Overview
Freehills is widely regarded as the number one equity markets legal advisory firm in Australia. Our recent achievements include advising the Australian Government on the landmark and high profile sale of its remaining stake in Telstra 3 (T3) — Australia's second largest ever equity raising ($15.5 billion), second only to Telstra 2, T3 was awarded:- FinanceAsia Best Secondary Offering 2006
- INSTO Distinction Award for Equity Deal of the Year and Issuer of the Year 2006, and
- the ALB Australian Deal of the Year and Equity Market Deal of the Year 2007
At the Australasian Law Awards we were also awarded the:
- Equity Markets Deal of the Year 2007: Telstra 3 - Best Secondary Offer
- Australian Deal of the Year 2007: Telstra 3
Awards
- we obtained the highest possible ranking in the most recent editions of Chambers Global Guide, PLC Which Lawyer? and Asia Pacific Legal 500
- our capital markets team leader, Philippa Stone, was awarded Australian Dealmaker of the Year at the Australasian Law Awards 2007
- our Capital Markets team was awarded Australian Deal Team of the Year at the 2006 ALB Australasian Law Awards.
League Tables
- number 1 ranking in Bloomberg’s 2007 Hybrid League Table for the fourth year in a row. Our market share of 40.2 per cent was almost twice that of our nearest competitor in this popular form of capital raising.
- no 1 ranking in Bloomberg’s 2004 and 2005 IPO League Table
- helping clients raise more capital via IPO in 2004 and 2005 than any other Australian law firm.
Freehills advises on the whole range of equity capital structures using both ordinary equity and hybrids to assist issuers and financial intermediaries to raise capital through innovative structures. Clients which have recently benefited from our expertise in this area include Babcock & Brown, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Coeur d’Alene Mines Corporation, John Fairfax Holdings, Macquarie Communications Infrastructure Group, Promina, Transfield Services Ltd to name but a few.
Freehills has advised the vendors or issuers on such landmark capital market transactions as the IPOs of Pacific Brands, Promina, Commonwealth Bank, Telstra, Qantas and David Jones, and has pioneered many techniques that have subsequently become standard in equity capital markets transactions, such as the now popular 'jumbo entitlement offer'—a technique co-invented by Freehills for Adsteam Marine in 2001.
How we rate
Freehills has recently acted on several award winning equity capital markets transactions:
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Award |
Deal |
Contact | ||||||
| FinanceAsia Best Secondary Offering 2006 INSTO Equity Deal of the Year 2006 and Issuer of the Year 2006 ALB Australian Deal of the Year and Equity Market Deal of the Year 2007 |
Australian Government's sale of its remaining stake in Telstra Corporation Limited (T3), which included a $15.5 billion equity offering of instalment receipts |
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| ALB Equity Markets Deal of the Year 2006 | SP AusNet's $1.41 billion IPO |  Robert Nicholson robert.nicholson@freehills.com +61 3 9288 1749 | ||||||
| FinanceAsia Best IPO 2005 CFO IPO of the Year 2006 |
Goodman Fielder’s $2.6 billion IPO |  Rebecca Maslen-Stannage rebecca.maslen-stannage@ freehills.com +61 2 9225 5500 | ||||||
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CFO Hybrid Debt/Equity Issue of the Year 2006
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Orica's $500 million Step-Up Preference Securities |
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| INSTO Equity Deal of the Year 2004 CFO IPO of the Year 2005 |
Babcock & Brown's $550 million IPO |  Philippa Stone philippa.stone@freehills.com +61 2 9225 5303 | ||||||
| CFO Secondary Market Equity Deal of the Year 2005 FinanceAsia Best Secondary Offering 2005 |
Macquarie Communications Infrastructure Group's RAPIDSTM issue | Philippa Stone philippa.stone@freehills.com +61 2 9225 5303 | ||||||
| CFO Magazine Awards IPO of the Year 2004 Asian Venture Capital Awards Exit of the Year 2004 |
Pacific Brands' |
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| CFO Magazine Awards Private Equity Deal of the Year 2004 | Just Group's $480 million IPO |
 Richard Loveridge richard.loveridge@freehills.com +61 3 9288 1519 | ||||||
| INSTO Deal of the Year 2003 INSTO Equity Deal of the Year 2003 Asiamoney Equity Deal of the Year 2003 Lawyers Weekly Deal of the Year 2003 FinanceAsia Best IPO 2003 Australian Legal Business Deal of the Year 2003 |
Promina Group's $1.9 billion IPO | Philippa Stone philippa.stone@freehills.com +61 2 9225 5303 |
