Corrs Chambers Westgarth > Melbourne, Australia > Firm Profile

‘Team works effectively together to ensure work is done at the appropriate level but with strong partner oversight and involvement.’

‘Highly commercial and focused on understanding the outcome we want to achieve before getting into the detail.’

‘The Corrs team as a whole are extremely reliable, responsive to client requests and queries, adept in managing global corporate structures by ensuring they are available to attend meetings and calls across various time zones, and highly skilled at managing large-scale investigations and proceedings.’

‘Richard Flitcroft has a wealth of knowledge in the Consumer and Competition Law space as well as working with regulators such as the ACCC. His industry knowledge was what enabled our company to receive effective, timely advice when critical decisions needed to be made by business stakeholders. Richard was an inclusive partner and ensured his team were deeply involved at each stage of handling the matter.’

‘Knowledge of international trade law and associated administrative law and principles and process in litigation in the Federal Court of Australia.’

‘Andrew Korbel at Corrs has extensive knowledge and experience in international trade law, particularly anti-dumping, and associated administrative law and principles and process in litigation in the Federal Court of Australia. He is diligent, proactive and responsive, with sound analysis and judgement on complex technical legal issues in litigation. Advice can be relied upon.’

‘The team gained a deep understanding of our business and was able to quickly identify the issues of concern and advise how they might be addressed. They have deep insight into the digital sector. They preempted the issues we’d encounter and appropriately started early preparation to ensure we’d be equipped to address the issues within the timeframes needed. I felt that they were very invested in our commercial wishes and concerns – they displayed deep understanding of our commercial concerns and commitment to the work needed to protect our interests.’

‘Mark McCowan is very smart – quickly understood complex parts of our business and the commercial imperatives driving us, and explained very clearly where there might be problems or negative perceptions from the regulator. He’s also able to speak in a very clear, well-pitched way to non-lawyers.’

‘A great team of partners with deep and broad experience. They are commercial in their approach and advice, as well as responsive and reasonably priced.’

‘They understand the practical implications of the law and provide sound, commercial advice.’

‘They are always ready to respond to our somewhat unique needs.’

‘Phil Catania is highly knowledgeable and very responsive to client needs. He is our go-to advisor on cybersecurity and data protection issues.’

‘James North provides practical, informed, and commercial advice. He is good to work with.’

‘The best disputes team in Australia. A cohesive team working across several offices and varied sectors. Strong relationships with international law firms. Superb leadership.’

‘David Anthony is an absolute standout in the practice. He is a brilliant lawyer, works tirelessly for his client’s interests, and is a pleasure to deal with. A real superstar.’

‘Mark Wilks is a superb head of practice. He works on Australia’s most significant disputes, is a skillful tactician, and a very safe pair of hands for any complex disputes. Mark is particularly adept at cross-border work and is becoming well-known internationally.’

‘Well resourced team that is one of the leading commercial firms not subsumed by one of the global majors. As a result, it is one of the go-to firms of overseas law firms for Australian law issues or Australian arbitrations.’

‘Mark Wilks is excellent at knowing and managing client expectations and needs. He has the ability to run several large cases at once while being on top of the detail in each.’

‘David Anthony is an excellent people person with exceptional organisational skills.’

‘The team is diligent, available and responds quickly. They “own” the matter and are always engaged in the issues and outcomes for solutions.’

‘Standout knowledge in the field of international arbitration.’

‘The Corrs litigation team is one of the very best in Sydney. All the partners, senior associates and lawyers that I have dealt with over the years have been highly strategic, commercial and pragmatic, whilst always producing work product of the very highest standard. They are also without exception readily available and a pleasure to deal with.’

‘Sam Delaney’s strategic, tactical thinking and direction is exceptional.’ 

‘Emily Bell is everything that one could want of a senior associate. Her work is always of the highest quality and she displays excellent commercial and strategic judgement.’

‘The litigation team at Corrs Chambers Westgarth consistently provides a calm, considered and practical approach towards litigation and dispute matters. Always with a focus on the cost effectiveness of their time for a client.’

