Hall & Wilcox is a full-service commercial firm that is widely recognised as a genuine alternative to the top tier firms. The firm was named Melbourne Law Firm of the Year 2007 by Australasian Legal Business magazine.

The quality of our technical advice and service delivery is without compromise. We invest in the best possible people and systems to guarantee consistently high standards in everything we do. Our approach to legal practice is practical, strategic and commercially focused.
We strive to offer highly competitive fees, to be cost-conscious in the way we work and to demonstrate value for money in every transaction.

Full-service commercial firm

Our firm's growth over recent years has seen us build a practice that meets the key needs of business. Our practice draws on the expertise of our major service areas, including:

* Corporate & Commercial;
* Property & Construction;
* Taxation and Superannuation;
* Family Business & Wealth Management;
* Financial Services;
* Employment & Workplace Relations;
* Dispute Resolution & Litigation;
* Workcover;
* Insurance; and
* Intellectual Property and IT

Recently we have advised:

* Mylan Inc. (previously named Mylan Laboratories Inc.) on the Australian aspects of its ?4.9 billion (USD $6.7 billion) acquisition of Merck KGaA's global generic pharmaceuticals business, making Mylan one of the largest quality generics and specialty pharmaceuticals companies in the world. The all-cash acquisition was run from New York, spanning across 90 countries, settling in Germany. Hall & Wilcox provided Australian commercial, employment and tax advice in the transaction.

* Lonely Planet founders, Tony and Maureen Wheeler, and interests associated with John Singleton and Mark Carnegie, on the sale of a 75% interest in Lonely Planet to BBC Worldwide. Lonely Planet was founded by the Wheelers in 1973 and has grown into an internationally recognised travel information company. Hall & Wilcox provided commercial, tax, business transition and succession advice in the transaction.

* APN Property Group Limited on the buyout of APN's European joint venture partner UK Australasia Limited. UK Australasia owns 50% of APN/UKA Management Limited, the asset manager of the ASX listed APN/UKA European Retail Trust. Hall & Wilcox provided commercial and Australian legal and tax advice and utilised its global network of affiliate firms to provide services to APN in respect of UK legal and taxation issues.

* the vendors on the sale of their shares in Cooke & Carrick (Vic) Pty Ltd to Hastie Group Limited. Cooke & Carrick own and operate a large scale plumbing and hydraulics business, based in Melbourne. Hall & Wilcox advised on the initial tax and structuring aspects of the transactions, as well as providing commercial and employment advice in a very tight timeframe.

As well as those listed above, other clients of the firm include: Admiralty Resources, Allianz Australia, Apple and Pear Australia Limited, AXA Australia, Bendigo Bank/Sandhurst Trustees, Grocon Property Trust Australia, Insurance Australia Group, MFS Limited, Opes Prime Group, QBE Insurance and Victor Smorgon Group, as well as a number of corporate advisory and accounting firms.

Unique experiences and culture

The quality of the firm's practices and client base, the partners' commitment to developing staff and the dynamic culture of Hall & Wilcox all help to attract and retain high quality lawyers. Client feedback indicates the stability of Hall & Wilcox personnel is a real factor in successful client management, maintenance and attraction.

Service boundaries

While Melbourne-based, our relationships traverse state boundaries. In addition to often working interstate ourselves, we have strong links with highly respected firms nationally and a long history of working with these firms on interstate matters and transactions.
We also have strong global networks and are a member of the State Capital Global Law Firm Group (www.statecapitallaw.org) - an international network of independent law firms.

Hall & Wilcox
Level 30, Bourke Place
600 Bourke Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
Australia
T: +61 3 9603 3555
F: +61 3 9670 9632
information@hallandwilcox.com.au
www.hallandwilcox.com.au