our new diversity manager

best places to eat

benefits of life at corrs

careers taking off

also inside:

summer 2011

Focus on

AsiA

from the ceoJohn w.H. denton

Contents15 Years• stuart clague senior Associate, Brisbane• christine covington Partner, sydney• Kay Martin Legal Assistant, Melbourne• Reynah Tang Partner, Melbourne

10 Years• Jo-Anne Atkinson special Counsel,

Brisbane• Delwyn Humphrey service Centre

Attendant, sydney• Michael Kimmins Partner, Brisbane• Andrew Lumsden Partner, sydney• Jim Pearce National Project Delivery

Manager, Perth

5 Years• Jeremy Amore Administration Manager,

Melbourne• Jennifer Burdis Executive Assistant,

Melbourne• Rachel Caban Legal Assistant, Melbourne• Louise Dawes senior Associate, sydney• Carrie Davies senior Associate,

Melbourne• Amin Doulai Lawyer, sydney• Benjamin Grace senior Associate, sydney• Daniel James service Centre Team

Leader, Brisbane• Andrea Kirk specialist Legal Assistant,

Perth• Maria Margarejo Travel Co-ordinator/

Receptionist, Melbourne• Monali Pandey Lawyer, sydney• Wayne Stewart Director of Marketing,

Brisbane• Angela Tredwell Paralegal, Brisbane• Allan Trudgeon systems Administrator,

Perth• Julie Visser Legal support Manager, Perth• Stacey Willekes senior Associate,

Melbourne• Maria Yiasemides Lawyer, sydney

focus on asia 4

careers taking off 8

60 mins witH lisa 14

life at corrs 16

FeaTuRes

ReGuLARS

Doin’ the Deals 12

Pro Bono Wrap Up 20

Alumni Matters 24

china business group update

launch graduate program

our new diversity manager

what’s in it for me?

summer 2011p2 oneCorrs

SeRViCe AnniVeRSARieS

publication details

editor: Alida mersonart director: nick sellarsdesigner: Danielle Poulos

one Corrs is published by Corrs Chambers Westgarth for circulation to all Corrs personnel. editorial contributions in the form of written articles, photographs and story ideas are welcome, and all news items large and small are gratefully received. We also welcome your feedback on this edition – contact the editorial team (above) or the marketing department in your local office.

Colleagues

Winston Churchill once said “We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give”. if this is true, then the people of Corrs are building great lives.

When i reflect on 2011, i am delighted by what we have achieved – not only in respect of our significant legal and business accomplishments (of which there are many) but by what we as a firm have contributed to our community.

From floods to fires, homelessness to literacy, health to human rights, Corrs people have helped others across all walks of life, at home and around the globe. Our people have generously given their time, money and expertise amongst other ways to help others in need.

Dozens of success stories came out of our pro bono work with the Refugee Civil Law Clinic, the Public interest Law Clearing House, the self Representation Civil Law service and the Homeless Persons’ Legal service. We should never forget that our help and commitment to others can actually transform lives. For instance, we helped a single mother avoid bankruptcy after her former husband fraudulently took out a mortgage in her name, and a disabled man to have an enforcement order against him withdrawn after it was discovered it had been inaccurately recorded against his name due to identity theft.

We also helped a range of social enterprises to further their good work by providing legal advice on a pro bono basis. For example, we assisted second Bite, an organisation that rescues fresh food and directs it to those in need, form a partnership with Coles that will deliver millions of meals to the most vulnerable members of our communities. We helped the inspire Foundation, which works to improve young people’s mental health and prevent youth suicide, in its successful $27 million funding application for the Cooperative Research Centre for Young People, Technology and Wellbeing. This centre will unite young people with researchers, practitioners and innovators to research how technologies can be used to ensure all young Australians are safe, happy, healthy and resilient.

We helped Plan Australia, an organisation that works at a grassroots level in 50 developing countries to alleviate child poverty, to implement a payment software system; and the Earth Garden Foundation in its successful application to AusAiD for approved organisation status, allowing it to continue raising money to fund sustainable living solutions in Third World countries.

There are also many examples of our people contributing in different ways to help others. Corrs’ partners and staff have saved almost 100 lives by giving blood through the Red Cross’ Club Red initiative. Many of our staff have helped primary school children develop literacy skills through exchanging letter writing support; and together we have donated more than 50 computers to Milpera state High school, which helps new immigrants and refugee students settle in Brisbane.

i am proud of how we worked together to make a real difference to those in need. i am proud of how our generosity of spirit shines through.

in the new year we are looking to expand our community engagement activities. in particular, we will be providing a greater range of opportunities for Corrs people to engage in volunteer work or secondments to support community organisations, client charitable foundations and pro bono client activities – with a focus on opportunities for non-legal staff to give of their time and professional skills. These initiatives will be further developed and rolled-out in 2012.

Thank you to everyone who helped throughout the year on top of your good work for the firm.

i wish you all a safe and well deserved break.

--john

PARTneR ARRiVAL

Andrew Chewconstruction, sydney

Welcome to our new partner Andrew Chew who joins our Sydney office!

Andrew Chew has joined Corrs from Baker & mcKenzie. An infrastructure specialist, Andrew has wide ranging experience across various fields including resources, LnG, transport (roads, rail and ports), social (hospitals, prisons), water, renewable energy and property

development. he is also a chartered engineer and is particularly skilled in the integration of legal services, project management and risk management for major projects.

Andrew has advised governments, sponsors, contractors and financiers on a large number of PPP projects and alliancing projects including recently in Australia, the new royal Adelaide hospital, regional rail Link, QCLnG, Gladstone LnG, mundaring Water treatment Plant, Peninsula Link, and internationally, Bangkok mrt (thailand) and north-south railway (saudi Arabia). he has also advised on major mining projects in Australia, south Africa and Indonesia including mt owen mine, ulan West underground mine and ravensworth mine.

Corrs was a sponsor of this year’s Commonwealth Business forum, which has been called “the biggest and most vibrant” to date.

Co-organised by the Commonwealth Business Council, Australian Government and Government of Western Australia in collaboration with the private sector, this year’s forum attracted over 1,400 business and government leaders from 54 countries including 16 Heads of Government and 150 eminent speakers.

Partners Andrew Messenger, John Denton, Robert Regan, sandy Mak, Richard Guit, Chris Ryder and Nick Ellery attended the three day event, which centred on the theme, “Partnering for Global Growth: The Commonwealth, indian and the Pacific Rim”.

Corrs partner and CEO and Co-Chair of the CBF steering Committee John WH Denton joined the line up of eminent speakers and panellists, which included Heads of Government, Ministers of Finance, Trade and Development, Chairmen and Chief Executives of business and other industry leaders. He chaired two key sessions on China and india: the 21st Century Powerhouses.

The forum is designed to highlight new global economic partnerships and architecture for trade and investment in key sectors across the Commonwealth and beyond. it also presents a platform to generate and foster partnerships and new relationships.

cbf 2011

summer 2011 summer 2011p4 p5oneCorrsoneCorrs

Focus on asia

an evening witH dr geoff raby 1 november

investing in australian resources seminar 3 november

china business group: update

Did you know Corrs has a China Business Group? established in 2008, this

specialised group supports the firm’s Chinese clients

as well as Australian clients with business

interests in China (including

hong Kong).

The group’s clients include Chinese state-owned enterprises and large private companies with significant investments in Australia. The group is proud to count seven of China’s top ten state Owned Enterprises as clients.

