Corrs a big deal at the ALB Australasian Law Awards

27 May 2008

---

Corrs Chambers Westgarth has confirmed its status as one of Australia's “powerhouse law firms”, taking out three significant awards at the 2008 Australasian Law Awards.

Teresa Handicott, Corporate Advisory Partner, was named Australian Dealmaker of the Year. Teresa has been at the forefront of some of Australia’s most challenging corporate transactions in the last eighteen months, including advising Suncorp on its A$7.9 billion merger with Promina, the second biggest financial services transaction ever completed in Australia.

Corrs also received awards for Project Finance Deal of the Year and Insolvency & Restructuring Deal of the Year in recognition of its work on the sale of the Sydney CrossCity Tunnel. The sale has been described as a “real coup”: a stunning result for the syndicate of 18 local and offshore banks, which received total outstanding principal, interest, default interest and costs within eight months of appointing Martin Madden of KordaMentha as receiver.

Corrs was a finalist in five other major categories.

• Australian Deal Team of the Year – Corrs Corporate Advisory Team
• Australian Deal of the Year – Sydney Cross City Tunnel Sale
• M&A Deal of the Year – Suncorp/Promina merger
• Commercial Property & Construction Deal of the Year – Mirvac’s A$1.124 billion acquisition of a substantial part of the Walker property portfolio
• Managing Partner of the Year – John Denton

Corrs has earned this recognition through its ability to conduct innovative work and by providing its clients with solutions on their toughest and most complex matters. This flow of complex, high-profile transactions is set to continue. The Australian Financial Review recently listed Australia’s top ten announced M&A deals for 2008. Corrs has a role in six of those deals.

The deals include advising Equigold on its proposed $9 billion merger with Lihir Gold, advising Queensland Gas Company Limited in establishing an alliance with BG Group (formerly British Gas) to co-operate in the $8 billion development of an LNG plant at Gladstone in Queensland, and AED Oil Limited on its proposed joint venture arrangements with Sinopec International Petroleum Exploration and Production Corporation (SINOPEC).