Johnson Winter Slattery > Melbourne, Australia > Firm Profile

‘JWS’ real strength is their collaborative, commercially informed approach. The Competition team at JWS really knows our business and the industry in which we operate, which makes their advice actionable and hyper-relevant.’

‘Aldo Nicotra blends extensive technical expertise with pragmatic commercial advice to guide his clients through an increasingly complex area of Competition and Trade.’

‘Sar Katdare is a stand-out partner who is commercial, and pragmatic and has taken the time to really get to know our business. He is a complete pleasure to work with and has built strong trusted advisor relationships with our internal legal team as well as members of senior management across our business. We can rely on him for timely, relevant, commercial, and actionable advice, every time.’

‘The teams is very responsive and commercially practical in advice that they give.’

‘Definitely the commercially practical advice that Sar Katdare gives. Competition law in particular is very technical so it is so helpful that he gives clear advice that can be explained to the business easily.’

‘The JWS competition law team is diverse, practical, and technically excellent.’

‘Sar Katdare is an exceptional support on competition law matters. He’s able to adapt his advice to the situation at hand – for example, a quick advice over the phone or sense check, or a more formal written advice for more sensitive or high-risk matters. He understands the client’s industry which means he can spot the issues fast and know how to solve them. He also knows how to talk to our executive team, helping to bring credibility to the in-house legal function.’

‘A diverse team who really seek to understand the business they are providing advice to. A key strength is the ability to talk about competition law with non-lawyers in my business and keep attention and engagement.’

‘The JWS team consists of some very experienced litigators – highly strategic thinkers. They are developing an excellent reputation acting on plaintiff side class actions.’

‘Paul Reidy, Frances Dreyer, Andreas Piesiewicz and Felicity Karageorge are all first rate. Frances’ attention to detail is off the charts. Paul leads the team so they get the benefit of his experience and wisdom as someone who has been around the block plenty of times.’

‘JWS are unique in the Australian market for their proven track record of success on both sides of Australian class actions. This experience provides JWS with a clear strategic advantage over other law firms who just work for only plaintiffs or defendants on class actions. It also doesn’t hurt that the team at JWS is stacked with the best legal talent in the country.’

‘Paul Reidy is the strategic mastermind behind JWS’s dispute resolution team in Australia. He is widely recognised as pre-eminent because of his deep experience in some of Australia’s largest commercial disputes, his highly commercial and practical approach, and his dogged attention to detail.

‘The team draws upon the experience and talent of a number of top-band partners like Paul Buitendag who are exceptional lawyers as well as the best junior partner talent in the country: Felicity Karageorge and Frances Dreyer.’

‘They go the extra mile to get the job done, and the job is always excellent. Top tier.’ 

‘Paul Reidy is a first-class litigator, especially in the field of large group/class disputes. He is a safe pair of hands, commercial, incredibly hard-working and an all-round pleasure to work with.’ 

‘The firm is developing a reputation as a pre-eminent mid-sized firm for commercial litigation. They have a lot of interesting high value commercial cases on the books in different courts.’

‘Tom Jarvis is technically very competent and what lifts his advice is his ability to put forward pragmatic solutions and to be comfortable with the “what’s your gut feeling/we need a quick view” questions that are thrown at him.’

‘JWS’ Perth dispute team are excellent advisors. They are confident taking a position and are able to support on overall litigation strategy. They always operate efficiently and take on board feedback.’

‘George Croft is very easy to work with and interacts really well with both the legal team and our operational divisions. His advice is always commercial and on-point and digestible. George always sets a clear strategy and works to those outcomes with the business in a pragmatic and efficient way.’

‘Robert Johnston is an outstanding lawyer and thinker. Very hands-on with his management of cases.’

‘Andreas Piesiewicz is very precise and focused. In a difficult case has never loses sight of the ball.’

‘Mark Easton has been my go-to litigation partner/lawyer for over 10 years. He solves problems and is transparent with his advice and costs involved and has always been available. Mark Easton has always gone above and beyond.’

‘The firm offers deep energy industry experience and considerable amount of local market knowledge. Their legal advice is provided with the benefit of commercial experience and an understanding of the client’s needs.’

‘The team at JWS are very hands on with intimate knowledge of the industry, their clients needs and the transactional issues which require attention. JWS has an excellent industry network.’

‘Bruce Atkins, is extremely responsive to all clients and is always prompt in investigating and resolving issues. He provides timely and concise feedback and is available to provide clear and decisive pathways through any complex issues.’

‘Kevin Lynch leads a strong media team that is commercial and pragmatic.’

‘The team has an intimate understanding of our business, built up over a long period of time. They are always responsive, pragmatic and highly skilled.’

‘Kevin Lynch is an exceptional media lawyer with extensive experience and a sensible, pragmatic approach to resolving issues quickly.’

‘A very strong practice.’

‘Exceptional breadth of experience in media law with an eye to practical representation.’

‘The team is led by Kevin Lynch, who is a very wise and experienced solicitor. Kevin is a great mentor to his well trained and enthusiastic team.’

‘Kevin Lynch is impressive. He gets great results and is good value.’

‘Kevin Lynch – Kevin’s knowledge of media law is outstanding. He brings a whole of team approach to what can be very difficult litigation, always with a friendly and courteous manner towards everyone. He is a tireless worker as well. The clients trust him without any reservation.’

‘Highly responsive and commercial in their advice.’

‘Peter Smith has long experience in the insolvency profession. Known and respected by all market participants.’

‘The firm combines superb technical understanding of legislation with good business/economic reasoning to fully understand transactions in order to provide advice on how to achieve the best (and correct) outcomes.’