Headed by Co-Chairs Adam Handley (who is also Chair of Australia China Business Council’s Energy and Resources Committee (WA)) and Dr Geoff Raby (former Ambassador to China) – with support and input from partner and CEO John WH Denton – the group draws from a range of divisions and from each of our offices. it is this breadth and depth of experience and close connection with governmental and regulatory bodies in Australia that sets Corrs’ China Business Group apart from its competitors.

The group also has a strategy of employing native Chinese-born and Mandarin speaking lawyers to ensure they have the skills and people to help Corrs engage with our clients in the way they prefer.

our Journey through the orient – november 2011By Jim Zhou, China Liaison and Lawyer, China Business Group

As many businesses wind down their activities and gear up for the Christmas break, the China Business Group is going full throttle.

in mid-November, a contingent comprising partners Adam Handley, Robert Regan, stephanie Daveson, Andrew Lumsden, senior overseas legal advisor Lili Pan, and China liaisons and lawyers Linda Huan, Ben Bauert and myself, flew to China, ready to face a packed itinerary of conferences, meetings and networking. Here are the highlights...

Finally, we travelled to Tianjin to participate in the three-day 2011 China Mining Conference – the single largest mining focused gathering in the world. The sheer scale of the conference and the number of attendees was a stark reminder of the importance China plays in the global mining sector.

The conference is a fantastic forum where investors, explorers, producers, regulatory bodies, service providers and manufacturers with interests in the mining sector come together to share ideas and develop their relationships.

Our team attended a number of discussions, caught up with old friends and made new ones.

2011 cHina mining conference 6 november – 8 november

Corrs invited a number of clients including shenhua Group, Huadian Coal industry, COFCO Corporation, Minmetals Group and China Metallurgical Group amongst many others to the Beijing st Regis to meet the newly-appointed Co-Chair of the Corrs China Business Group, Dr Geoff Raby. The event not only allowed Dr Raby to share some of his experiences from working within the Australian Government alongside the Chinese Government, it also gave us an opportunity to showcase our dedication to the Chinese market. Commenting on the event, Dr Raby noted one of the primary reasons he chose to join Corrs was its clear commitment to assisting Chinese companies investing in Australia.

Dr Raby’s experience and expertise adds tremendous value to our offering and we look forward to introducing him to our other clients and friends in the coming months.

China Business Group Co-Chair Adam Handley gave a presentation to 350 attendees at the investing in Australian Resources seminar at the Great Wall sheraton Hotel in Beijing.

Adam’s presentation focused on how our Chinese clients (particularly sOEs) could effectively navigate the Australian Government’s Foreign investment Review Board process. The presentation was well received with many attendees gaining value from Adam’s focus on applying the FiRB regime commercially and not merely reading ‘black letter law’.

summer 2011 summer 2011p6 p7oneCorrsoneCorrs

earlier in the year, Corrs welcomed adviser and Co-Chair of the China Business Group, Dr Geoff raby. Dr raby is the former Australian Ambassador to the People’s republic of China and retired from the Department of foreign Affairs and trade in August 2011.

Based in Beijing, Dr raby assists Corrs in building our reputation for outstanding work with Chinese state owned enterprises and private companies, as well as Australian clients building business in China.

oneCorrs caught up with Dr raby on a recent visit to Australia and asked the accomplished economist about his career change and becoming a businessman.

“I think it’s very important in life not to get fixed on particular career paths. there’s lots of serendipity and if you don’t try other things you never know what’s going to happen,” Dr raby said.

“only by trying new things can you open up to unexpected new opportunities,” he said.

Dr raby says his move into business was quite organic, brought about by a confluence of things at the right time.

“I reached the pinnacle of my career as a public servant with my ambassador job in Beijing. I could have gone back to Canberra but I’d sort of done all that and wanted to stay in China to bear witness to what is going to happen over the next five to ten years. that’s when the business opportunities opened up and I knew, it was the right time to make a move and do something else with my career,” he said.

“I feel extremely lucky, this is my third career. I began as an academic. I taught at university, wrote articles and books. then an opportunity came to join the public service in the early 1980s after the election of the hawke government. that was an incredibly stimulating, exciting time in terms of reforming the Australian economy, and engaging with Asia.

“I have been involved in Australia’s relations with Asia and China one way or another for the best part of 27 years albeit sometimes it was multi-lateral when I was doing Wto work.

“I’ve had a fantastic time and a great career and suddenly the opportunity came to have a third career at this stage in my life and it’s very exciting.”

hot on the heels of Corrs’ new website comes the launch of corrschina.com – our very own mandarin website.

specifically designed for the China market the mandarin website is built from the same dynamic software as our main website and features content and publications tailored specifically for existing and potential China clients.

“the website had been under consideration for several years, however it came together in a relatively short amount of time,” says Corrs Lawyer & China Liaison, Jim Zhou.

“It was a real example of teamwork by partners, lawyers and our marketing team.”

While Corrs is not first-to-market with a mandarin-language website, we believe our effort offers more than the standard fare. After assessing our competitors, we made a concerted effort to ensure our Chinese website was not an afterthought that merely covered the basics of our firm.

“Corrs’ Chinese website shows our existing and potential Chinese clients that we understand their market and the factors impacting their business and industry,” says Partner and Co-Chair of the China

Business Group Adam handley. “Its flexible design and tailored content proved invaluable to the China Business Group on our recent trip to China in november.”

the speed at which Corrs was able to take www.corrschina.com to market coupled with the positive reception from our existing China clients has given it strong momentum out of the gate. moving forward, the website will be updated regularly with targeted news items, thinking pieces and general publications to promote Corrs’ standing in Asia.

“We encourage partners to send any articles or publications to the China Business Group, if they feel it’s valuable for securing business in the China market,” says Adam.

the Chinese website is now available for viewing at www.corrschina.com.

Focus on asia

Corrs launches Chinese websiteCorrs Welcomes Dr Geoff Raby WHo’S in THe CHinA BuSineSS GRouP?

the group is co-chaired by partner Adam handley and Dr Geoff raby. It also includes partners from corporate advisory (Andrew Lumsden, Christian owen, russell Philip, Iain Laughland, James rozsa, robert ritchie, simon morris, Jeremy Davis, stephanie Daveson), energy and resources (michael harrison, Bruce Adkins, michael macGinley), property (Alan Churley), infrastructure and major projects (robert regan), banking and finance (Clare Corke, Philip Wilson, sandy mak), and tax (reynah tang, Jonathon Leek). In addition, senior overseas legal advisor Lili Pan, and lawyers and China liaisons Jim Zhou, Linda huan and Benjamin Bauert provide native language support.

THe CHinA BuSineSS GRouP’S CLienTS

• SomeofChina’slargeststeelmakers (eg Baosteel and sinosteel)

• Coalproducers(egYanzhouCoalandshenhua)

• ChinaMetallurgicalCorporation(project construction company)

• COFCOCorporation(China’slargestagribusiness company)

• Sinopec(oilandgasproducerandChina’s largest company)

• Export-ImportBankofChina

• ThetwolargestChineseprivatecompanies investing in Australia (Chengdu Di’ao and sichuan hanlong).

