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Herbert Smith Freehills has been named Financial Law Firm of the Year at the prestigious 15th annual FinanceAsia Achievement Awards for Australia and New Zealand, held in Sydney on 6 February.  

FinanceAsia is a leading publisher of financial news for CEOs and CFOs, treasurers, investment and commercial bankers, institutional investors, asset managers and brokers in the Asia Pacific region. Its annual Achievement Awards recognise the country’s best banks and advisory firms.

Herbert Smith Freehills took home the prestigious accolade for its outstanding work on M&A, equity capital markets and finance transactions during the 2017 calendar year.

The firm advised on a host of significant transactions in 2017 including Tabcorp in its $11b merger with Tatts; Yancoal Australia on its US$2.69b acquisition of Coal & Allied and US$2.5b capital raising; CBA on its A$3.8b Australian life insurance business sale to AIA Group; and Netwealth on its A$879m initial public offering.

Andrew Pike, Herbert Smith Freehills’ Regional Managing Partner for Australia, said: “It is an honour for the firm to receive this prestigious award, which recognises our leading position in the Australian market.

“Our expert reputation in Australian M&A, ECM and finance gives us the great opportunity to regularly advise on the market’s largest and most complex transactions alongside some of the best in-house legal talent in the country.

“We’re grateful to our clients for entrusting us with so many of their strategic matters last year.

“2017 was a healthy year for dealmakers in Asia Pacific, with both M&A and private equity activity increasing.

“Australia was the most targeted nation in the region in and it will continue to be an attractive investment destination for international acquirers thanks to low unemployment rates, a stable regulatory environment and significant pools of capital remaining available.

“We look forward to another positive year in which we will continue to utilise our local expertise and global network to assist clients with their domestic and cross-border transactions.”

Herbert Smith Freehills’ success at the event follows a string of recent award wins in the Asia Pacific region. The firm has also won the following accolades:

  • Chambers Asia Pacific Law Firm of the Year 2017
  • Law Firm of the Year (>500 employees), Australasian Law Awards 2017
  • Most Innovative International Law Firm in Business of Law in Asia Pacific, FT Innovative Lawyer Awards 2017