Allens

Australia’s energy industry is in the midst of a monumental transformation, and it's keeping lawyers busy. In our latest episode of Allens Confidential, hosts Samuel Guzman and Catherine Thomas are joined by Projects Partner Danielle Jones and Banking & Finance Partner Scott McCoy as they explore the role lawyers are playing in the energy transition. What's required for Australia's switch to clean energy? How does energy transition work differ from other work? How can junior lawyers get involved? Listen now: https://lnkd.in/gqMr4Xyu

Congratulations to Drew McDonald for taking home the 22nd annual Allens People's Choice Award for his work 'Sharnana' at Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi! We're delighted to have again been a major sponsor of Sculpture by the Sea this year. 'The illogical nature of ‘Sharnana’ - a shark emerging from a peeled banana - mirrors the chaotic nature of our existence. But ‘Sharnana’ isn’t about dread and despair; it’s about embracing the surreal humour of life’s contradictions and finding joy in the everyday,' Drew said. Image one (from left): Drew McDonald, Allens Partner Ross Drinnan, Deputy Mayor of Waverley Keri Spooner and Founding CEO & Artistic Director of Sculpture by the Sea David Handley AM. Photo Gareth Carr. Image two: Drew McDonald ‘Sharnana’, Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi 2024. Photo Charlotte Curd.

'It is particularly pleasing to close this transaction in spite of recent volatility in the lithium market, given the crucial, long-term need for lithium to power the world's energy transition. It is a strong endorsement of the Company's financial strategy by the domestic and international bank markets.' We advised the lenders to Australian leading lithium producer Pilbara Minerals Limited on a $1 billion revolving credit facility. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gdNTfJuh

More than 35% of all cyber events globally originate inside an organisation—either as a result of error or misuse. This number is growing. Given how hard it is to protect against sophisticated cyber attacks by external threat actors, reducing insider risk can significantly affect an organisation’s overall risk profile. Read our guide to managing insider risks for general counsel, HR, senior management and boards: https://lnkd.in/g6NcNCBM

We're pleased to have been one of eight commercial law firms in Perth to establish the Bilya Boorn Scholarship, which officially launched last week. The Bilya Boorn Scholarship aims to increase the representation and participation of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in legal practice in Australia by providing scholarships to First Nations students to study law at any Western Australian university. For more information and to apply, contact: [email protected]

Applications are closing soon for our 2025 First Nations Internship! If you want to experience life in a commercial legal environment, gain practical training and expand your network, we'd love to hear from you. Applications are open to all students who identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander. Find out more and apply now: https://lnkd.in/gFHxPCs5

Great couple of days at the Carbon Market Institute (CMI)’s #AERSummit2024 with the Allens team, catching up with old friends, connecting with new ones, and hearing from an incredibly deep bench of experts representing all facets of the #decarbonisation and #emissionsreduction space (including our very own Head of Climate Change, Jillian Button). A few key takeaways for me: - when developing and assessing the effectiveness and integrity of decarbonisation strategies we can’t allow cynicism to overtake healthy scepticism; - there’s a real need to embed intergenerational equity into policy to ensure everyone from baby boomers to generation alpha (and, most importantly, beyond) are contributing to, and benefiting from, those policies; and - the continuing (and increasing) involvement of Indigenous communities in absolutely every aspect of this space (including the development of policy, methodology and on-the-ground projects) remains of utmost importance, with the ‘seven-generation principle’ providing a powerful and practical mindset within which to frame Australia’s ongoing journey to #netzero, particularly when it comes to assessing biodiversity risk and the interaction of #carbonmarkets with #naturepositive action. Looking forward to next year and reflecting on the work completed and progress made in this constantly evolving space between now and then! Yu Zhang, Jillian Button, Naomi Bergman, Tiana Macleod, Elise Rutherfurd, Dennis Smith

Thank you to the clients who joined us at Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi for a twilight tour last week! We're proud to again be a major partner of the event, with the Allens People's Choice Award to be given for the 22nd time in 2024. Sculpture by the Sea, Bondi is the largest annual sculpture exhibition in the world, with more than 100 sculptures from Australian and international artists transforming the 2km Bondi to Tamarama coastal walk into a unique sculpture park. Find out more about the Allens People's Choice Award: https://lnkd.in/gSx_ce2y

'Data centre sales have dominated the M&A landscape in recent months as part of a broader surge of capital into Australian digital infrastructure assets.' We advised Global Switch on the $2.12 billion sale of its Australian data centre operations. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gM-bMYT5

Takeovers are set to become more challenging under Australia's proposed new merger laws, which will have significant implications for tactics, timelines and bidder strategies. Partner Guy Alexander spoke with The Australian Financial Review Anthony Macdonald about the potential impacts on hostile takeovers and why we should be paying attention. Read the AFR article: https://lnkd.in/gJA-2_Pb and our client insight: https://lnkd.in/gekt-RRh