CBG MAJoR PRoJeCTS

• Baosteel’s$300million15%strategicinvestmentinAquilaResources

• MetallurgicalCorporationofChina’s$5.1billionIPO

• ChinaMetallurgicalGroupCorporation’s$400macquisitionoftheCapeLambertironoreprojectandthe$3.7billiondevelopmentofthatproject

• YanzhouCoal’s$3.5billionacquisitionofFelixResources

• YanzhouCoal’s$200millioninvestmentintheAshtonCoalJVand$201milliondivestment oftheMinevaCoalJV

• COFCOCorporation’s$120millionacquisitionoftheProserpineSugarMill

• HanlongMining’s$200millioninvestmentinMolyMines

Dr Raby has held various postings throughout Asia and Europe since joining the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in 1986. He was Deputy secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade from November 2002 to November 2006. He has also held a number of senior positions in DFAT, including First Assistant secretary, international Organisations and Legal Division (2001-2002), Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organisation, Geneva (1998-2001) and First Assistant secretary, Trade Negotiations Division (1995-1998). Dr Raby was Australia’s APEC Ambassador from Nov 2002 to Dec 2004.

Partners, SCs and SAs from all Corrs offices and all practice groups collaborated on the Launch project, which kicked off in December last year.

Project team members have dedicated many hours through regular meetings, brainstorming, deliberating and debating options and issues and project work.

Karen Bennett, national People Development manager, says, “the project team has been very committed to getting the best outcome for our graduate program. the implementation of this project makes for an exciting early career proposition at Corrs and supports our 2015worldclassambitions.”

Launch Project Team

robert regan (sponsor), Bruce Adkins, Peter Jarosek, Chris Pagent, Luke mcDonald, Phil Catania, simon Ashworth, frances Williams, Paul Carrick, mari futaesaku, sue Davidson, Jared heath, mark Cessario, Liana D’Ascanio, Karen Bennett, Adeline Cheok, Louise Kiley, sara Benvenuti, natalie Braidotti and Kylie Cole-hamilton.

creating an inspiring workplace where our people can build successful and fulfilling

careers is a cornerstone of our 2015 growth strategy. recently a new approach to our

graduate development program has been announced, which centres on enhancing the early career path for our lawyers. Launch is the name of this program and it will kick off

with our 2012 graduates.

“To be a world class law firm requires a

deep connection with the development of

our graduates” – robert regan

coRRs2015 people projects

CAreers

taking off

p8 p9oneCorrsoneCorrs

Robert Regan and Karen Bennett spearheaded the development of this initiative. They agree there is a clear link between this program and our 2015 ambition to be a world class law firm.

“World class firms invest in developing world class people,” says Robert Regan, sponsor of the Launch project. We recognise our graduates are our future legal talent and we want to ensure their career gets off to the best possible start.”

“The success of our past graduates is testament to the

quality of our current graduate program. However, we need to

constantly evaluate what we’re doing and look for ways of doing it better.

Just like the ‘Red Queen’ effect, named after Lewis Carroll’s character in Alice in Wonderland, we have to keep running faster and faster just to stand still.”

The Launch project team began by reviewing the current program, speaking with partners and lawyers to find out what’s working well and what isn’t, looking at what our competitors are doing and tapping into overseas firms.

“i kept asking the project team to stand in the shoes of the graduate and place them and their professional needs at the centre of our thinking,” Robert said.

The project team developed a range of draft models and hotly debated them before arriving at a proposed framework for

Launch. A period of extensive consultation followed, with Robert facilitating focus groups in each office with partners, special counsel/senior associates, lawyers and graduates. The Launch program received endorsement from partners, lawyers and the ELT, and an implementation team is currently undertaking detailed design and implementation of the program ready for roll-out in March 2012.

A stand out feature of the new program is the introduction of the Graduate Development Manager – a new national role focused solely on supporting graduates in their learning, mentoring and work experiences.

senior Associate Mark Cessario has been appointed as Corrs’ first GDM and, as a lawyer, he brings unique insight and understanding to this role.

Mark’s passion for people development has meant that over the ten years he has been with Corrs, he has been closely involved in graduate learning both as a graduate mentor and facilitator of graduate training.

“Mark will work with partners and senior lawyers with the intention of ensuring all our graduates are provided with rich on-the-job training that will develop and nurture their talent,” says Robert. Other changes include lengthening the program from 13 to 18 months and having graduates rotate through operating divisions rather than practice groups.

“Graduates will work with more partners and practice groups and they’ll have more time to develop the specific capabilities we’re striving for,” says Robert.

“There will also be much greater focus from partners and senior lawyers on apprenticeship-style learning, coaching and ongoing feedback than in our current graduate program.”

“in my opinion, to be a world class law firm requires a deep connection with the development of our graduates. This relies on providing development-rich experiences and stimulating career paths that build the foundations for them to become best-of-breed lawyers,” says Robert.

corrs retains title!LawInstituteofVictoriaandHanoverWelfareServicesMootingCompetition

in the initial round, the Corrs team of intrepid graduates and first year lawyers defeated the Young Lawyers Composite Team. Corrs represented the ACCC against Porter’s Plumbing services in an application, brought late on Friday, for an injunction restraining the Respondent from running a potentially misleading and deceptive advertisement in the next edition of the Yellow Pages, due to go to print on the following Monday morning.

Emboldened by their victory in protecting the public against errant plumbing ads, the Corrs team competed in the grand final against Monahan + Rowell Lawyers in the Banco Court of the supreme Court of Victoria before their Honours Buchanan JA, Osborn and sifris JJ.

Corrs represented st Clair, a timber supplier, that had contracted to sell

Tasmanian Huon pine under retention of title to the respondent, a furniture manufacturer in liquidation, whose liquidator refused to deliver up to st Clair the unused Huon pine and all the furniture in which it had been incorporated. Corrs mounted a strong argument that title was retained in the timber, despite its incorporation into the furniture.

Notwithstanding stiff competition and intense questioning from the bench, the Corrs team prevailed in the grand final. Corrs has won the competition twice and is only the second firm to achieve multiple victories in the competition’s 13 year history.

Congratulations to Chris Holmes, Alex Murphy, sophie Ellis and Ari Nagar who

the Corrs team comprising barristers Chris holmes and Alex murphy and instructing solicitors sophie ellis and Ari nagar triumphed intheannualLIV-HanoverMootingcompetition.

mooted masterfully in both rounds. special thanks also go to Lindsay Hogan, Daisy Darvall, Genevieve Bourke and Laura Gordon for their assistance in preparing for both rounds, and to Jared Heath for organising the firm’s participation.

The Competition raises funds for the work of Hanover Welfare services to support people experiencing homelessness or housing crisis. This year, the competition raised a total of $40,700. Corrs is pleased to be a continuing supporter of this event and of Hanover Welfare services.

summer 2011p10 oneCorrs

and the quality of our thought leadership is getting noticed. Quite a few of our partners have already been quoted in the afr and australian newspapers after journalists discovered their thought pieces through google searches.

so, why would you think about thinking? Lots of reasons.

A good thought piece helps you build your profile among your peers and clients, and in the wider market. “Thinking is part of building Corrs’ brand and the brand of our individual partners and lawyers,” says Jonathon Leek, Partner in our sydney tax team.

sophie Bradshaw, a senior Associate in Brisbane’s iPT&C team, recently wrote a thinking article on the government’s convergence review. she says the value of ‘thinking’ is in growing reputation.

“My team uses thinking pieces to let our existing clients and targets know we have expertise in media and telecommunications. it shows we’re in touch with what’s happening and that we’re genuinely interested in the issues affecting these industries,” sophie says.

if you want to build relationships with particular clients, Thinking articles are terrific for starting conversations. send an article to a client with a personal message of what it means for them and it can make a real impact. Remember, we have more than 50 articles, podcasts and videos on a wide range of topics available on our site for you to send. There’s sure to be something that’s relevant to your clients.

so, maybe you’ve got an idea for a thinking article and wondering how you go about writing and getting it published.

