Both firms led the way in complex transactions lauded by the awards judges
Ashurst and Gilbert + Tobin (G+T) were rewarded for playing key roles in significant deals when those deals topped their respective categories at the 2023 Australasian Law Awards.
Ashurst was the lead firm in the Western Harbour Tunnel project, which was named Infrastructure & Projects Deal of the Year. The firm worked together with Ernst & Young, Lander & Rogers, MinterEllison and Valorem.
The awards judges described the deal as “a fantastic example of seamless execution of a highly complex project”.
“It was an incredibly complicated transaction and deserving winner”, judges said. “Significant breadth and innovations to navigate technical complexities and the size of the project were stand out features of this submission”.
Meanwhile, G+T led the way on Anchorage Partners’ sale of Rail First Asset Management to a consortium – a transaction that was crowned Mid-Market Deal of the Year.
“Progressive, nuanced legal techniques and negotiations; complex and lengthy processes with various matters negotiated across multiple internal streams and groups of lawyers. Innovative legal technology solutions”, judges said of this deal.
Speaking to Australasian Lawyer on the red carpet, G+T lawyer Michael Phillips described the accolade as “a fantastic achievement” and “a testament to the hard work the whole team’s been doing on the transaction”.
More highlights about the Australasian Law Awards can be found here.