‘The Corrs Team is very commercial focused, with an excellent approach to strategy and the bigger picture in litigation, driven by forward-thinking partners and technically brilliant teams of lawyers working under them.’

‘Mark Wilks is an exceptional partner with an instant grasp of strategy and law. Sam Delaney is legally brilliant and always calculating how to get the best results for his clients. Jim Micallef is experienced, willing to roll his sleeves up and deliver phenomenal work, informed by years of practice.’

‘Katrina Sleiman is an exceptional lawyer. She is smart and commercial. She has excellent interpersonal skills and is great at dealing with our stakeholders.’

‘Mark Wilks is a compassionate yet determined leader of the litigation practice. He stands out because he has a unique combination of emotional intelligence, street smarts and technical expertise.’

‘This practice is led by experienced and capable partners who are efficient and enjoyable to work with on complex matters.’

‘Joseph Barbaro is experienced and knowledgeable in his space. He’s a busy individual and uses his time efficiently.’

‘The knowledge of the Corrs team in respect to Public Private Partnerships is exceptional. They understand the need for the partnership to have some flexibility but at the same time are able to assist the team to maintain the long-established risk allocations between the contractual parties.’

‘John Walter is an exceptional lawyer and mentor. John always maintains his composure and calm even during what can be very difficult discussions.’

‘The combination of high experienced, pragmatic partners with young, energetic and extremely bright junior lawyers is a great balance.’

‘The primary attributes that makes individuals stand out are a problem solving approach supporting commercial outcomes and the provision of timely responses.’

‘The infrastructure advisory team at Corrs has extensive experience successfully closing out complex commercial and infrastructure transaction for and on behalf of Governments.’

‘The practice’s professionalism, depth of expertise and problem-solving skills are fundamental to doing business in todays complex and challenging landscape.’

‘I think Grant Fisher and David Fixler are outstanding practitioners. There is also a strong cohort of junior talent.’

‘I mostly work with Stephen Stern in the Melbourne office. He is a senior commercial litigator who think strategically. He has deep industry knowledge and excellent judgment. He challenges you on issues and engages in robust and productive debate.’

‘Corrs are a pleasure to work with. They are one of the leading firms in intellectual property and have a very strong team of senior and junior solicitors. ’

‘A solid firm with a highly regarded IP practice in Australia. We feel comfortable recommending our clients to them.’

‘They deliver advice in a clear, thorough and well rounded way.’

‘Corrs are very knowledgeable and professional. Always available and always willing to go the extra mile to meet the client’s expectations. I would never work with anyone else but Corrs in Australia.’

‘David Fixler engages in every stage of the disputes, participate in designing and analysis of the case and respond promptly to each of our inquiries, he is not a partner who always leave all works to the associates.’ 

‘Odette Gourley is a leader in the IP space. Her unique approach and dedication sets her apart in this field.’

‘Philip Catania is highly recommended. They are fantastic lawyers and fantastic people.’

‘Philip and the team provide an outstanding service. They are extremely smart and provide useful and practical advice to complex problems.’

‘Corrs are exceptional in taking a business and strategic view of legislation and how it can practically be applied in an organisation. They take the time to understand how our organisation operates, the challenges and opportunities that we have and then provide advice specific to our needs. ’

‘The individuals are always available, deliver within the committed timeframes and provide quality advice that is specific to our circumstances, not cookie cutter. ’

‘Innovative, insightful, well connected and pragmatic.’

‘Corrs always provides a solid, responsive reliable employment service. They have a strong employment team.’

‘Very sound knowledge of WA mining and cultural heritage laws and national native title laws and practice.’ 

‘Great on M&A and solid on all aspects of resources, EBA’s in our sector and general industrial issues. More proactive and responsive than other firms we have dealt with and more timely in their provision of advice.’ 

