Corrs Chambers Westgarth Careers

Congratulations to our head of corporate Sandy Mak and partner Russell Philip, both named Dealmakers of the Year by Australasian Lawyer.

We are very pleased to announce the promotion of Frieda Chan, Franka Cheung, Caitlin Chiu and Kirsty Davis to the Corrs partnership.

https://www.corrs.com.au/news/2024/06/corrs-announces-2024-partnership-promotions

In recognition of this year’s National Reconciliation Week theme ‘Now More Than Ever’, we held a series of events across our offices, including a lunch in Sydney where we heard from Wiradjuri woman, lawyer and PhD candidate Taylah Gray, and a national webinar on Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property, led by Jo-Anne Driessens and Suzanne Derry of the Arts Law Centre of Australia.

We are delighted to have been recognised as a Gold Employer by Pride In Diversity at the 2024 Australian LGBTQ+ Inclusion Awards, having achieved a gold citation in the Australian Workplace Equality Index (AWEI).

At Corrs, we are committed to sustaining a supportive and inclusive workplace in which everyone can bring their whole self to work and feel connected, valued and empowered to succeed.

In 2024, we are celebrating the tenth anniversary of our network for LGBTQ employees and allies, Pride@Corrs, which plays an active role in supporting LGBTQ inclusion among our people, our clients and the broader community.

We are pleased to have been named Law Firm of the Year – Alternative Dispute Resolution in the 2025 edition of Best Lawyers in Australia.

Our arbitration practice is regularly called upon to conduct multi-billion dollar, company-critical arbitrations for some of the world’s leading corporations, including disputes with no connection to Australia. Learn more about our market-leading expertise: https://www.corrs.com.au/capabilities/arbitration

Last week, 72 representatives from our Melbourne office took part in this year’s Very Special Kids’ 24-Hour Treadmill Challenge, helping to raise funds for 24-hour care for children and young people with life-limiting conditions in Victoria.

Find out more about the life-changing work Very Special Kids do here: https://www.vsk.org.au/

Earlier this week, representatives from our Perth office joined Law Access’s Walk for Justice 2024.

The annual celebrates the pro bono work of the WA legal profession and helps raises funds for Law Access, a charitable organisation that facilitates the giving of pro bono legal assistance to those who cannot afford a lawyer.

Find out more about Law Access here: https://lawaccess.org.au/

Representatives from our Brisbane office had a fantastic time getting out in support of LawRight Qld’s 2024 Queensland Legal Walk this morning.

The annual brings communities together in support of LawRight services and raises funds to increase access to justice for disadvantaged and marginalised Queenslanders.

Find out more about LawRight and the great work they do here: http://www.lawright.org.au/

We were delighted to host the UNSW Australian Human Rights Institute’s Global Student Fellowship celebration at our Sydney office.

Graduates of the fellowship shared insights into their experiences working with leading international development and human rights-based organisations in Australia and overseas.

Congratulations to senior associate Kala Campbell of our arbitration team, named Under 30 ADR Practitioner of the Year at the 2024 Annual Australian ADR Awards.

We also congratulate special counsel Perri Burns, a finalist for the Under 40 ADR Practitioner of the Year, and all other finalists and winners.

We were delighted to welcome our 2024 graduates to Sydney last week for our three-day national Corrs Graduate Academy.

Find out more about our graduate program: https://www.corrs.com.au/graduates-and-clerks/graduate-program

In celebration of , we were pleased to hold events in our offices, welcoming special guest speakers Nicole Cook, (Executive Director and CEO of SBE Australia) and Dr Helen Szoke AO (Board Member, Life Without Barriers).

Our Head of Gender Equality Christine Covington noted: ‘International Women’s Day is an important acknowledgement and celebration of the achievements of women in all walks of life. We were honoured to have inspiring women share their experiences with us and encourage us all to continue to contribute to positive change.’

Congratulations to associates Zoe Caldwell and Hugh Riisfeldt who were named as winners at the 2024 Lawyers Weekly 30 Under 30 Awards last night.

We also congratulate senior associate Isabella Cecere, a finalist in the Dispute Resolution and Litigation category, and all other finalists and winners.

From all of us at Corrs, best wishes for a happy new year filled with good health and prosperity.

A warm welcome to our 2024 Summer 2 Seasonal Clerks, who recently joined us in Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth to begin their clerkship program. We wish you all the best for your time at Corrs!

Our Seasonal Clerkship programs are centred on collaboration, knowledge-sharing and gaining first-hand experience, and offer our clerks the opportunity to work with our market-leading teams on high profile transactions and industry-defining projects.

Learn more: https://www.corrs.com.au/careers/graduates-and-clerks

As Midsumma Festival's exclusive legal partner, we were delighted to take part in the annual Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne on Sunday. We had a wonderful time celebrating the LGBTQ community with colleagues, family and friends. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍🌈

Thank you, Bre!

Last week, it came time to farewell Bre, a secondee from Corrs Chambers Westgarth Careers who has been with us on Fridays since September 2023. Bre provided essential support to our Principal Solicitor, Ann-Margaret, with our legal clinics at Uniting WA's Tranby. Bre worked on a variety of client matters and provided an invaluable contribution to our centre.

On reflecting on her secondment, Bre shared the following with us:
“I have thoroughly enjoyed my time at Street Law. Attending clinic was eye-opening. I received great supervision from Ann-Margaret and excellent support in my work. I hugely admire the solicitors and staff, and I am really grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from you all.”

Thank you Bre, it was great to have you on board. A big thank you to Corrs Chambers Westgarth for your ongoing support of our centre which contributes to providing access to justice to people experience or at risk of experiencing homelessness in Western Australia.