A good tip to remember is that thinking articles are short opinion pieces. They deal with issues now at the top of the news and present an opinion rather than a description of the facts.

“You absolutely must have an opinion and it must be interesting to your target audience,“ Jonathon says. “if you can link your topic to an issue that

is in the headlines today, that helps.”

“i like the format of thought pieces because it makes you zoom in on the most important issues,” says sophie.

“You only have 800 words to work with so you have to be focused. You don’t have the option of taking pages to say something as you can in a legal journal article.”

Make your strongest point up front and then spend the rest of the article making your case, or back-filling with the facts. Adopt a clear point of view – come down hard on one side of the issue. Don’t simply review both sides of a debate. Done right, it’s persuasive writing at its best.

Take a look at the thinking articles on our website and you’ll get a feel for what makes a quality article.

“My advice is to pick a topic you know a lot about and concentrate your writing on that subject. You can often get quite a few articles out of the one topic – you just look for different angles or elements of the same theme,” says sophie.

have you been thinking about

SincethenewwebsitewaslaunchedinJuly,44partnersandlawyershavepostedmorethan50podcasts,vodcastsand articles on our thinking page.

CoRRS neWSRooM

The Corrs Newsroom team, led by Robert Regan, has been established to facilitate the development of the firm’s thought leadership content. Wayne stewart, Kate Dunstan, Debra surman, Brigitte Grannum and Wen Wu make up the team with Ali souk also making a significant contribution.

They meet twice weekly to review business headlines, brainstorm ideas for new thought pieces and review the firm’s ‘thinking’ pipeline.

if you have a thinking idea and would like to record a video, podcast or require editorial support, please call debra surman on ext 9300.

THinKinG?

ReCenT ReCoGniTion

deals.DoIn’ the

summer 2011p12 p13oneCorrsoneCorrs

CoRPoRATe BonD DeAL of THe YeAR fortescue metals group’s us$2.04 billion high yield bond issue was awarded the ‘corporate bond deal of the year’ at the annual cfo dealbook awards event.

Corrs advised joint lead managers J.P. Morgan and Royal Bank of scotland on the transaction which was the first post GFC offering by an Australian corporate into the resurgent Us high yield market and a pathfinder for other non-investment grade Australian mining companies.

The Corrs team was cross-disciplinary spanning banking and finance, mining and resources, litigation and tax. it was led by partners Rob Ritchie and Brad Robinson and supported by partners Peter Jarosek, stan Lewis and Craig Milner, senior associates Mari Futaesaku and sabrina Ng as well as lawyers Joseph Varghese, Amin Doulai, David Li, Nikki Chong, Karen Tseu and Les Gavara-Nanu.

WATeR CoRPoRATion MunDARinG WATeR TReATMenT PLAnT corrs has advised the water corporation on the $300 million mandaring water treatment plant, the second ppp in western australia. this represents the corporation’s first privately financed infrastructure project.

The Corrs team was led by partner Michael Harrison with Alan Churley, Bev Kennedy, Richard Guit, Phil Wilson, Reynah Tang, Rhys Jewell, Andrew Thrum, Tamim Rahman, Ali souk, Marie Botsis and Marisa Tilli.

The project will be commissioned in mid-2013.

MACARTHuR CoAL corrs is advising macarthur coal, the world’s largest producer of seaborne lv pci coal, on the a$4.9 billion takeover by peabody energy.

The Corrs team includes Teresa Handicott, Braddon Jolley, Jeremy Horwood, Juanita Rayson, Gavin Neale and Jaclyn Riley-smith.

STATe of ViCToRiA’S GAMBLinG LiCenSeS ReVieW since 2006, corrs has acted on the state of victoria’s gambling licences review, advising on the existing suite of licences, the design of new legislative, regulatory and contractual arrangements and the conduct of the competitive auction and statutory licensing processes for the new arrangements.

Recently the Victorian Minister for Gaming, Michael O’Brien, announced his intention to award the Victorian Monitoring Licence to intralot Gaming services Pty Ltd completing the implementation of the licensing phase of the new arrangements. This concludes the allocation phase of the project.

The team was led by John Walter and included partners David Hallam, David smith and David Warren. The GLR dedicated team acting on this project included Jared Heath, Moira Tucker, Norah Wright and Filia Bouterakos.

CoRRS ADViSeS on A WeSTeRn AuSTRALiA PPP fiRST corrs has advised on the first demand-based public private partnership to be negotiated and signed in western australia. the ppp will deliver a new multi-storey car park on the Queen elizabeth ii medical centre site in nedlands, perth.

The Corrs team, led by partner David Warren and senior associate Carrie Davies, assisted the WA state solicitor’s Office in advising the WA Office of strategic Projects on every aspect of the PPP, including the tender process, project structure and leasing arrangements and drafting and negotiating the contract documentation.

The construction program will begin in mid-2011, and is expected to run for approximately three years with completion in several stages, at a total cost of over $100 million.

Yancoal acquisiTion of SYnTeCH ReSouRCeS corrs has advised yancoal australia ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of yanzhou coal mining company in china, on its acquisition of syntech resources.

Yancoal acquired a number of large thermal coal exploration and production assets located between Miles and Chincilla in the surat Basin (QLD) from Gs Power Holdings LLP. The acquisition was made through the purchase of 100 per cent of the equity interests in syntech by Yancoal.

The Corrs team was led by partners Andrew Lumsden and Bruce Adkins and supported by senior associate David sim and Franka Cheung and lawyers Maggie Wong and Jennifer Leung.

$2.2 BiLLion acquisiTion corrs advised universities superannuation scheme limited (uss) – the uk university teachers pension fund – and arbejdsmarkedets tillaegspension (atp) – the largest pension fund in denmark – on its substantial equity investment in Horizon roads which acquired connecteast group (the asX-listed owner and operator of the eastlink tollway in melbourne) for $2.2 billion under a trust scheme of arrangement.

Our clients already held a combined 35% interest in the Group and now hold a combined stake worth more than $700 million based on the acquisition price of $0.55 per share.

The transaction was a complex take-private under which our clients transferred their existing equity interests to Horizon as well as investing substantial additional cash into Horizon together with other Asian pension funds who provided the balance of the cash required. This is the second transaction on which we have advised both Uss and ATP who often co-invest together. We advised them as the main equity investors in the Hancock consortium that acquired Forestry assets from the Queensland Government in 2010 for approximately $600 million.

The Corrs team was led by corporate partners Richard Lewis and steve Johns supported by John Quinlan with tax assistance provided by partner Craig Milner.

WATeR CoRPoRATion ReneWABLe eneRGY PRoJeCTScorrs has advised the water corporation on its power purchase agreements for the output of two renewable energy projects, the mumbida wind farm project and australia’s first utility scale solar farm, the greenough river solar farm project.

The deal allowed for the purchase of the entire output from the wind farm and the solar farm.

Together the projects will offset the energy requirements from the corporation’s southern seawater Desalination Plant being developed in Western Australia.

The Corrs team was led by partner Michael Harrison and included Andrew Thrum, Tamim Rahman and Ali souk.

sTRaiTs ResouRces corrs is advising asX-listed straits resources on the sale of its Hillgrove antimony-gold project to court resources wa for a purchase price of $40 million in cash and shares.