‘Complete understanding of our business requirements and ability to provide high-quality concise advise.’

‘Matthew Shanahan’s understanding of the issues and legislation as well as existing ATO relationships/contacts were key in helping us achieve a fantastic outcome.’

‘Technical knowledge, responsiveness and quality of work are a standout.’

‘The team has assisted us with considering the various tax structures and has been a key advisor in dealing with tax issues such tax controversies with the ATO in previous deals and projects.’

‘Proactive, innovative and commercially aware legal advice, particularly from Prashanth Kainthaje and Marko Komandina.’

‘Annemarie Wilmore is an excellent Tax Disputes partner. She brings a wealth of knowledge to the table.’

‘Matthew Shanahan – very knowledgeable in the relevant area of tax law and provides very articulate, commercial and practical solutions to overcome problems. Jess Tsai – an upcoming specialist in tax law and very accessible. A great support to Matthew.’

‘Client focused and always responsive with innovative solutions.’

‘All are stand-out lawyers, very personable and commercial.’

‘JWS are highly skilled and have great bench strength to their corporate team.’

‘I have worked closely with Richard Graham over a number of years. He is an excellent lawyer, technically strong – and also commercial and easy to deal with.’

‘Very technically skilled and high level of service.’

‘Tom Jarvis has great attention to detail and strategic thinking in civil litigation.’

‘The team at JWS has deep practical and commercial experience that they bring to their advisory work. They are smart and efficient and are always focused on providing real-world solutions to their clients.’

‘Austin Bell draws upon significant practical experience when advising on high-stakes matters.’

‘Austin Bell is exceptional in his domain knowledge and commercial mindedness. His recommendations are both legally sound and practical.’

‘Clear expertise in Australian employment and labour law.’

‘I have had great experience with Ruveni Kelleher – responsive and excellent.’

‘Jan Dransfield is able to both translate into understandable business advice, all the while being pragmatic and solution focussed.’

‘Luci Mumme – able to discuss difficult subject matters in a clear and accessible manner, great use of real life scenarios, ability to respond to challenging questions in a convincing and persuasive manner.’

‘They are responsive as a team and very commercially aware. I have found them great to work with. ’

‘Great understanding of our business – both the operations and the key personalities. Unafraid to call it like it is and can do it in a way that brings people along. ’

‘Depth of experience in the particular practice area where we needed support (high profile employment related claims).’

‘Ruveni Kelleher – Calm, reasoned advice in a difficult set of circumstances, credibility with Board, depth of experience.’

‘The practice operates as an efficient team, not just a collection of individuals. The deep experience and expertise of the team is always available, but the right level of resource is applied where appropriate in order to provide the appropriate level of service and cost.’

‘Bruce Adkins is available to provide his expertise and experience at all times and is able to stay abreast of the fine details of a broad range of matters. He is there when required but stays in the background when not required and lets others get on with the work.’

‘Stuart Clague is vastly experienced and user friendly. It is a pleasure to work with him and his relaxed style and competence. When Stuart is involved, you know the matter is under control.’

‘Tom Barrett is very experienced, an excellent draftsman of complex documents and has a strong work ethic. He is very easy to work with.’

‘JWS has experienced practitioners, particularly in cross-border issues like anti-corruption. ’

‘Robert Wyld is recognized globally as an anti-corruption expert. He has served as co-chair of the IBA anti-corruption committee and frequently contributes to thought leadership on anti-corruption initiatives. He is the leading practitioner in Australia for anti-corruption issues. I regularly refer clients to Rob and they are all incredibly happy with his advice and wonderful personality. ’

‘The firm of choice in Australia and New South Wales in every respect. In key Partners Robert Wyld and Robert Johnston, JWS have the leading practitioners in the anti-corruption and litigation community, both domestically and internationally. Exceptionally talented individuals and a great pleasure to know and work with. ’

‘Samantha Daly’s team at Johnson Winter Slattery has particular strength in the combination of litigation capability and experience and an exceptional quality of client service considered holistically and not in a narrow legal sense.’

‘Sam Daly understands people. She understands how to listen to clients and hear what clients are saying about their interests.’

‘They are the leading firm in NSW for advice on environment and planning and native title issues in the resources industry with extensive experience on all aspects from mine conception through to mine operation and then mine closure.’

‘Samantha Daly is in my view the leading environment, planning and native title lawyer for the resources industry in NSW. Samantha is extremely experienced and knowledgeable about the industry which coupled with her diligent responsiveness and approachable manner make her my go to lawyer in this space.’

‘The team is well resourced, and we always feel our matters receive timely attention from the partner. The team values client communication and always “thinks ahead” so that issues and challenges are resolved efficiently.’

‘Dan Thompson has the ability to break down complex concepts for diverse audiences, which is a skill valued by in house counsel and senior stakeholders in the business alike. He prioritises communication and engagement with clients, making sure he meets client expectations and deadlines.’

‘Dan is an exceptional problem solver who is solutions focused and always willing to think outside the box. We consider him to be a valued advisor.’

‘Their team of lawyers is experienced and diverse, which allows us to leverage them on many aspects of our business.’

‘The partners work collaboratively together bringing expertise to the table as needed. They are result oriented.’

‘The team is creative and experienced. They are always available and respond promptly to our requests.’

‘They listen to our needs and work on bringing creative ideas to solve issues.’

‘A very personal service, which is very quick and direct. Support is provided in a very timely fashion.’

‘They provide a high-level service in their advice and representation of our business. Led by Peter Trevaskis, they have a broad team of specialists and are able to pull in the relevant experts for our dealings.’

‘Peter Trevaskis is highly responsive and quick to act.’