piper
- Accountants: Deloitte Corporate Finance Pty Limited, Ernst & Young Strategy and Transactions Limited, PriceWaterhouseCoopers
- Banks: Macquarie Capital, Sternship Advisers
Congratulations to all the winners and excellence award recipients.
The awards team at Australasian Lawyer will be working with the winners on new ways to celebrate and share their successes with their clients, colleagues and communities.
The remainder of the awards will be announced on the following dates:
In-house award winners and excellence awardees will be announced on 16 June 2021 at 9am (AEST).
Industry and firm award winners and excellence awardees will be announced on 17 June 2021 at 9am (AEST).
The winners list will also be posted here.