The deal takes advantage of a recovery in the price of antimony and gold, and a tightening of supply of antimony, a metal which is used in fire retardants, semiconductors and alloys.

The team is led by partners Bruce Adkins and stephanie Daveson.

MAJoR MATTeRS

QuiKSiLVeR & BiLLABonG Corrs acted for Billabong and Quiksilver in their successful federal Court summary decision against Australian importer and retailer Paul’s Warehouse.

our clients were successful in their joint proceedings in the federal Court alleging Paul’s was, among other things, importing and selling counterfeit clothing products; importing and selling clothing products bearing artistic works protected by copyright without authorisation and reproducing stylised trade marks in its brochures and advertising materials.

the Corrs team was led by partner stephen stern and special Counsel Dan Plane and included lawyers faisal mian, tanja Golding and Chrystal Dare.

fuJi XeRoX AnD CSG Corrs acted for fuji Xerox in its successful response to an appeal by CSG from last year’s judgment of the Supreme Court of nSW.

CsG Limited, fuji Xerox’s largest dealer prior to its termination, appealed findings that fuji Xerox validly terminated its dealer arrangements and was entitled to a novation of CsG’s service and maintenance agreements with respect to fuji Xerox branded multi function devices. the appeal was dismissed unanimously, with the Court of Appeal finding an additional reason to justify termination. the parties will now proceed to a damages hearing.

the Corrs team comprised mark Wilks, AnnaRoss,MariaYiasemidesandJamesLucek-rowley.

60 mIns

lisa

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What attracted you to Corrs?

Corrs found me! i was working at the Diversity Council of Australia (DCA) as their Programs Director when i received a phone call. What attracted me to Corrs and the role was that it is a newly created position and i could make it what i wanted – using my experience and expertise to create and foster diversity in a new organisation.

What is diversity?

Diversity is anything that makes any individual different from another. While most people can agree that this is the core definition for diversity, a lot of people disagree on how best to manage it in a work environment. For example, having diversity is not just about obvious things such as gender, ethnicity and sexual orientation – it can also include style, manner or whether you are an introvert or extrovert.

Why is diversity important?

When individuals group together in organisations, one of three things happen. One, people leave their diverse attributes behind and assimilate in the current culture of what’s acceptable and is considered necessary for that organisation. For example, we have always done something a certain way and we are not going to change, with people recruiting people who are just like them.

Two, where organisations recognise diversity exists and tinker to make some options available to individuals. For example, allowing women to work part-time when they come back from parental leave. These things are done as ‘one-off’ solutions for the moment but are not the usual way the organisation does business. The problem with this is two-fold: there is no room to adapt as people’s needs change and isolated incidents of adaption do not resolve systemic cultural problems.

Three, a workplace that is truly transformative and people can bring their whole self. Organisations that truly value diversity get the best out of people as people can be the best that they are. it sounds touchy and feely but if an organisation can achieve that, your capacity to get the best out of your staff is heightened and you will be far more competitive in the market for talent.

What is the role of a diversity manager?i see my role as firstly, coming in and understanding what the business needs of the organisation are and what can managing diversity well do to achieve those needs.

Conversely, looking at what the organisation doesn’t yet understand of itself and by tapping into diversity, what else we can achieve.

What areas are you looking to focus on at Corrs?An obvious priority area for Corrs is gender diversity, and this is an issue that is consistent across legal and professional services and more broadly, Australia. There are a great number of women who are high performing but for some reason, they are self selecting to opt out of their legal career. We need to know why and what we can do about it.

Gender is just one area though, and you can’t have a conversation about women without talking to men. You need to look at gender diversity holistically and exclusively. The current status quo is about women adapting to a dominant culture and we need to change this. The dominant culture needs to shift.

This change may come from internal pressures but it will also come from external pressures, such as demands from AsX companies that are clients of Corrs.

if you get diversity right, you can create a culture of understanding. The focus on women is a business imperative but the same logic applies to any diversity area – and there are many things that make us diverse.

What are some of the pressing diversity issues facing businesses?The pressing issue for business in general is women on boards – and for Corrs, this is women in the partnership. The elephant in the room is whether female quotas need to be introduced and the dramatic effect it would have on all AsX listed companies, as well as the flow on effect to other companies.

AsX is currently doing a lot of work around female targets to encourage the change without the need to resort to quotas which are already in place in countries such as Norway, spain, France and Germany.

if Australia introduced quotas into the corporate environment, which has bi-partisan support, Corrs would need to be prepared as this would dramatically change the corporate landscape for its clients; and if current AsX targets don’t work, quotas could well be next.

Flexibility has also always been critical and a major stumbling block for senior women. Though this can depend on the industry, as some – such as defence or police – have issues where they don’t have enough women. The legal industry has women, but not necessarily where we would like them to be.

What does this mean in the legal industry?The legal profession has an advantage because at the entry level, there are more women who graduate from law than men. so while we don’t have pipeline issues from the start, it does become problematic as women progress in their career.

The reality that many women will go onto have children demands that a firm like Corrs, which invests so much into it’s graduates and lawyers, addresses the issue of flexibility. When so much is at stake, it is an important business issue. if we don’t have the support structure in place, we will lose these women – and this is what’s happening.

it works where you have a supportive manager and the individual has taken on the responsibility to make it work and make it possible! The challenge is to make it happen broadly across the firm. And we are not alone, this is an issue for the entire business community, not just the legal profession.

What are the big gains and advancements in diversity?There have been enormous changes over the last decade – not necessarily in statistics but definitely in attitudes. For example, we

now have a government paid parental leave with many organisations topping up which has been a massive leap forward. When i started my career in diversity it took an eternity to even get a Board to listen to the concept of maternity leave.

i recently publicly debated the topic of female quotas versus targets for women on boards. The question now is no longer about whether we should have women on Boards, but how can we get more of them there. The discussion has changed even if the results are slow.

What more can be done?

A lot more can be done. i would love to go to a diversity event where there are just as many men as women. Any other issue that had such a significant impact on profit would provoke greater involvement. We need to remember it is not just about saying we are committed but demonstrating, through the way we work, that we are committed. it is not an easy thing to achieve and takes time.

How can we all help?

By walking the walk and talking the talk. We should remember that diversity is not just an issue for women but men too. in Northern Europe where they have enforced quotas, there have been enormous benefits for both men, women and broader society despite initial resistance. We live in a society where we all have a part to play in creating a better workplace because at the end of the day, we will lose out if we can’t make this work and other workplaces can.

What’s your career highlight?

i have had a few great moments, including earlier this year when i worked with the United Nations as part of an Australian delegation to an international forum in Doha, Qatar. As part of that assignment, i worked with people from all over the world – from different places, cultures, religions – towards a common goal of a global dialogue on cultural diversity.

You see that even incredibly diverse people are not that different after all. it was a humbling and inspiring experience.

with

one Corrs talks to Corrs’ new Diversity manager, lisa annese, about what attracted her to Corrs and why diversity matters.

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MoRe HoLiDAYS (48/52 oR 50/52) deTails: Flexible Workplace Arrangements allow you to work 44 weeks (48/52) or 46 weeks (50/52) of a negotiated financial year to have effectively four or two weeks additional leave without pay.

The salary impact of the leave without pay is spread over 12 monthly pay periods by reducing the employee’s salary by either 1/13th (48/52) or 1/26th (50/52).

superannuation continues to accrue calculated on the reduced remuneration whilst annual leave, personal leave and long service leave continues to accrue at the normal full-time or part-time rate.

