MinterEllison

MinterEllison is a multinational professional services firm based in Australia. The firm has offices in five countries and 15 cities, including in every Australian capital city, London, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai and Ulaanbaatar.[4] By number of Australian lawyers it is the largest provider of legal services in Australia.[5]

MinterEllison
HeadquartersSydney, Australia[1]
No. of offices15[2]
No. of attorneys
  • 270+ partners[2]
  • 1,200+ legal staff[2]
Key people
  • Annette Kimmitt, Chief Executive Officer & Managing Partner[3]
  • Stuart Johnson, Managing Partner, Capital Markets & Corporate[3]
  • Michelle Power, Managing Partner, Markets[3]
Revenue A$627 million (2018/2019)[2]
Date founded1827[2]
Websiteminterellison.com

Formerly known as Minter Ellison Lawyers, MinterEllison was a member of the Big Six leading Australian law firms before that term was superseded by a series of international law firm mergers.[6]

In the 2019 LawyersWeekly survey that asked lawyers which firm they would move to if they had to leave their current workplace, MinterEllison was ranked first 2019’s Top 25 Attraction Firms named. In the 2018, 2019 and 2020 Chambers & Partners Australia rankings, MinterEllison was the most ranked firm MinterEllison is the most ranked firm in Chambers 2020 - Media release - MinterEllison. Similarly in the Legal 500 Asia Pacific rankings, MinterEllison was the most ranked firm in Australia MinterEllison equal most ranked firm in Australia in the Legal 500 in 2020 - Media Release - MinterEllison

MinterEllison alumni include judges of a number of courts, including the High Court of Australia, the Federal Court of Australia,Biography of Justice O’Bryan the Supreme Courts, as well as members of the Commonwealth Parliament. The current Solicitor-General of Australia, Dr Stephen Donaghue QC, commenced his career at MinterEllison Meet Australia's new Solicitor-General.

History

MinterEllison's origins can be traced back to 1827, when Frederick Wright Unwin was admitted to practice in New South Wales. Its first international office was opened in London in 1974, and its roots in China date back to the 1980s, when it was part of the Beijing Interjura consultancy (1987-1993) and though a co-operation agreement with Great Wall Law Firm (the law firm of China's Ministry of Foreign Economic Relations and Trade) signed in 1990.

In 1986, Ellison Hewison & Whitehead merged with Gillotts and with Minter Simpson & Co to become "Minter Ellison".[7]

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. That firm is a member of the MinterEllison Legal Group and, as an 'associated' firm, does not form part of the integrated MinterEllison partnership.

In March 2015, MinterEllison dropped "lawyers" from its name, announcing that they changes were part of a strategy of both emphasising diversification into non-legal services such as project management, consulting and other professional services. Then Chief Executive Tony Harrington told the Australian Financial Review that the change in branding and strategy is the firm adapting to "phenomenal change in the market: change that encompasses technology-driven standardised products, increased in-house capacity at clients, and ever-consolidating larger businesses."[8]

MinterEllison is aiming for substantial growth, planning to increase revenue from roughly A$400 million to around A$600 million by 2020.[8]

In April 2016, MinterEllison launched a contract lawyer business, Flex, to provide clients with an alternative cost model for legal services.[9] In October 2016, MinterEllison announced an expansion into non-legal consulting.[10]

MinterEllison acquired ITNewcom, a boutique technology consulting firm on 1 July 2017.[11]

In June 2018, the firm announced the full integration of its offices and Partnership in South Australia and the Northern Territory with the MinterEllison Australia team.[12]

In May 2019, MinterEllison announced the launch of MinterEllison Infrastructure Consulting.[13]

Operations

Practice areas

MinterEllison's key areas of practice are:[14]

Pro bono

FY18 saw the firm undertake 32,695 hours of pro bono work[15]

MinterEllison provides pro bono legal assistance through bodies including Justice Connect, QPILCH, Public Interest Advocacy Centre, ACT Pro Bono Clearing House and the Law Society of Western Australia.[16] It also participates in the New South Wales Expert Advice Exchange,[17] and a number of social enterprises including the Mwembe Foundation, the FOCUS women's leadership program and the Third Link Growth Fund.[18]

