Alexander St John
Annabel Ryan
Thu Vo
Lawyer
Lachlan Stagoll
Lily Clements-Markham
Marni Riley
Special Counsel
Emily Wang
Tasmin Cilliers

Nick Humphrey

Managing Partner

Nick has a distinguished 25-year commercial legal career, advising on hundreds of high-profile transactions, as well as founding Hamilton Locke. Nick’s extensive experience and market expertise has enabled him to build and lead a firm that uniquely focuses on the intersection of the practitioner experience (PX) and client experience (CX).

After 10 years in senior management and leadership roles, Nick recognised an opportunity to start with a blank piece of paper and build a firm as an evolution of the legal industry. He identified the importance in leadership of mindfulness and positivity, building culture, driving innovation and implementing a value-based model, leading to the ultimate optimisation of the client experience.

Nick’s research culminated in the best-selling “Summit Leadership” (Wolters Kluwer) – a book aimed at executives and professionals who are currently in, or aspire to hold, leadership roles. He is also the author of a number of best-selling books on business, law and leadership, including “Maverick Executive: Strategies for Driving Clarity, Effectiveness and Focus”; “Penguin Small Business Guide”, “Negotiated Acquisitions and Buyouts”, and the “Australian Private Equity Handbook (CCH)”.​

He has also been recognised as one of Australia’s leading private equity and M&A lawyers, including Chambers Asia (Private Equity), Best Lawyer (Private Equity and Venture Capital), Doyles (M&A), Legal500 (M&A, Dealmaker of the Year) and ACQ Awards (Lawyer of the year and M&A Team of year).

​​Nick also established the Australian Growth Company Awards in 2012, which continues to celebrate excellence in the mid-market, sponsored by Deloitte, Investec, Acruis, Intralinks, GlobalX, NAB and 2020 Exchange.

Previously, Nick worked for K&L Gates as Global Co-Head of M&A. He was also a partner and Head of Private Equity for Norton Rose, and worked in London for Clifford Chance. He also recently attended the Harvard Law School Executive Leadership programme.

AREA OF EXPERTISE

Corporate Strategy, Leadership; M&A; Private Equity; Venture Capital

AWARDS
  • Lawyers Weekly Partner of the Year Awards, Innovator of the Year, Winner, 2020; Finalist, 2017 & 2019
  • Chambers and Partners, Asia Pacific Guide, Private Equity – Australia, Ranked Individual (Band 4), 2012 – 2021
  • Best Lawyers (Global Edition), Venture Capital, 2020
  • Australasian Law Awards, Law Firm Leader of the Year finalist, 2020
  • Best Lawyers (Australia), Private Equity, 2009 – 2021
  • Best Lawyers (Australia), Venture Capital 2009 – 2025
  • Doyles, Leading Business and Commercial Lawyer, 2021
  • Doyles, Recommended Leading Corporate Lawyer, 2020 – 2021
  • Doyles, Leading Corporate Lawyers – Small Cap & Mid-Market, 2016 – 2019
  • Doyles, Recommended M&A lawyer, 2017 & 2019
  • ACQ5 Global Awards, Australia M&A Lawyer of the Year, 2016 – 2019
  • Euromoney Legal Media Group, Expert Guides to the World’s Leading Lawyers; Banking, Finance and Transactional Law Expert Guide (Private Equity), 2017 – 2018
  • Asialaw, Leading Lawyer Private Equity, 2016 – 2018
  • IFLR Guide to the World’s Leading Private Equity Lawyers, 2008 – 2016
  • Lawyers Weekly, Dealmaker of the Year finalist; M&A Transaction Team of the Year finalist
  • Legal 500 Asia Pacific, Recognised lawyer in Australia – Corporate and M&A, 2014 – 2017
  • Australasian Lawyer’s Hot 40, 2014
QUALIFICATIONS
  • Bachelor of Commerce – University of New South Wales
  • Bachelor of Laws – University of New South Wales
  • Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment – Financial Services Institute of Australia
  • Admitted to practice in New South Wales
SELECTED REPRESENTATIONS
  • Acted for Champ Ventures in its sale of MacPac Holdings to Super Retail Group.
  • Acted on the $7.3 million IPO listing of Kelly & Partners.
  • Acted on the sale of Gloria Jeans by Tea & Coffee Traders to Retail Food Group.
  • Acted for Champ Ventures in relation to the buy-out of Lorna Jane.
  • Acted on the sale of Cassons to MotorCycle Holdings.