Opinions »

Audio: Freehills 2010 Public Mergers & Acquisitions Report

Freehills partner Simon Reed talks to Boardroom Radio about trends in M&A revealed in the second annual Freehills Mergers & Acquisition Report for FY2010. Listen here »

Proposals to regulate the derivatives market following the GFC will impact on over-the-counter derivatives. Proposed regulations are likely to increase the costs and may expose end users to greater risks. While reform is generally welcomed, it is important that changes do not reduce the utility of OTC derivatives as a hedging tool.
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Awards »

  • We are delighted to have won Managing Partner of the Year: Gavin Bell, Australian Deal of the Year, New Zealand Deal of the Year, Energy & Resources Deal of the Year, Equity Market Deal of the Year and Project Finance Deal of the Year at the 2010 ALB Law Awards.



  • We are absolutely thrilled to top the Best Lawyers list for the third year in a row, and to have more lawyers listed than any other Australian law firm across 22 practice areas including Litigation, M&A, Project Finance, Private Equity and Alternative Dispute Resolution.



  • IFLR1000 – The guide to the world's leading financial law firms: ‘Top Tier Firm’ 2010.



  • We are very proud to receive an Australia Business Arts Foundation (AbaF) Good Practice Recognition for our work with the Canning Stock Route project.



  • We are delighted to have won Dealmaker of the Year: Philippa Stone, Equity Market Deal of the Year and Project Finance Deal of the Year at the 2009 ALB Law Awards.



  • We are very pleased to receive the EOWA citation – we remain committed to progressing women’s advancement into leadership positions and roles that meet their needs and the needs of the organisation, and are thrilled to once again be a recipient of this important acknowledgement of our efforts by EOWA.



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Legal Updates »

  • Funding pitfalls for not-for-profits and their supporters – how a successful grant may be undone

    03 Sep 2010 | Not-for-profit organisations (NFPs) often rely on support from private individuals or organisations in obtaining government funding. Such support arrangements can be mutually beneficial, but it is important to remember that NFPs and their supporters may well have different expectations. If these arrangements are not defined and documented from the outset, parties can end up in dispute—with the cost of dispute potentially outweighing the benefit of the funding.

  • The genie is back in the bottle: High Court decides that ‘terms’ means ‘terms’

    02 Sep 2010 | The High Court of Australia has unanimously dismissed the appeal by Public Trustee of Queensland against the Queensland Court of Appeal’s judgment in Re Octaviar Ltd (No 7) [2009] QCA 282 (the Court of Appeal Decision). (Public Trustee of Queensland v Fortress Credit Corporation (Aus) 11 Pty Ltd [2010] HCA 29).

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