From all of us at Corrs, best wishes for a happy holiday season and a successful year ahead.

Season's Greetings Season's greetings from Corrs Chambers Westgarth.

Well done to our 2023 Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth graduates, who have recently been admitted as lawyers. Congratulations on reaching this significant milestone – we wish you all the best as you continue in your careers.

To mark our annual Abilities@Corrs Day, we were delighted to host disability advocates Millicent Weaver, Endo Articles, Jeremy Nagel, Focus Bear, Sophie Cusworth, Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA), Daniel Stubbs, Victorian Disability Worker Commission, author Bridget Hustwaite and Arpita Bahadur Jauhari, Australian Network on Disability at two virtual panel discussions on hidden disabilities.

The panellists shared their lived experiences with hidden disabilities and/or chronic illness and discussed how accessibility and disability inclusion can be demonstrated in the workplace and in the broader community.

Abilities@Corrs is a national staff-led network focused on building and promoting the support and inclusion of people with lived experiences of disabilities and/or chronic illnesses and varied accessibility needs.

Congratulations to lawyer Nicholas Garbas from our commercial litigation team, who was named the winner of the Law Council of Australia's National Golden Gavel competition this week.

As the winner of the Victorian competition, Nick represented the State in what would be its second consecutive win in the national competition, presenting on the topic: A beginner’s guide to career limiting moves.

This prestigious award provides an opportunity for young lawyers to showcase their advocacy and comedy skills on a topic they are given only 24 hours before.

A warm welcome to our 2023 Summer Seasonal Clerks, who have joined us at our offices nationally to begin their clerkship program. We wish you all the best for your time with us!

Our Seasonal Clerkship programs are centred on collaboration and knowledge-sharing, and offer our clerks the opportunity to work with various teams across the firm on high profile transactions and industry-defining projects.

Learn more: https://www.corrs.com.au/careers/graduates-and-clerks

Congratulations to our head of corporate Sandy Mak, named Dealmaker of the Year at the 2023 Lawyers Weekly Women in Law Awards.

Despite rising interest rates and difficulties in ex*****on, overall public M&A activity this year was surprisingly robust. However, the outlook for the next 12 months is fragile, characterised by periods of instability and continued challenges in ex*****on.

Our 13th annual M&A Outlook report uncovers prominent trends from the last 12 months and identifies a number of compelling predictions for Australian public M&A in 2024.

Download here: https://www.corrs.com.au/m-a-2024-outlook

Led by our Corrs NOW (Network of Women) committee, we were pleased to host a panel event in Sydney focused on the perspectives and career experiences of female leaders across the legal industry.

In a discussion moderated by our partner Anna Ross, an expert panel featuring Janine Rolfe, GAICD, Commissioner, NSW Independent Casino Commission, Jodie Sparrow, Chief Commercial Officer, General Counsel and Company Secretary One Rail Australia and Natasha Nizam GAICD, Director and Head of Legal, eBay Australia and New Zealand shared how they have navigated career challenges and the key decisions that have led to their current roles.

We were delighted to welcome students from Glengala Primary School in Sunshine to our Melbourne office recently as part of the Ardoch Youth Foundation’s Literary Buddies program.

The students participated in an alphabet scavenger hunt around the office, and also stopped by the Supreme Court of Victoria for a tour. The Literacy Buddies Program encourages students to gain a perspective of the opportunities and value that education can provide by engaging in meaningful interactions with positive adult role models.

Find out more about the great work the Ardoch Youth Foundation do here: https://www.ardoch.org.au/

At the Women in Sustainable Finance panel event yesterday, our Head of Responsible Business and ESG Dr Phoebe Wynn-Pope joined Brooke Donnelly, GM Sustainability - Coles Group, Kristy Graham, CEO - Australian Sustainable Finance Institute and Kate Turner, Global Head of Responsible Investment - First Sentier Investors for a panel discussion on the role of businesses in the transition to net zero.

Moderated by Belinda White of the First Sentier Investors, Phoebe and the panel discussed current government and international policy, challenges for businesses and how to propel progress to achieve a just and equitable transition.

We were delighted to partner with the University of Queensland Law Society - UQLS for the 2023 Corrs Chambers Westgarth x UQLS Women in Law Breakfast in Brisbane recently.

An expert panel featuring our partner Anna White, Her Honour Justice Catherine Muir, Salwa Marsh (Barrister, Level 27 Chambers), Associate Professor Francesca Bartlett (UQ Law School) and Mel Scott (Senior Legal Counsel, Megaport Ltd) discussed how gender equality can be supported through the legal system and shared valuable insights into their experiences as women in the legal profession.

A big thank you to Brenna!

After a great six months with Brenna, we had to say goodbye to her recently. Brenna is a secondee from Corrs Chambers Westgarth Careers who has been seconded to us to provide much needed legal support and assistance to the Street Law team. Brenna worked closely with our Principal Solicitor, Ann-Margaret, and attended our weekly legal clinic at Uniting WA’s Tranby centre.

Brenna shared the following about her time with us:
“Street Law is such a supportive environment. I’ve loved being here and I’m sad to be leaving. Ann-Margaret was always helpful and approachable, as was Anna and the other solicitors. Thank you for a wonderful 6 months!”

Thank you for your contribution to Street Law, your assistance and Corrs Chamber Westgarth’s continued support is integral to our service.

Today is R U OK?Day, a national day of action that encourages us all to ask colleagues, friends and family ‘R U OK?’ in a meaningful way.

In recognition of R U OK? Day we held events across each of our offices, hearing from experts on topics such as resilience and managing your mental fitness.

Resources on this year’s R U OK? Day theme, ‘I'm here to hear’, can be found here: https://www.ruok.org.au/join-r-u-ok-day