Flexible working arrangements

MinterEllison provides a range of flexible working arrangements, seeking to address the legal industry's reputation for long hours and lack of flexibility. These include options for staff to take up to four additional weeks of annual leave per year, parental leave, and part-time and working from home arrangements. A particular focus is on encouraging lawyers at senior levels to take leave and breaks from their career for family and other responsibilities.[19][20][21] MinterEllison's Flex contract lawyer business also provides an alternative to full-time employment at the firm.[9]

New office spaces

In 2015, MinterEllison moved into new premises at the Governor Macquarie Tower in Sydney. The new offices are designed to be an open and collaborative environment, with a variety of purpose designed spaces. Innovations include electronic "sit to stand" settings on desks and a community workspace including several collaboration zones. The new office received the 2016 John Verge Award for Interior Architecture. Then Chief Executive Tony Harrington commented "Professional services firms, I think, sometimes get ahead of themselves by hierarchy. What this fitout has done is broken down a lot of that hierarchy." [22]

Similar redesigns are planned for Perth, Brisbane and Canberra and Melbourne.[23][24]

Recognition

Chambers Asia Pacific 2018:[25] 31 Ranked Practice Areas in Australia, 12 Band 1 Rankings, 93 Individual Lawyer Rankings

Acritas Asia Pacific Law Firm Brand Index 2018 – Top 10[26]

In the 2016 Chambers Asia-Pacific rankings, MinterEllison has the second highest number of ranked practice areas of any law firm in the Asia-Pacific.[27]

A 2016 survey by Lawyers Weekly of Australian lawyers found that, when asked which law firm lawyers would approach if they were to leave their current employer, MinterEllison was ranked third in Australia.[28]

For FY2018, MinterEllison acted on a large number of M&A transactions with a total deal value of A$55 billion as well as A$102 billion worth of infrastructure projects during the year.[29] It also advised 70 per cent of the ASX 50 companies, a group that represents the large-cap component of the Australian stock market.[29]

Recent awards won by MinterEllison include:

  • ITR Asia Awards 2018[30]
    • Australia Tax Disputes & Litigation Firm of the Year
    • Australia Transfer Pricing Firm of the Year
    • Global Executive Mobility Tax Team of the Year in Asia
  • AustCham Westpac Australia China Business Awards
    • 2018 Professional and Business Services[31]
  • Australasian Law Awards [31]
    • Property, Infrastructure & Projects Deal of the Year 2018
    • Equity Market Deal of the Year 2018
    • M&A Deal of the Year 2018
  • Global Competition Review 2018[32]
    • Behavioural Matter of the Year - Asia Pacific
    • World Services Group Asia Legal Awards
    • Acquisition Finance Deal of the Year
  • Financial Times
    • Innovation in Legal Expertise 2018[33]
    • Innovation in New Business and Service Delivery Models 2019[34]
    • Top 10 Most Innovative Law Firms 2019[34]
    • Innovation in Use of Technology' 2015[35]
  • World Services Group Asia Legal Awards
    • Acquisition Finance Deal of the Year[31]
  • International Legal Technology Association Awards[36]
    • Innovative Project of the Year' at the 2016
  • Australian Banking and Finance Insurance Awards.[37][38]
    • 'Insurance Law Firm of the Year' for the fifth consecutive year, 2016
  • China Business Law Awards.[39]
    • 'Legal Advisor of the Year' in Energy, Projects & Infrastructure 2013
  • Chambers Asia Pacific Awards for Excellence[40]
    • 'Excellence in Client Service' 2014

Significant matters

The firm has worked on the long-term leasing of the ports of Brisbane, Darwin, Newcastle, Botany and Kembla, and, most recently in 2016 the Port of Melbourne which was leased for 50 years for $9.7 billion;[41] the A$1.14 billion joint takeover of Aquila Resources Limited[42] by Boasteel Resources Australia Pty Ltd and Aurizon Operations Limited; and the sale by Lloyds Banking Group plc[43] 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.

