Sydney, 9 June 2010: For the second year running, Clayton Utz has been named joint winner of the Best Australian Law Firm of the Year at the 2010 International Legal Alliance (ILA) Summit and Awards held in Paris, France on 3 June.
Clayton Utz was one of ten Australian firms short-listed for the Award – known as the Gold Award – and one of 200 international independent law firms competing to be named best law firm in their respective countries. Clayton Utz was the joint recipient of the Gold Award for Australia.
The ILA Summit and Awards are held annually and bring together the best independent law firms from over 40 countries as well as general counsel and senior executives to network with their international colleagues.
Each year Gold Awards are presented to the best independent law firms of the year in various domestic markets based on a number of criteria including deal record, financial performance, general firm strategy, and management and leadership.
Seven jury panels comprising more than 80 general counsel and senior legal and financial executives judged the Gold Awards for each country.
Commenting on the firm's Gold Award win – which follows its short-listing as a finalist in the Best Law Firm category at the 2010 BRW Client Choice Awards – Chief Executive Partner David Fagan said: "Clayton Utz is committed to excellence in legal services and we are proud that our commitment has been recognised on the international stage. We acknowledge and thank our clients for engaging us to work alongside them on some of the market's most exciting and innovative transactions."
Clayton Utz has been involved in some of Australia's most prominent transactions over the last 12 months including:
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Valemus Limited's (formerly Bilfinger Berger Australia) A$1.3 billion Initial Public Offering announced this week (principal advisers to Valemus as issuer);
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AMP Limited's bid for all the shares in AXA Asia Pacific Holdings Limited (advisers to AMP Limited);
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ING Groep NV's sale of its 51 per cent shareholding in ING Australia Limited and ING (NZ) Holdings Limited to its JV partner, ANZ (advisers to ING Groep NV);
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Advising new client the AquaSure consortium (Suez Environnement, Degremont, Thiess and Macquarie Capital Group; we have previously acted for Thiess and MCG) on its successful tender to build Australia’s largest desalination plant in Wonthaggi in Victoria, which will be delivered as a Public Private Partnership with the Victorian Government;
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Southern Cross Media Group (formerly Macquarie Media Group) on its recapitalisation, internalisation and corporatisation initiatives.