‘Key contacts at Corrs work hard to stay connected & up to date on our business even when not working directly on files. They stay in touch to share information and insights they think may be relevant and it seems they always have us as potential clients they can support uppermost in their minds.’

‘Team have made an effort to connect as ‘humans’ and not just service providers which makes working with them easier and smoother. Stand out Partners I have worked with include Anthony Lepere, Sandy Mak and Tracey Greenaway.’

‘Anthony Lepere led the Corrs team and we were extremely happy with his ability and capacity to deal with the many curve balls associated with the transaction. He has an incredible ability to quickly identify and clearly explain practical solutions to complex transaction issues.’

‘Very thorough in their approach to due diligence.’ 

‘Good reporting on a regular basis helped to manage workflow and costs.’ 

‘Very responsive and agile team.’ 

‘Clare Corke was very knowledgeable and helpful.’

‘Technical and commercial expertise. Genuine people who actually care about the work and their clients.’

‘Adam Stapledon and James Abbott are technically capable, across market developments and strong negotiators.’

‘Solid capability across the team.’

‘Corrs are renowned for being exceptionally commercial. They understand that their clients’ main priority is closing a deal and facilitate that brilliantly without getting bogged down in details that don’t matter.’

‘Corrs have the best real estate team in the Australian market. All lawyers within the team are hands-on and provide practical advice. They are the team you call if you’re in a jam and need out-of-the-box thinking. When Corrs is on a real estate team, you just know you will get the deal done.’

‘They have the required depth of experience across industrial/commercial property and have a stable team.’

‘The teams have good depth and work collaboratively with the client.’

‘Paul Carrick is exceptional at maintaining relationships with his clients, understanding what they need, and delivering exactly that to them.’

‘Warren Scott is probably the leading authority in Australia on BTR operations across NSW, Vic, and Queensland.’

‘Paul Carrick is a brilliant commercial lawyer. He always goes the extra mile, and you always feel like you’ve received great value for money regardless of the size of the invoice. Paul always provides a view and does not sit on the fence. This is hugely beneficial to the in-house team.’

‘Peter Calov has seen it all. He can see issues earlier than most and can identify the nub of an issue quickly. Peter is a true professional and spends a lot of his time ensuring that no stone is left unturned on any transaction. Peter trains his team well, to the same exacting standards he sets for himself.’

‘Michelle Gordon, Michael Catchpoole and their broader team are simply outstanding operators. They have an impressive depth of experience, incredibly sharp legal minds, and a genuine care about their clients’ outcomes, which translates into a tireless tenacity to effectively and efficiently progress claims towards positive results.’

‘Michael Catchpoole is a deep legal thinker and a savvy strategist, often thinking outside the box to arrive at creative solutions and approaches that others have not thought of. Combining his talent with his impressive depth of experience and legal knowledge, makes Michael a formidable litigator to have in your corner.’

‘Michelle Gordon is an impressively skilled, intelligent and tenacious operator. Unflappable under pressure, impeccably prepared, careful and thorough in all aspects of her work, and strong and effective in her advice and communications, Michelle is a trusted advisor and a “safe pair of hands” for any dispute. A genuine pleasure to work with, and an incredible advocate and mentor for her colleagues, Michelle is also a wonderful asset to the CCW legal team. ’

‘The Corrs team works seamlessly across partners and staff and puts the client first. Corrs culturally are very strong, stable and easy to work with in difficult situations. On my most complex restructuring and special situation assignments, Corrs are an extension of my team and my firm’s success in delivering client outcomes are highly dependent on Corrs.’

‘Corrs is the leading restructuring, distressed debt and special situation legal advisory firm in Australia. The individuals are market-leading but more importantly, as a group, they are a market force and I owe much of my firm’s success to them.’

‘In Sam Delaney, Corrs have a star performer. He combines a practical commercial mind with exceptional legal knowledge and acumen.’

‘The Corrs team is extremely capable and professional in their practice. They operate as a fully integrated member of the deal team. ’

‘Corrs have been excellent to work with during our first debt facility. They were very responsive and supportive and resolved issues commercially.’

