Holman Fenwick Willan (HFW) continues its strategic expansion in Australia and across the Asia-Pacific with the addition of a corporate, projects, regulatory and restructuring team of 15 from MinterEllison, led by five partners.
Partners Adam Handley, Matthew Knox and David Suttner will be based in Perth, while Bryn Davis will work from Sydney and Perth and Bi Chen will be in the greater China office.
With an increased focus on core sectors such as commodities, mining, energy, renewables, ports and terminals, and public infrastructure, the new team will enhance HFW’s offerings in Australia and the broader Indo-Asia region.
“The true sector focus of HFW impressed us and will enable us to provide a seamless and integrated offering to clients across major trade and investment routes around the world. With Asia and the Pacific continuing to play an ever-important role in driving global economic growth, HFW’s platform and expertise will enable us to provide clients with expanded services and support,” said Handley, who leads corporate and projects.
Handley is regarded as one of the top legal advisers to Chinese enterprises investing in Australia and has been a partner for more than 24 years. His practice spans corporate, M&A, projects (including government) and regulatory, with a strong focus on outbound investment for North Asian mergers and acquisitions. He also has dealt with project developments, primarily in mining, agribusiness and infrastructure.
Chen, also a corporate and projects leader, said that despite “recent declines in Chinese-backed overseas ‘mega-deals’, Chinese outbound M&A will continue to play an important role in global M&A activity. With HFW’s offices across the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Australia and Asia, we are looking forward to supporting our long-term Chinese clients with seamless legal services on multi-jurisdictional transactions and regulatory matters”.
She specialises in corporate and commercial law, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, foreign direct investments, and foreign market entry. Chen’s practice focuses on outbound China M&A across several sectors including renewable energy, infrastructure and EPC projects. China Business Law Journal has recognised Chen as part of the A-List in China’s Top 100 Lawyers.
Knox is a leading competition and regulatory lawyer, across energy and resources, corporate and projects. He has advised the government, regulators and private clients on market rules and commercial agreements.
Davis is an M&A specialist with more than 17 years of experience across the establishment, regulation, and operation of energy and resources projects. He specialises in hard rock mining and also has experience in solar and renewables projects, and agribusiness.
Suttner is a commercial litigation and insolvency expert, with a strong reputation in the mining and mining services sectors. He has managed multi-faceted energy and resources-based litigation, including disputes involving contracts, tenements, director duties, and misleading and deceptive conduct.
HFW’s global transactional offering has seen continuous growth, with more than 20 transactional partner additions worldwide since 2018.