References
  1. "MinterEllison". LinkedIn. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  2. "Fast facts". MinterEllison. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  3. "About us". MinterEllison. Retrieved 8 June 2020.
  4. http://www.minterellison.com/offices. Retrieved 6 July 2015
  5. "Australian independent Minter Ellison returns to growth with 2 per cent turnover rise | The Lawyer". thelawyer.com. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  6. ALB. (2010.) ALB30 Australasia's largest firms.
  7. "Philip Simpson: Land was the calling of a highflying lawyer". Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. 21 April 2008.
  8. "Minter Ellison multiplies beyond lawyers | Financial Review". afr.com. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  9. "MinterEllison 'Flex's' muscle with new contract lawyer entity | Financial Review". afr.com. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  10. "Minter Ellison moves to take on big four in consulting | Financial Review". afr.com. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  11. "Minters enters tech consulting space with ITNewcom acquisition". Australian Financial Review. 3 July 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  12. "MinterEllison expands national approach with integration of Adelaide and Darwin offices - Media Release - MinterEllison". www.minterellison.com. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  13. "MinterEllison appoints two non-legal Partners, launches new Infrastructure Consulting arm - Media Release - MinterEllison". www.minterellison.com. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  14. 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.
  15. "Our people in the community - Annual report 2018 - MinterEllison". www.minterellison.com. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  16. "Annual Report FY2014 | Minter Ellison" (PDF). minterellison.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  17. "Law firms sign onto pro bono one-stop-shop | Australasian Lawyer". australasianlawyer.com.au. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  18. "Annual Report FY2014 | Minter Ellison". minterellison.com. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  19. "Flexibility works out both ways | The Australian". theaustralian.com.au. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  20. "Anthony Lloyd raises bar as stay-at-home dad | The Australian". theaustralian.com.au. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  21. "MinterEllison M&A leader says she's no Marissa Mayer| Financial Review". afr.com. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  22. "Sydney legal office gets major architecture nod | AustralasianLawyer". www.australasianlawyer.com.au. Retrieved 6 July 2016.
  23. "Hearsay: Minters trendy move | Financial Review". afr.com. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  24. "Firm moves to newly minted offices | LawyersWeekly". lawyersweekly.com.au. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  25. "Who we are - Annual report 2018 - MinterEllison". www.minterellison.com. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  26. Dolor, Sol. "Here are Asia-Pacific's strongest law firm brands". Australasian Lawyer. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  27. "Top legal firms widen gap with the rest | The Australian". theaustralian.com.au. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  28. "Exclusive: top 25 attraction firms revealed | Lawyers Weekly". lawyersweekly.com.au. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  29. "The year in numbers - Annual Report 2018 - MinterEllison". www.minterellison.com. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  30. "Asia Tax Awards 2018 | International Tax Review". www.internationaltaxreview.com. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  31. "MinterEllison wins big, claiming 5 prestigious Awards in a week - Media Release - MinterEllison". www.minterellison.com. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  32. "MinterEllison's creative, strategic and innovative work recognised by the world of competition law at GCR Awards - Media Release - MinterEllison". www.minterellison.com. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  33. "FT Asia Pacific Innovative Lawyer Awards 2018 — winners announced". Financial Times. 7 June 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  34. "MinterEllison wins at Financial Times Asia-Pacific Lawyer Awards - Media release - MinterEllison". www.minterellison.com. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  35. "FT Innovative Lawyers Awards Asia 2015 | FT". live.ft.com. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  36. "Innovative Project of the Year ILTA 2016 | FT". ILTA. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  37. "Award-winning insurers on the year ahead | Australian Banking & Finance". AB+F. Retrieved 24 October 2016.
  38. "Minter Ellison is named 'Insurance Law Firm of the Year 2014' at AB F Insurance Awards | The Lawyer". thelawyer.com. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  39. "China Business Law recognises Minter Ellison for energy, projects and infrastructure work | The Lawyer". thelawyer.com. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  40. "Client Service Award Australia | Chambers & Partners". chambersandpartners.com. Archived from the original on 7 March 2014. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  41. 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
  42. Announcement by Aquila Resources to The Australian Stock Exchange, 5 May 2014.
  43. See 'Minters, Freehills, advise on Lloyds deal', Lawyers Weekly, 11 June 2012.
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