‘Megan Russell has been fantastic working with us on our first debt facility and holding our hand through the very torturous process. Megan is always very practical in resolving issues and always willing to take the time to explain issues or points of law.’

‘Market-leading insights and commerciality.’ 

‘Acutely specialised in property debt finance.’

‘Excellent level of customer service with renowned subject matter experts across all areas of law. Corrs are pragmatic and commercial in their approach and able to problem solve in real time keeping clients happy.’ 

‘Stewart Robertson is an outstanding Partner. Stewart is renowned for his high level of client service. We know when appointing his team we are in safe and capable hands. Stewart always manages his deal team well, leans in when required on key issues and is always available to clients – strong communicator.’ 

‘I found the depth of broad industry knowledge and awareness of the competitive landscape to be a suburb.’ 

‘Brad was very commercial, he provided realistic guidance rather than just black letter law guidance.’

‘Direct access to very knowledgeable partners in the specific industry.’

‘Deep technical specialists, able to run at pace.’

‘Responsiveness and personalised advice suited to our business.’

‘Cut through, practicality and superior knowledge of our business and relevant drivers.’

‘Very client focused and outcome orientated. Exceptional at merging detailed legal analysis with the practical and commercial landscape of a matter.’

‘Brad Woodhouse – His analysis is clear and concise. He charts a strategically focused line whilst accommodating the commercial and practical realities of his client’s position. His team’s work is efficient and exceptional.’

‘Experts in their field but commercial in their application. Seek to understand their client and its respective needs.’

‘Knowledgeable, experts, available, commercial and approachable.’

‘The team benefits from internationally experienced energy transaction lawyers and yet maintains independence from UK/global firms. ’

‘Anthony Lepere is very bright. Most impressively and exceptionally, he is highly focused on client service and care, providing proactive communication on progress of matters. This is critical for in-house lawyers meeting expectations. I wish more partners were like him.’

‘The key strength for my perspective is a strong legal analytical and assessment capability to complement the market and commercial skills of the team I have internally. The legal professionals were very compatible with the internal team.’

‘Michael MacGinley was very effective as my interface with Corrs for the legal work; this has established via a long term relationship and interaction based on professional engagement.’

‘Corrs offers direct work completed by experienced partners who have the support and depth of experienced team members. The work is of high quality at all times. Excellent project management and ability to leverage resources across the entire firm. They are responsive and commercial, and able to work across the different transaction structures and complex matters including in the energy sector.’

‘The Corrs energy team lead by Tracey Greenway was very practical and responsive in helping guide us through what was a difficult transaction that needed to be completed in a short time period. They were very in tune with our needs and wants as a client.’

‘Tracey Greenway is very smart and well versed in energy transactions, but also very responsive and practical.’

‘Melissa Grinter is such an asset – knowledgeable, gets to the heart of the real commercial issues and readily available. ’

‘The Corrs team members that I have worked with genuinely care about people and the planet, finding time to apply effort and excellence to these priorities, within what is clearly a heavy case load.’

‘The team at Corrs is always available to assist and it includes people with appropriate skills and interest.’

‘The individual practitioners bring a wealth of expertise and experience to the task.’

‘Highly capable team who provide efficient, strategic and pragmatic advice.’

‘Brent Lillywhite is an exceptional leader and partner. His communication skills are highly effective in relaying advice to all levels of our business so that people can understand.’ 

‘The Corrs environment and planning practice consists of a group of very sharp, very knowledgeable and very pleasant people!’ 

‘Louise Camenzuli is the lawyer we all want on speed dial. Her strength is her ability to understand very complex issues and deliver them in a way which is easy to understand. She is also able to strategise very well.’ 

‘As a client, I’ve been thoroughly impressed with Rosie Syme from Corrs. Her deep knowledge of Victorian planning and environmental legislation is exceptional.’ 

‘Corrs’ financial services regulatory practice has provided us with practical and commercial solutions to a constantly evolving regulatory landscape. Corrs delivers high-quality advice which demonstrates an in-depth understanding of our business and the wider litigation funding industry.’

