Australia/New Zealand

Sullivan & Cromwell has had strong ties to Australia and New Zealand for more than 50 years. The Firm’s pre-eminent U.S. legal practice in Australia and New Zealand includes debt and equity capital markets work, corporate transactions, project financings, credit and leveraged finance, restructuring and liability management and special situations and mergers and acquisitions.

The Firm also provides advice to clients in the region on regulatory and corporate governance matters, and represents clients in litigation and investigations.

Our lawyers in Melbourne and Sydney advise clients on U.S. and English law matters, working closely with our lawyers in Asia, the United States and Europe.

S&C represents many of the region’s major corporations, financial institutions and governmental issuers. Our clients operate in a variety of sectors, including:

Pre-Eminent U.S. Capital Markets Expertise

The Firm’s Melbourne and Sydney-based practice provides U.S.-law advice on debt and equity capital markets transactions and securities offerings by Australian, New Zealand and Papua New Guinean issuers. With extensive experience in high-value transactions, S&C has become the region’s leading law firm advising issuers and underwriters on U.S. capital markets financings.

S&C has also acted on behalf of sovereign issuers, selling shareholders, or underwriters in a number of the largest privatizations in the region.

Leading Credit and Leveraged Finance Practice

S&C’s credit and leveraged finance practice in Australia advises credit funds, banks, borrowers and financial sponsors on U.S. and English law financing transactions. The team has extensive experience with existing and evolving financial products and is well positioned to assist clients in developing appropriate financial structures. Our credit and leveraged finance practice in the region supports the Firm’s global, integrated client base on complex and critical financing transactions.

Special Situations and Restructuring

S&C’s special situations and restructuring practice in Australia advises creditors and debtors on rescue financing, liability management, stakeholder management and in-court and out-of-court restructuring transactions.  By their nature, each special situation or restructuring is unique with a highly variable outcome for a distressed company’s stakeholders. S&C’s extensive experience with every tool in the restructuring tool box means that our team can bring creative thinking and new ideas, in addition to best in class execution and stakeholder management to an inherently uncertain and difficult situation to achieve the best outcomes for our clients.

Premier Project Finance Practice

S&C has advised on some of the largest and most complex natural resource projects in the region, including the Australia Pacific LNG Project, North West Shelf LNG Project, PNG LNG Project and Lihir Gold Project. The Firm works closely with clients to develop appropriate financing structures in order to achieve a successful outcome, even in difficult market conditions. Our project financing practice draws on our experience with the extensive use of joint ventures and non-recourse debt in the development of Australia’s extraordinary mineral resources for over the past 50 years. Our clients in Australia and New Zealand also benefit from the Firm’s substantial projects and capital markets experience in other parts of the globe.

Global M&A Practice

The Firm’s M&A lawyers regularly advise Australian and New Zealand companies and their financial advisers on the acquisition or disposition of assets in Australasia, the United States, Asia and elsewhere. S&C has served as a key player in a number of the largest cross-border transactions involving the United States, as well as on important demergers.

In addition, the Firm’s Melbourne and Sydney-based team works closely with our teams in New York on regulatory investigations and litigation matters.