Best lawyers named

Results are in for Australia’s best lawyers, an honour determined by a peer-review assessment carried out by US company Best Lawyers, which has been publishing a guide for the legal profession for more than 30 years and in Australian since 2008.

David Watt from K & L Gates, Brisbane, Michael Gorton from Russell Kennedy, Melbourne, and Scott Chapman, from TressCox, Sydney, have each been named 2013 Health and Aged Care Lawyer of the Year, an accolade given to a single lawyer in each practice area and designated metropolitan area.

These lawyers are among more than 2000 named in the Best Lawyers in Australia list for 2013, which was published locally by The Australian Financial Review on Friday.

Other people recognised as a 2013 Health and Aged Care best lawyer include McCullough Robertson partner Tim Longwill and Russell Kennedy principal Victor Harcourt (pictured).

Mr Harcourt said he liked that Best Lawyers is based entirely on peer-review.

“Our firm has been recognised by our peers in the aged care and health industries for our professional abilities,” Mr Harcourt said.

Russell Kennedy princial Victor Harcourt has been named a 2013 Best Lawyer Health and Aged Care

For Retirement Villages and Senior Living law, the 2013 Lawyer of the Year gongs have gone to Brian Herd from Carne Reidy Herd, Brisbane, John Corcoran from Russell Kennedy, Melbourne, Lucinda Smith from Thomsons Lawyers, Sydney, and Rebecca Barr from Lynch Meyer, Adelaide.

Elsewhere on the list of Retirement Villages and Senior Living best lawyers is Hynes Lawyers partner and head of the firm’s aged care and retirement living team Julie McStay (pictured below), Lynch Meyer partner Alf Macolino, and Wai Hwoon Low, Donna Rayner, and Rosemary Southgate all three from Russell Kennedy.

Mr Harcourt said Russell Kennedy’s multiple entries in Health and Aged Care, as well as Senior Living Law was further evidence of the breadth and depth of its expertise in these areas.

“Lawyers know the increasingly complex aged care area requires different expertise from the retirement villages and senior living area,” Mr Harcourt said.

“This has become more so in the last few years as each industry grows, becomes more complex and as business leaders insist on speaking to lawyers who have real experience gained over many years working with the industry.”

It is the second consecutive year Ms Barr, Mr Macolino and Ms McStay have been named on the best lawyer lists for Retirement Villages and Senior Living law.

Hynes Lawyers chairman, Keith DeLacy, said he attributed Ms McStay’s appointment to her tireless dedication to her clients and significant work with key industry bodies during the aged care legislative reform process.

Ms McStay acts for a range of aged care providers and retirement living operators as well as Leading Age Services Australia and Leading Age Services Australia Qld.

Hynes Lawyers partner and head of the firm’s aged care and retirement living team Julie McStay has been named a 2013 Best Lawyer Retirement Villages and Senior Living law

Visit Best Lawyers to search the international best lawyer lists. Or see The Australian Financial Review’s full list of Australia’s best lawyers (subscription required).

Best Lawyers – Health and Aged Care Australia 2013 include:

Adelaide

• Geoff Black, Wallmans Lawyers
• Margaret Byrnes, Wallmans Lawyers
• Kathryn Lincoln, Finlaysons

Brisbane

• Shane Evans, Minter Ellison
• Madonna Callaghan, Jeddart Chambers
• Carol Lee, Cooper Grace Ward Lawyers
• Tim Longwill, McCullough Robertson
• Katharine Philp, TressCox
• David John Herbert Watt, K&L Gates LLP

Canberra

• Alice McCormick, Minter Ellison
• Paul McGinness, Minter Ellison
• John Carroll, Clayton Utz

Melbourne

• Natalie Franks, Health Legal
• Michael Gorton, Russell Kennedy
• Victor Harcourt, Russell Kennedy
• Claudia Hirst, Health Legal
• John Petts, TressCox
• Robyn Baker, Clayton Utz
• Jeremy McCarthy, HWL Ebsworth
• Craig Penn-Tonkin, Norton Rose Australia
• Michael Regos, DLA Piper Australia

Perth

• Dominic Bourke, Clayton Utz

Sydney

• Wayne Cahill, Ashurst
• Alison Choy Flannigan, Holman Webb Lawyers
• Bradley Russell, Herbert Smith Freehills LLP
• Lucille Scomazzon, Maddocks
• Geoff Bloom, HWL Ebsworth
• Kerrie Chambers, HWL Ebsworth
• Scott Chapman, TressCox
• Dominique Egan, TressCox
• Julie Hamblin, HWL Ebsworth
• John Kell, Hunt & Hunt
• Aaron Kloczko, Ashurst
• Brit Mainhoff, HWL Ebsworth
• Don Munro, TressCox
• Andrew Saxton, DibbsBarker

Best Lawyers – Retirement Villages and Senior Living Law Australia 2013 include:

Adelaide

• Rebecca Barr, Lynch Meyer
• Trevor Edmond, Wallmans Lawyers
• Alf Macolino, Lynch Meyer
• Peter Myhill, O’Loughlins Lawyers
• Julia Sweeney, Fisher Jeffries

Brisbane

• Robin Lyons, Minter Ellison
• Brian Herd, Carne Reidy Herd
• Julie McStay, Hynes Lawyers
• Mark West, McCullough Robertson

Canberra

• John Carroll, Clayton Utz
• Alfonso Del Rio, Clayton Utz

Melbourne

• John Corcoran, Russell Kennedy
• David Inglis, Minter Ellison
• Wai Hwoon Low, Russell Kennedy
• Rosemary Southgate, Russell Kennedy
• Donna Rayner, Russell Kennedy
• Steven Smith, HWL Ebsworth

Perth

• Alan Churley, Corrs Chambers Westgarth
• Martin Matthews, Gadens

Sydney

• David McElhone, Minter Ellison
• Lucille Scomazzon, Maddocks
• Arthur Koumoukelis, Gadens
• Lucinda Smith, Thomsons Lawyers
• Guy Vinden, Atkinson Vinden

List source: Best Lawyers, www.bestlawyers.com