Gilbert + Tobin

Banking and Finance 

Our banking and finance lawyers are experienced in advising on both domestic and cross-border transactions. Most have practised in other jurisdictions across Europe, Asia and the United States, as well as in-house with our clients. Our banking and finance lawyers regularly act for lenders, borrowers, arrangers and investors, and understand the different commercial drivers in any financial transaction. This means we are able to anticipate key legal and commercial issues likely to arise in any transaction and guide our clients through them.

We are one of the few firms in Australia that have strong relationships with, and are approved counsel for, all four major Australian trading banks and maintains strong relationships with all of the major global investment banks active in Australia; this gives us a unique insight into these institutions’ individual approaches and requirements, and also allows us to operate seamlessly for any party.

Our Banking and Finance services include:

• Acquisition and leveraged finance: Advising on the debt aspects of corporate mergers and acquisitions, as well as leveraged and management buyouts.
• Corporate finance: Advising on investment-grade IPO facilities, transactional, working capital, leasing and trade finance facilities.
• Sustainable finance: Advising lenders, investors and borrowers on green and sustainable finance products, including loans, bonds and other ESG-themed products.
• Real estate finance: Advising both lenders and borrowers on the financing aspects of real estate transactions across the full suite of asset classes, including investment and development finance.
• Structured asset finance: Advising on asset finance transactions including aircraft and equipment leasing and off-balance sheet structures.
• Debt capital markets, securitisation and derivatives: Advising on various debt and securitisation programs, drawdowns, credit-wrapped notes, US private placements and bonds.
• Restructuring and Insolvency: Advising on restructuring and workouts, distressed debt, investing, corporate distress, voluntary administrations, liquidations, receiverships, creditor schemes and associate disputes and applications.

Energy + Infrastructure

Our Energy + Infrastructure lawyers work on transactions that define the market, such as the landmark A$10.3 billion privatisation of the TransGrid electricity transmission network and Qube’s A$9.05 billion acquisition of Asciano. Regularly working on infrastructure deals of this size and complexity has made our team the legal advisor of choice for clients who value our depth of market knowledge and commercial acumen.

Our team’s mix of project development, project finance, corporate and regulatory experience enables us to advise on the entire life cycle of energy and infrastructure projects in Australia.

We have extensive experience advising on all aspects of infrastructure-related transactions for sponsors, banks and private equity firms.

Our Energy + Infrastructure expertise spans:

• Public-private partnerships (PPPs).
• Energy (renewable energy transactions predominately, but also major transactions in the energy industry and gas pipeline transactions).
• Technology (data centres, digital transformation and all aspects of ‘infratech’ development).
• Health (hospital projects and implementation of associated financing and clinical / construction arrangements).
• Water (treatment and storage solutions for resources infrastructure and social purposes, waste-to-energy facilities).
• Transport (rail projects, airports, ports and roads – both motorways and toll roads).
• Social infrastructure (including student accommodation projects, schools and prisons).
• Property and industrial projects.
• Mining and resources (resource exploration, development, mine closure, remediation and mining).
• Oil & Gas (financing, asset sales and joint ventures, and development of greenfield projects).

Real Estate

Our Real Estate group guides clients through many significant sale, leasing, development and infrastructure transaction, as well as providing environmental law advice across a variety of sectors.

Our Real Estate + Projects services include:

• Acquisition and disposal of real estate in the office, industrial, retail and agricultural asset classes.
• Development of major real estate assets and precincts.
• All aspects of major commercial, industrial and retail leases for landlords and tenants.
• Construction related aspects of high-value and complex infrastructure projects.
• Real estate diligence in corporate transactions.
• Contaminated land issues.
• Environmental Due Diligence.
• Planning approvals.