HoW To ReDeeM: Additional purchased leave is taken after your annual leave is exhausted. You will also need a minimum of six months service to be eligible to apply. For further information visit the Flexibility@Work pages on A2 and speak with your HR Manager.

Life AnD TPD inSuRAnCedeTails: included as part of the firm’s default superannuation plans (in most states) are life and total and permanent disability (TPD) insurance, which are an extremely important, albeit often forgotten benefit that ensures your family’s wellbeing.

Through the default superannuation plans you also have access to competitive rates on income protection insurance and the option to increase your TPD and life cover. This is generally an economical way to obtain insurance because you can access group rates which are usually lower than cover obtained individually. Premiums may also be deducted from your super account, so they have no impact on take-home pay.

HoW To ReDeeM: For more information contact your local HR manager or super fund.

Corrs default superannuation plans are:

QLD – http://www.sunsuper.com.au

NsW – http://www.equipsuper.com.au

ViC – http://www.equipsuper.com.au

WA – http://www.colonialfirststate.com.au

SoCiAL CLuBSdeTails: Each office has a social club that organises special free or discounted events for Corrs employees. On occasion clubs organise partnerships with various arts and community organisations to give employees discounted memberships.

HoW To ReDeeM: Watch your inbox for invitations to various events and visit the Fun pages on A2 to see if any new deals have been struck.

coRRs TalenT scouTs – eMPLoYee RefeRRAL PRoGRAMdeTails: You have the opportunity to be a talent scout for Corrs and refer suitable candidates for employment. if the person you recommend gets the job and fulfils their probation requirements you are entitled to a ‘spotter’s fee’ of between $3,000 - $5,000. You can recommend someone as either a general recommendation or in response to an advertised vacant permanent position.

HoW To ReDeeM: Visit the Careers@Corrs page on A2 or contact your local Manager for further information.

sTudY assisTancedeTails: Our study Assistance Program provides you with the opportunity to further your development through either an undergraduate or post-graduate program related to your job. Assistance may be approved time off, use of firm facilities and course fees.

HoW To ReDeeM: For further information contact a member of the L&D team.

LIfe At coRRs

SALARY SACRifiCinGdeTails: You can salary sacrifice extra superannuation contributions, cars, QANTAs club memberships and car parking. in certain circumstances, tax savings can be generated by making payments from pre-tax salary.

HoW To ReDeeM: Contact John Bold (john.bold@corrs.com.au) for further details.

TeCHnoLoGY & TeLeCoMMuniCATionSdeTails: We have strong relationships with our technology and telecommunication suppliers. As a result, Corrs employees can participate in these companies’ Employee Purchasing Programs. These programs offer discounted and corporate rates on a range of products.

• Vodafone offers employee plans which include free calls to other family, friends and colleagues who also take up the offer.

• Optus offers discounted rates on mobile phone plans and internet packages.

• HP offers great rates on computers and accessories through their online store.

• Microsoft offers discounts on a range products through their online store.

HoW To ReDeeM: For Vodafone deals visit http://store.vodafone.com.au/corrs

For Optus deals visit www.optusbusiness.com.au/employeeplans and use the promotion codes ( Mobile Phones: COR1708, Cable internet: HsDCOR1708, DsL internet: DsLCOR1708, Dial-up internet: DUiCOR1708)

For HP discounts visit www.hp.com.au/employeeawards

For deals on Microsoft products visit https://hup.microsoft.com/

You will be prompted to put your work email address and then the program code 2C672D409E.

For more information contact shona Mascarenhas (shona.mascarenhas@corrs.com.au)

caRsdeTails: Corrs has partnered with Mazda, BMW and MiNi to get you a good deal on your new set of wheels.

Mazda Australia gives Corrs employees a subsidy Program which offers you a rebate of 4% of the list price on any new Mazda vehicle.

Corrs employees also have access to the BMW and MiNi Corporate Program. Apart from corporate pricing, there is a bevy of other benefits including four years or 60,000km servicing with door-to-door pickup and more.

HoW To ReDeeM: Visit the Marketplace page under Fun on A2 for more information about the Mazda offer.

For more information about the BMW deal visit www.bmw.com.au/corporate and use the corporate member number: EPP00579 and password: NO47061.

For more information on the MiNi deal visit www.mini.com.au/corporate or email corporate@MiNi.com.au

Corporate rates vary from model to model to find out more contact your local dealership.

there are heaps of benefits of working at Corrs – great colleagues, interesting matters, nice views – but if you’re looking for a little something extra, you might like to know about Corrs’ employee benefits. from special rates for health insurance to salary sacrificing for Qantas Club membership, take a look at this list and see what’s currently on offer.

...what’s in it for me?

deals

life

RACV CLuB MeMBeRSHiPS (MeLBouRne onLY)deTails: The RACV roadside assist offers Corrs employees discounts on services, no joining fees and free use of most facilities.

HoW To ReDeeM: Contact the Melbourne social Group for further information.

Sydney

iNsiDERs’ When you’re on business interstate, one question that always comes up is “where should we eat?”. this is usually followed by silence, shrugs, looking around for someone to ask while the more industrious start Googling on their smartphones. more often than not we end up somewhere adequate but not great. next time have the answers and avoid the tourist traps, take a tip from your “true local” colleagues.

Melbournebest power luncH: Hanabishi (187 King st) – Phil Catania, Partner

best no booking: Coda (141 Flinders Lane) – Ben Davidson, Partner

best after work drinks: slate (9 Goldsbrough Lane) – Claire McGregor, Legal Assistant

best bruncH: spoonful (543 High st, Prahran) – Berys Amor – National infrastructure and Application Manager (“stylish but cosy, delicious, fresh and creative”)

best under $10: The Attic (600 Bourke st) – Nuala Cullen, Business Development Co-ordinator (small takeaway salad for $8.90)

Brisbanebest power luncH: il Centro Restaurant and Bar (Eagle street Pier) – Wayne stewart, Director of Marketing

best no booking: Pearl Cafe (28 Logan Rd, Woolloongabba) - Danielle Rivera, Legal Assistant

best after work drinks: Friday’s Riverside (123 Eagle street) – Andre Newell, Lawyer (“Love it or hate it, you will end up there at some point!”)

best bruncH: Gun shop Cafe (53 Mollison street, West End) – sarah Peden, Lawyer

best under $10: LR sushi (Felix street – opposite Waterfront Place) – Yii Fen Tan, Lawyer

best power luncH: Machiavelli (123 Clarence st) – James Bacon, Business Development Consultant

best no booking: Rosso Pomodoro, (24 Buchanan st, Balmain) – Matthew Monk, Finance

best after work drinks: The Australian (100 Cumberland st,The Rocks) – John Quinlan, Lawyer

best bruncH: Bottom of The Harbour (21 The Esplanade, Balmoral) – Nick sellars, National Graphic Designer

best under $10: Ms Chu (George st) – Nikki sherman, specialist Legal Assistant

Perthbest power luncH: sentinel Bar & Grill (111 st George’s Terrace) – Mark van Brakel, Partner

best no booking: 9Mary’s (16 Milligan street) – stacy Gardner, Lawyer

best after work drinks: Wolfe Lane (Wolf Lane) – Liana D’Ascanio, senior Associate

best bruncH: sayer’s (224 Carr Place, Leederville) – Matthew Hudson, Law Graduate

best under $10: Taka’s Japanese (shafto Lane) – Leeanne Mooney, Administration Manager

TiPS

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Life AT CoRRS: WHAT’S in iT foR Me?

body & soul

HeALTH inSuRAnCedeTails: Getting health insurance is one of those things you shouldn’t put off. Leading health insurance provider Bupa (formerly MBF) offers special rates and packages on Hospital and Extras Cover for Corrs employees.

