Hamilton Locke continues to attract top talent to our firm, with four new partners joining our Corporate; Energy, Resources, Construction & Infrastructure; IP & Technology and Agribusiness Real Estate teams across Australia:
- Alison Cooper, Corporate, Perth: Alison is an experienced resources and energy lawyer who advises clients across the full project lifecycle of mining, oil and gas projects, including the acquisition and divestment of mining assets, project approvals, land access and compensation, project development and operations. Alison is also a native title and Aboriginal cultural heritage specialist and has acted for project proponents and native title parties in negotiations and in National Native Title Tribunal proceedings. She was previously a Special Counsel at HopgoodGanim.
- Leigh Holder, Energy & Projects, Perth: Leigh is a highly experienced projects and corporate lawyer with over 18 years’ experience. He brings a unique legal and executive skillset in project and supply chain development across energy and resources, gas, hydrogen, ammonia, renewables, next generation fuels and industrial decarbonisation. Leigh has led cross-border mergers and acquisitions, the establishment of large-scale joint ventures and governance structures associated with origination, financing, construction and operation of large capital projects. Prior to joining Hamilton Locke, Leigh was the Business Development Director for Yara Clean Ammonia in Australia where he was involved in originating several pioneering projects in the ammonia and energy space. Leigh was the Australian General Counsel and Company Secretary for Yara International ASA for a decade, serving in the executive management team responsible for the development of over US$2 billion of ammonia and ammonium nitrate production infrastructure in Western Australia.
- Toby Patten, IP & Technology, Melbourne: Toby advises companies ranging from medium to large multinationals on IP and IT licensing and commercialisation arrangements, rights enforcement, and the related application of Australian Consumer Law and privacy laws. Toby was most recently Director of Intellectual Property and Commercialisation at Deakin University, heading up its Technology Transfer Office and working directly with researchers and start-up founders and investors. He was previously a partner in the Life Sciences team at a global law firm for over a decade.
- Lisa Ward, Agribusiness Real Estate, Brisbane: Lisa brings over 20 years’ experience in the legal sector specialising in agribusiness transactions. She has led complex, high-value transactions across all Australian jurisdictions, representing major institutional investors, foreign governments and high net worth individuals on agricultural acquisitions and operations across diverse platforms – from dairy farming and cattle breeding to vineyards, cotton gins, horticulture and forestry assets. She was previously a Special Counsel at global law firm K&L Gates.
Hamilton Locke Managing Partner Brit Ibanez said the appointments reflected our firm’s continued strategic growth in areas where there was strong demand from our clients for specialist knowledge and experience.
“These four appointments strengthen our national capability across the areas where we are seeing the strongest need from clients, from resources, energy, and infrastructure in Western Australia, to agribusiness and technology commercialisation on the eastern seaboard.”
