MinterEllison

MinterEllison is a multinational law firm, and professional services firm, based in Australia. The firm has fourteen offices and operates in five countries. By number of lawyers it is the largest law firm in Australia.[4]

MinterEllison
IndustryProfessional services
Founded1827 (1827)
HeadquartersAustralia
Key people
Virginia Briggs, Chief Executive Officer
Services
  • Capital Markets and Corporate
  • Consulting Solutions
  • Infrastructure, Construction and Property
  • Risk, Regulatory, Insurance and Controversy
RevenueIncrease A$703.2 million (2020/21)[1]
Number of employees
2,443[2] including 260 partners[3] (2021)
Websiteminterellison.com

History

MinterEllison is considered a leading law firm, known as one of the Big Six law firms in Australia.

The firm's origins trace back to Minter, Simpson & Co, founded in 1827, and Perkins, Stevenson & Linton, founded in 1853.[5] Its first international office was London in 1974. Its ties to China began in the 1980s.

In 1984 Minter, Simpson and Co and Perkins, Stevenson & Linton merged to form Minter Simpson.[5] In 1986, Ellison Hewison & Whitehead merged with Gillotts and with Minter Simpson to become Minter Ellison.[6] In October 1992, Minter Ellison and Morris Fletcher & Cross merged to form Minter Ellison Morris Fletcher, the fourth largest law firm in Australia.[7]

The firm established offices in Hong Kong in 2000, Shanghai in 2001, and Beijing in 2010.

In 2015, MinterEllison moved into new premises at the Governor Macquarie Tower in Sydney and Collins Arch in Melbourne.

In March 2015, the firm dropped "lawyers" from its name. This was part of a strategy of diversification into non-legal professional services such as consulting and project management. Then Chief Executive Tony Harrington said these changes were aimed at adapting to "phenomenal change in the market... (including) increased in-house capacity at clients, and ever-consolidating larger businesses."[8]

In April 2016, it launched an alternative cost contract service called 'Flex'.[9] In October 2016, it announced an expansion into non-legal consulting.[10]

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

Operations

Pro bono

The firm performed 37 hours of pro bono work per employed lawyer in 2018.[12] It 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.[13] It participates in the New South Wales Expert Advice Exchange,[14] and a number of social enterprises including the Mwembe Foundation, the FOCUS women's leadership program and the Third Link Growth Fund.[15]

Pro bono work at Australian firms is done for reasons of goodwill, marketing, and to maintain eligibility for tenders of work on the Commonwealth panel.[16] The firm exceeds its panel requirements for pro bono work.

Recognition

Recent awards won by MinterEllison include:

  • WGEA Employer of Choice for Gender Equality (for the past 14 years) [17]
  • ITR Asia Awards 2018[18]
    • 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
  • Financial Times
    • Innovation in Legal Expertise 2018[19]
    • Innovation in Use of Technology' 2015[20]

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;[21] the A$1.14 billion joint takeover of Aquila Resources Limited[22] by Boasteel Resources Australia Pty Ltd and Aurizon Operations Limited; and the sale by Lloyds Banking Group plc[23] 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.

Criticism

MinterEllison has been criticised for its treatment of women.[24] In 2021, the firm was subject to negative publicity following the resignation of CEO Annette Kimmitt. Kimmitt's position was deemed 'untenable', after she sent an email to staff criticising a senior partner for advising then Attorney-General of Australia Christian Porter.[25] In 2022, Western Australia's Corruption and Crime Commission alleged that the employees of the Department of Communities (Western Australia) disclosed competitors' pricing information and manipulated tender processes to benefit law firm MinterEllison in exchange for corporate box tennis tickets and spa vouchers.[26]

See also

References
  1. "Annual Report 2021". MinterEllison Home. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
  2. "Annual Report 2021". MinterEllison Home. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  3. "Legal Partnership Survey: What constant change means for law firms after the Covid-19 crisis; The Australian". theaustralian.com.au. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  4. "Australian independent Minter Ellison returns to growth with 2 per cent turnover rise | The Lawyer". thelawyer.com. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  5. Law firms merge Canberra Times 3 October 1984 page 32
  6. "Philip Simpson: Land was the calling of a high flying lawyer". Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. 21 April 2008.
  7. Leading law firms to merge ranks Canberra Times 14 July 1992 page 11
  8. "Minter Ellison multiplies beyond lawyers". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  9. "MinterEllison 'Flex's' muscle with new contract lawyer entity | Australian Financial Review". afr.com. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  10. "Minter Ellison moves to take on big four in consulting | Australian 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. "Our people in the community - Annual report 2018 - MinterEllison". www.minterellison.com. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  13. "Annual Report FY2014 | Minter Ellison" (PDF). minterellison.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  14. "Law firms sign onto pro bono one-stop-shop | Australasian Lawyer". australasianlawyer.com.au. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  15. "Annual Report FY2014 | Minter Ellison". minterellison.com. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
  16. "Australian Pro Bono Centre | Government Tender Arrangements". Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  17. "EOCGE citation holders | WGEA". www.wgea.gov.au. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  18. "Asia Tax Awards 2018 | International Tax Review". www.internationaltaxreview.com. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  19. "FT Asia Pacific Innovative Lawyer Awards 2018 — winners announced". Financial Times. 7 June 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2019.
  20. "FT Innovative Lawyers Awards Asia 2015 | FT". live.ft.com. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  21. See 'Port of Newcastle winners tabled $1.75bn knockout bid', Australian Financial Review, 1 May 2014; ' $3bn expected as Port Botany bids reviewed by lawyers', Australian Financial Review, 9 April 2013
  22. Announcement by Aquila Resources to The Australian Stock Exchange, 5 May 2014.
  23. See 'Minters, Freehills, advise on Lloyds deal', Lawyers Weekly, 11 June 2012.
  24. "AFR".
  25. "AFR".
  26. "CCC unearths alleged 'serious misconduct' at Department of Communities, less than a year after Paul Whyte jailed (September 22, 2022)". ABC.
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