HoW To ReDeeM: Contact Corrs’ Bupa representative, Klara Talevski to discuss the package that’s right for you: klara.talevski@bupa.com.au or 02 9323 9711.

PRe-TAX DonATionS To CHARiTYdeTails: Why not think about giving the price of a beer or a couple of lattes? Just a few dollars can make a world of difference to those who need your help.

The Workplace Giving Program enables you to make a tax deductible charitable donation from your pre-tax salary. Corrs supports 11 different charities.

You have total flexibility in determining how many charities you wish to support and how much you wish to donate to each.

HoW To ReDeeM: Visit the Giving Back pages on A2 and download a donation form. Return completed forms to Payroll (for staff) or Partner services (for partners) who will process your donation and send the proceeds to your selected charity/charities each month.

You can change or cancel your donation at any time, simply by re-submitting the donation form to Payroll/Partner services.

GYM MeMBeRSHiP (MeLBouRne onLY)deTails: south Pacific Health Club CBD (550 Bourke st, Melbourne) is offering all Corrs employees corporate membership rates. You can also have a free five day trial, including attendance at all group fitness classes just to see how you like it.

HoW To ReDeeM: Visit https://www.southpacifichc.com.au and phone (03) 9604 0999 or email Paul Brodie on paul@southpacific.com.au

PeRSonAL CounSeLLinGdeTails: The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a professional, confidential counselling service. it is free of charge for you and your family. This service is provided by an independent company called Davidson Trahaire Corpsych.

HoW To ReDeeM: For confidential appointments and enquiries call 1300 360 364.

YoGA CLASSeSdeTails: social clubs in sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne regularly offer in house yoga classes. These classes are free and a great way to squeeze in some extra exercise and time to re-centre yourself.

HoW To ReDeeM: Watch your inbox for invitations to join the yoga classes or contact the social club in your office for more information.

WoRLD CLASS ToTAL ReWARDS PRoGRAM iS CoMinGCorrs is currently reviewing our benefits program as part of the development of our 2015 World Class Total Rewards Program.

Based on the Huron recommendations, the program is designed to ensure our performance and remuneration systems support and reward the skills and behaviours required to achieve our bold ambition.

The Total Rewards Program is focussed on rewarding high performance and effort that goes above and beyond, recognising individuals’ contribution to the firm’s success with monetary and non-monetary rewards, and enhanced career development opportunities.

The next two years will see the rollout of the Total Rewards Program, commencing with some initial enhancements to our current approach this financial year – and with further improvements and project completion by 2015.

Further updates will be provided in the new year.

DoinG iT HeR WAY

PRo Bono WRAP uP

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for Jodie burger a holiday to india changed her job and her life.

Jodie is a senior Associate in the sydney office who works four days per week. On the fifth day, she works as the Research institute Director at charity organisation 40K, which works in india to deliver cost effective, poverty reducing education programs.

in that role, Jodie heads a team of 11 researchers who look into issues relating to development and poverty in india and guide the involvement of the organisation in the country in delivering education programs.

“i think all of us can get so bogged down focusing on day-to-day life and work. it takes a trip away to really switch on and realise there are big, important things happening in the world,” Jodie said.

“Before i joined Corrs i spent three months travelling - six weeks of which was in india.

it’s one of those places you either love or hate, and i loved it. When i came back to Australia i had a yearning to find a way to help indian women and children,” she said.

Upon her return, Jodie started a Masters in international Law and international Relations, which was “all good” at an academic level but she wanted something more hands on.

“i thought, ‘i come from a privileged background with a fantastic job. if there’s something i can contribute, it’s to give my time to an effective organisation and help people’,” Jodie said.

“i saw an advertisement on seek for a volunteer research director at 40K. Taking on the role would mean cutting down at work. i spoke to family and friends and they were unsure as this type of thing typically doesn’t fit in with the “corporate culture” of a law firm. But i thought there must be a way.”

for the first time, 55 corrs runners laced up and another 150 colleagues, family and friends turned out to support the sydney running festival, which culminated in a picnic in the botanical gardens.

Our team, “Corrs A sweat”, raised money for the 40K Foundation – a youth-led, non-profit organisation, working to reduce poverty in india.

Partner in Charge of the sydney office Robert Regan explains the day was about contributing to and being part of a community.

“We’re always looking to create value in the economic and social communities that we operate within,” Robert said.

Corrs raised more than $10,000 for 40K’s work in india. Collectively more than $70,000 was raised for the organisation by runners from a number of firms.

40K CEO Clary Castrission said the organisation was thrilled with the amount of money that was raised which topped last year’s donation of $65,000 and was blown away by the sense of community and support the festival generates.

“Raising funds means a lot to us, but we enjoy seeing the different firms and organisations working together towards a joint purpose,” Clary said.

“Raising money for a not-for-profit brings people together.”

With the support of her supervising partner, Jodie pursued this dream through Corrs’ flexible working arrangements. Now she balances working as a lawyer with volunteering and enjoys the challenges and opportunities both roles present.

“i try to compartmentalise working as a lawyer and working for 40K. Occasionally i come in to work for an urgent client matter but generally i can keep the two very separate,” she said.

“By splitting my time, i’m more focused when i’m at work and go about matters with renewed energy and enthusiasm. And when i’m at 40K, i’m at 40K. i work 11-hour days there. it’s a good balance for me and at the moment it feels right.

“Now if i come across people, my friends even, who avoid doing what their heart tells them, i say, ‘if you want do it, do it! stop waiting’.”

oXfAM & CoRRS: 20YEARANNIVERSARYcorrs is one of oxfam australia’s longest supporters and this year we celebrated our 20-year anniversary of partnership.

This is an exciting milestone and the outcomes from this longstanding collaboration have changed lives and communities around the world.

“Partnering with Oxfam for the last 20 years has been a privilege and a project we take seriously,” says Val Gostencnik, Corrs National Pro Bono Partner.

“This milestone is a great opportunity to reflect on the fantastic work Oxfam does and also to recognise the different types of support our people have generously given to the organisation in the last 20 years.”

Corrs’ staff have made vital contributions of both time and money including raising more than $82,000 through Workplace Giving to fund Oxfam Australia’s programs with Aboriginal and Torres strait islander people. The firm also raised more than $52,300 for Oxfam’s overseas work through committed team participation in the Oxfam Trailwalker events and supported the Haiti emergency in 2010 with a donation of more than $13,000.

Corrs’ partners and staff have also undertaken more than $200,000 of pro bono legal work over the past six years. This has helped Oxfam navigate the legal complexities of their work, allowing them to focus their energy and donations where it is needed most.

cambodia (below): Roka, Cambodia: Dok sal, Dol Ham and Dok Ren now have clean, fresh water from an Oxfam water filter. The rollout of these filters is the first stage of a two-year water and sanitation program in the region. Photo: Ear Techkung/OxfamAUs.

fitzroy stars (above): The Fitzroy stars is an Aboriginal football club based in Melbourne. The club promotes health and fitness, and also helps build self esteem among the players. Oxfam Australia has been a proud supporter of the Fitzroy stars since 2008. Photo: Richard Kendall/OxfamAUs

“Corrs is a highly valued corporate partner of Oxfam’s,” Oxfam Executive Director Andrew Hewett said.

