National full service law firm Johnson Winter & Slattery excels in both commercial transaction and dispute resolution matters. With over 60 lawyers across the country, the firm has advised a wide range of clients, including international corporations, government agencies, investment funds and listed companies. Key individuals include tax secpialist Richard Gelski, commercial litigator Paul Reidy and competition expert Aldo Nicotra.
Banking and finance
Work highlights
Advised ASX-listed AP Eagers with all aspects of its financing requirements in connection with its off-market takeover of Automotive Holdings.
Key clients
Adelaide Brighton, Crescent Capital Group, Infrastructure Capital Group
Capital markets
Work highlights
Assisted AB InBev in its Hong Kong IPO and the sale of the group’s Australian business to Asahi.
Acted as Australian counsel to Imricor Medical Systems on its IPO on the Australian Securities Exchange.
Key clients
Liquefied Natural Gas, Northern Minerals, Perenti Global, Senrigan Master Fund, Visioneering Technologies
Competition/antitrust
Work highlights
Advising Jetstar in relation to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC)’s Airlines terms and conditions project. This is a landmark case as it relates to consumer guarantees in respect of services rather than goods.
Represented Unilever ANZ in the long-running ACCC prosecution against Colgate Palmolive, PZ Cussons and leading supermarket retailer Woolworths for engaging in alleged price-fixing, information sharing and boycott behaviour in relation to the introduction of new compacted laundry powders.
Key clients
3M Australia, PepsiCo, Ramsay Health Care, The Walt Disney (Australia)
Corporate and M&A
Work highlights
Advised Michigan-based cold storage provider Lineage Logistics on all legal aspects of its acquisition of Emergent Cold.
Advising Unilever on the proposed sale of its Australian Foods business.
Key clients
Brookfield Infrastructure Group, Flight Centre Travel Group, Gazal Corporation, Natixis
Dispute resolution
Work highlights
Represented the lead applicant Jones Asififi-Otchere in a class against Swann Insurance and Insurance Australia over misleading sales tactics with the potential damages recoverable over A$1 billion.
Acting for the former director of RCR Tomlinson in relation to the collapse of the company and the associated class action.
Key clients
Australian Labour Party (NSW Branch), Australian Securities & Investments Commission, Jardine Lloyd Thompson, Kingdom of Spain, Merivale Group
Energy
Work highlights
Acted for ASX-listed 3D Oil in relation to the farmout of an 80% interest in their T/49P exploration permit in the Otway Basin to ConocoPhillips.
Advise Base Resources on the Toliara Sands Project in Madagascar.
Key clients
GB Energy Holdings, Infrastructure Capital Group, Silver Lake Resources, State of South Australia
Labour and employment
Work highlights
Acting for AMP Services in a general protections claim brought by a former employee and in-house legal counsel, Larissa Baker Cook, whose employment with AMP was terminated for serious misconduct.
Devised and advised the Australian Chamber Orchestra on its potential responses to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, including devising an employee relations strategy to deal with its disrupted workforce arising from concert and tour cancellations.
Key clients
Blackmores, Boehringer Ingelheim, PwC, Qantas Airways, Ralph Lauren, Swissport
Media and entertainment
Work highlights
Represented a global internet corporation before the Supreme Court of Victoria in the proceedings for alleged defamation and successfully defended nine of the ten pleaded imputations.
Defended Verizon in defamation proceedings in the District Court of South Australia.
Key clients
3M Australia, Australian National University, Microsoft, Oath, The Huffington Post, Yahoo
Private equity
Work highlights
Advised Archer Capital on both the divestment of its portfolio company, LCR Group, to Qube Logistics and its acquisition of Funlab.
Key clients
Accel-KKR, L Catterton, Potentia Capital, The Raine Company
Regulatory
Work highlights
Advised Lighthouse Infrastructure on all aspects of its structure, regulatory framework, and contractual arrangements, in relation to the establishment and promotion of a new wholesale fund to invest in disability housing, renewable energy and social infrastructure.
Key clients
Australian Securities and Investments Commission, Denning Asia, Utilities Trust of Australia
Restructuring and insolvency
Work highlights
Acted for the second defendant in Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) v Wily & Hurst Supreme Court proceedings, in which ASIC was seeking a ban of the defendant liquidators’ ability to practice as insolvency practitioners for 10 years.
Represented Messrs Daniel Bryant, Ian Carson and Craig Crosbie of PwC in their capacities as the liquidators of the Gunns Group of companies in relation to 73 voidable preference claims commenced in the Federal Court of Australia against numerous creditors of the Gunns Group.
Key clients
Angas Securities, Brookfield, Crescent Capital, Petrus Helberg
Tax
Work highlights
Advised Gazal Corporation on the tax implications of its proposed scheme of arrangement with PVH Corp.
Negotiated on behalf of Johnson and Johnson with the Australian Tax Office on transfer pricing arrangements.
Key clients
Battery Ventures, Cooper Energy, McDonald’s Australia, Quanta Services, South Australian Government
Technology and telecommunications
Work highlights
Negotiated on behalf of Microsoft with the Federal Government in relation to the IT services procurement.
Key clients
A2 Milk, Accel-KKR, Origin Energy, ResMed, South Australian Government, Spotify