‘What sets this team apart is their experience in international transactions and exposure, which helps when dealing with foreign fund managers and international transactions.’

‘They are truly subject market experts, and no others have the practical experience in this sector.’

‘Corrs has a great team with an enormous depth of practical experience in FinTech and payment services. They have a genuine understanding of how the payment services industry operates in practice, which helps enormously in giving us relevant and accurate advice and in dealing with local regulators.’

‘Responsiveness, unmatched knowledge, and ease of access.’

‘They are a pleasure to deal with. They take the time to listen and understand what outcomes need to be achieved.’

‘Fadi Khoury is an approachable and responsive partner who works efficiently to provide quality advice to his clients in a time-effective manner. Fadi has significant experience in complex and novel regulatory matters and demonstrates a willingness to listen and take on board ideas/feedback.’

‘Michael Chaaya is our lead legal adviser and is extremely knowledgeable and helpful. Michael is always pragmatic, responsive, and leads a great team.’

‘Mark Payne displayed a combination of technical and professional expertise.’

‘Corrs has clever and excellent lawyers, depth of talent and rich experience in white collar crime matters.’

‘Anna Ross has top IQ and EQ and is you would be lucky to have her as your lawyer for any matter.’ 

‘Nick Le Mare was very good to deal with. We had initially engaged someone else and were not satisfied with the support, so switched. Nick got on top of the issues quickly and gave us very good, practical advice.’

‘The Corrs team as a whole are extremely reliable, responsive to client requests and queries, adept in managing global corporate structures by ensuring they are available to attend meetings and calls across various time zones, and highly skilled at managing large-scale investigations and proceedings. ’

‘Abigail Gill is very thorough and responsive. She makes an effort to understand what the client needs and the sensitivities that exist. She was able to understand our need for billing in a particular manner. ’

‘Corrs Chambers Westgarth’s white-collar crime practice is uniquely distinguished by its comprehensive expertise, strategic approach, and innovative methodologies. The team’s deep understanding of regulatory environments, combined with its strategic foresight, allows it to provide clients with well-rounded and anticipatory legal advice.’

‘Craig Phillips is an extremely clever and straightforward lawyer. He is the genesis of white collar work in Melbourne.’

‘The team, led by Abigail Gill, is extremely knowledgeable and experienced, having worked on the largest matters in this space. They provide the service that you would expect from a large scale firm, and act quickly as required.’

‘Corrs is one of the leading firms in Australia in media and entertainment. They have the best clients and cross-practice team capability.’ 

‘Mark Wilks is a consummate litigator.’

‘The team consists of lawyers with diverse expertise which assists with problem-solving. The team is highly responsive and commercial.’

‘The individuals in the team are particularly hard-working and commercial. Mark Wilks is incredibly talented.’

‘The collective team are strong. I liken them to an elite team of athletes; they are at the top of their game, are energetic and possess sound judgment. ’

‘Jim Micallef and Mark Wilks are the star performers. Mark is the head of litigation and has a broad and varied practice. Jim is one of the most experienced media lawyers in the country. His experience is second to none. ’

‘They understand our business and industry and are attentive and proactive.’

‘They really stay on top of matters, and are proactive in their efforts to push things along. The team is very approachable and friendly to work with, and they’ve usually thought about things many steps in advance.’

‘We have used the Brisbane team for due diligence as part of a proposed acquisition and was impressed by the depth of the team and their knowledge in the area. They were responsive and able to meet tight timelines.’

‘The Corrs team is always available to assist and can deploy practitioners with appropriate skills to undertake the task.’

‘The individual practitioners at Corrs are always attentive and bring with considerable expertise.’

‘Henry Prokuda has a depth of experience and knowledge in the native title area. His advice was practical and commercial and allowed us to navigate some difficult native title issues.’

‘Milaan Latten is a wise and capable lawyer; a good person you can trust.’