“For two decades the firm has been a great ally, providing invaluable support for Oxfam’s work. Moving into the third decade of our relationship, i’m look forward to growing our partnership and enhancing its impact on communities in need,” he said.

sydney running festival

PRo Bono WRAP uP

GifTS in TiMe

summer 2011p22 oneCorrs

in 2008, corrs introduced “pro bono” as an elective rotation in the graduate development program. since then, graduates in each state have joined the teams of independent legal referral services to assist people gain access to justice.

On occasion when graduates do not choose pro bono as a rotation, the firm offers the opportunity to go in-house at such organisations as PiLCH in sydney, QPiLCH in Brisbane, the Employment Law Centre in Perth and HPiLCH Homeless Persons’ Legal Clinic program in Melbourne to other lawyers.

The service these graduates and lawyers provide forms an integral part of the firm’s social responsibility program, as National Pro Bono Partner Val Gostencnik explains.

“The pro bono secondments program is one of the ways the firm collaborates and builds relationships with other legal organisations to give back to the community,” Val said.

“secondments are one of the most valuable forms of assistance that can be provided to a not-for-profit. To these often cash-strapped organisations, our lawyers and graduates are a reliable and ongoing resource who make a real contribution to the public interest,” he said.

“in return, secondees are challenged and stretched in a very different way. They have the opportunity to broaden their range of legal, communication and managerial skills and have greater client contact and early exposure to the court,” he said.

in Brisbane, research clerk Matthew Hodgson Van-Daal has spent the last year at QPiLCH, assisting people who can’t afford legal advice. Matthew says this ‘baptism by fire’ into the legal industry has sparked what he believes will be a lifelong involvement in pro bono legal services.

“i’ve always been a little ignorant of this sphere. i knew there were issues of access to justice, but i had no idea of the scope of them,” Matthew said.

as a little-known musician named bob dylan once sang: “the times, they are a-changing”. in a world of smartphones, tablets and cloud computing, law firms too must keep step with the march of progress.

in what we believe is a world first in the legal industry, the Corrs LTs team has developed an iPad app to improve efficiency within the firm.

The technology was developed in-house at Corrs by LTs Director, Brian Borskjaer; LTs Manager, Graeme Grovum; and LTs Developer, Tri Huynh.

“Corrs Briefcase was created to meet our lawyers’ increasing need for mobility

and flexibility in reviewing documents,” says Brian. “it gives our lawyers the freedom to interact with key documents conveniently and quickly without being office-bound.”

More specifically, Corrs lawyers are now able to review, tag and make notes on a large number of documents any time and anywhere.

“The app has integrated seamlessly into our lawyers’ day-to-day work,” says Graeme. “in fact, it was recently used by a litigation lawyer to take more than 18,000 documents to a client’s premises on a single iPad.”

This app is a great example of how Corrs is taking advantage of accessible, cutting-edge technology to deliver real productivity benefits to our staff; savings for our clients – particularly in terms of time and print costs; and a positive step environmentally by reducing the need for the printing of hard copies.

“Corrs Briefcase is not a gimmick – it is a powerful tool for our lawyers to use,” says partner Bruce Adkins.

“Corrs recently sent a delegation to india and the app proved its worth by allowing us to conveniently transport and access a large amount of documents which, not that long ago, would have filled up half our luggage. Having everything at our fingertips during the trip was incredibly convenient,” he said.

The Corrs Briefcase will be rolling out across the firm shortly.

“Now i am in the thick of it, i have developed this keen interest in a kind of Alice in Wonderland way – i’m down the rabbit hole and i can’t turn back. it is something that will always be part of my career,” he said.

Matthew says small, community, legal centres like QPiLCH require you to roll your selves up and be very hands on.

“Everyday i’m on the phone to clients. i manage many of the files and at six months out of law school, i have already instructed barristers. it has been an industrious way to start in law, but it has also been really great. i will be telling all the grads to put QPiLCH as a preference because it is such a good experience,” he said.

sydney based lawyer Lucy Repasky, who has been seconded to PiLCH for three months, agrees.

“My secondment to PiLCH has been a fantastic way to give something back to the community and at the same time develop legal skills and confidence in dealing with clients.

“Each day is varied and interesting. in a normal day, i deal with requests for

legal assistance in all areas of the law from members of the public, community organisations, courts, tribunals, and community legal centres. i also interview clients, attend court, write law reform submissions and engage in project work,” Lucy said.

in Melbourne, Catherine Dow has spent the second rotation of her graduate year assisting with PiLCH and can’t believe the depth of experience this rotation has brought.

“A few months ago, i would never have imagined that i would have the opportunity to regularly discuss legal issues with barristers, prepare briefs and referral memoranda, meet with clients and run files,” Catherine said.

“With the guidance of PiLCH staff i have learned a lot about client service; communicating with barristers; strategic thinking; file management; and advocacy.

“i have also seen firsthand the outstanding work undertaken by the dedicated staff at PiLCH and the generous lawyers who undertake pro bono work - and the difference that this work really makes.”

PRo Bono WRAP uP in touch with tech

ADDinG To YouR APP ARMouRY

in its relatively-short life, the ipad has risen from “giant ipod” to a legitimate office productivity tool. Here are some great apps (all available through the itunes store) that could give your ipad the extra edge.

• Access law on your iPad or iPhone wherever you are through the austlii app. Browse legislation from the Commonwealth and from every Australian state and Territory, and cases from over 140 courts, tribunals and boards. search over four million documents and when you’ve found what you’re looking for, you can email it to anyone right from within the App. All this for free!

• IntAppoffersitstime builder software as an iPad or iPhone app. This allows you to easily record and enter time, and also find lost or overlooked work. it does this by providing you with an accurate, consolidated report of client and matter-related activity, generated by automatically monitoring key applications including document creation, email, calendar, phone, and mobile devices. Time Builder then consolidates this information

and makes it available in several ways including: an automated email, paper printout, web-based interface, and directly through Microsoft Outlook.

• Despiteitsstaidappearance,ThomsonReuters’ blacks law dictionary is actually a great application. All rules and case law are hyperlinked to www.westlaw.com. At $49.99, it’s not inexpensive, but having such a well-regarded publication in the palm of your hand may be well worth the price.

• AlsobyThomsonReutersistheaustralia consumer law converter (ACLA), which allows you to navigate the transition from old law to new. This free app maps provisions of the Trade Practices Act to the relevant provisions in the new Competition and Consumer Act, and vice versa. it also features a search function allowing you to seek out specific provisions.

the launch of corrs’ ipad app has unchained lawyers from the office, giving them a quick and convenient way to review documents on the go.

The evening provided a wonderful opportunity for alumni to reconnect with past colleagues.

Partner and CEO John Denton took the opportunity to share Corrs’ 2015 strategy with guests who included Justice Kim Hargrave, Justice Emilios Kyrou, Tony Darvall, David Miles, Angela Nordlinger, Barry O’Callaghan and Aubrey schrader, among others.

The night was a huge success with excellent feedback received from both alumni and current staff.

special thanks to Alumni Partner Ben Davidson and savannah Bassant for all their hard work in pulling the event together!

Our next Alumni function will be held in March in sydney.

aluMni MaTTeRsIn november, the melbourne office hosted its inaugural Alumni drinks function at the national Gallery of Victoria.