The practice at Allens, which works out of offices across the country, is described by one client as a ‘strong client-focused team’ with a ‘good mixture of experience and fresh perspective.’ Kate Axup and Igor Bogdanich lead the team, focusing on oil as well as gas and mining, respectively. On the mining side, the group often acts for major domestic and international mining companies, and on the oil and gas side, the practice regularly assists clients with key operational agreements such as JOAs. Elsewhere in the team, Richard Malcolmson has a quarter of a century’s experience advising Australian and international businesses on a range of transactions in the natural resources space. Jodi Reinmuth is also a key name, and often appears in project finance matters, another area of expertise for the group.

Gaelan Cooney, who acts as the firm’s Global mining chair, and Paul Lingard head up Ashurst’s team, which is known for its breadth, demonstrated by its ability to assist experienced producers, junior explorers, as well as banks and investors that provide funding to them. The group deals with a range of natural resources and critical minerals, such as lithium, rare earths and copper, and retains a presence in its clients’ projects from inception until end.  The firm has recently bolstered the team through Lingard's arrival from Norton Rose Fulbright in August 2022. Contentious matters expert Catherine Pedler and project finance specialist associate Marina Tinning are standout practitioners in the team.

Tracey Greenaway, who joined the firm in Perth in June 2022 from Allens, leads the team at Corrs Chambers Westgarth. Greenaway bolsters the group’s oil and gas sector knowledge and strength advising international and domestic oil and gas majors on M&A matters. Other additions to the team include Adam Stapledon, James Abbott and Simon Huxley from A&O Shearman in July 2022. Anthony Lepere is a key name to note in corporate and project development work, with an emphasis on complex, cross-border M&A. The group often works on high-value transactions such as a major iron ore joint ventures, as well as cross-border transactions, regularly collaborating with the firm's Papua New Guinea office.

Practitioners at Herbert Smith Freehills LLP often work on the full life cycle of high-value and complex deals in the energy market, in particular within the mining sector. This includes acting for IGO Limited in a billion-dollar deal which occurred amid significant volatility in nickel prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Nick Baker, who acts as head of energy for Australia, leads the team alongside Jay Leary, who is global head of mining. Mark Hatfull was promoted to partner in May 2022 and is a key figure in the team when it comes to oil and gas mandates. As co-head of the firm’s global infrastructure group, David Ryan is instrumental when it comes to energy matters with an infrastructure element to them. Sian Newnham is another key name to note.

King & Wood Mallesons’ natural resources team remains at the forefront of the energy transition in Australia, working on climate change and decarbonisation. Craig Rogers and Lorenzo Pacitti co-head the team from Brisbane and Perth respectively. Pacitti is the new head of the group’s mining sector, and managing partner Rogers is key for energy and infrastructure projects, which lends itself to the group’s work on multidisciplinary projects. Another key team member is Robert Edel, former practice head, who concentrates on project development and M&A in the mining, energy and infrastructure sectors and has been a prominent feature in the group’s many transactional matters, as well as in assisting mining companies which are now revisiting their M&A strategies as a result of climate change. Scott Langford has worked with some of the largest mining and resources companies in the country and Paul Schroder ‘is excellent at managing client expectations.’

The team at Clayton Utz excels in ‘balancing legal risks and business realities, based on knowledge and understanding on the industry and their good stock of precedents.’ The group has strong knowledge of the mining sector, assisting clients with mining projects across a range of commodities, including iron ore, coal, copper, gold, lithium, tungsten, rare earths, uranium and bauxite. Practice head Stuart MacGregor was heavily active in matters relating to the acquisition and disposal of mining assets for local and global corporates in 2022. On the regulatory side, Mark Geritz is a key name to note when it comes to mining, oil and gas, renewables and infrastructure matters. Brett Cohen is a standout lawyer in the team for renewable energy projects.

Gilbert + Tobin‘s expertise includes financing and hedging facilities, acquisitions, and a range of regulatory matters. Practice head Michael Blakiston is a specialist in mining and resources law and is well supported by associate Callum Fleming who has a strong track record of acting in capital markets transactions in the energy and resources as well as engineering and mining services sectors. Claire Boyd has a special interest in farm-in arrangements and joint ventures, and a range of corporate advisory matters. As a whole, the group has a strong knowledge of a range of commodities within the mining sector such as salt and uranium, as well as expertise in mining legislation and regulation.

MinterEllison demonstrates a ‘great depth of capability and ability to provide a full service across all areas’, including a range of acquisitions and divestment matters in the natural resources space. Among the ‘great partners and great senior associates’ is group head Simon Scott in Brisbane, who has a history of working on M&A matters and commercial matters in the natural resources arena, particularly mining. Bryn Davis has since departed the practice. The group works out of the firm’s offices across the country, including Adelaide and Darwin, emblematic of the group’s ability to provide clients with a national presence and strong knowledge of the local market.

A&O Shearman‘s large team, which is predominantly based in Perth and Sydney, stands out for its cross-border expertise. This is characterised by Meredith Campion, who as well as assisting Australian clients, has experience working on large projects and transactions in Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America. Former practice head Geoff Simpson retired in April 2023, and has been replaced by Matthew Johnson, who is the co-lead of the firm’s global mining sector. Goran Galic is an energy, resources and projects specialist, and is a go-to practitioner in the group for regulatory matters. Clients instructing the team include large clients active in the natural resources sector.

DLA Piper undertakes a large amount of work in the projects space and works in a range of industries including alternative and renewable energy, mining, oil & gas, power, water and waste. At the helm is specialist mining lawyer Alex Jones, who is commended for his ‘experience across all elements important to any new or existing natural resources project‘. Along with the rest of the team, Jones is also described as having ‘deep experience both in years and number of practitioners with practical knowledge in the natural resources field’. Elsewhere in the team, Joanne Steer is a key name to note for advising clients in the hard rock mining industry.

Standout recent mandates for the group at Johnson Winter Slattery include upstream oil and gas project development work, and downstream projects. Practice head Bruce Adkins is well known for his expertise in energy and resources, M&A and project development. The team also comprises Jee-Seon Lee, who has over 20 years’ energy and resources experience. Tom Barrett was promoted to special counsel in 2022 and is another name to note, often assisting energy clients with operational matters.

Jones Day is praised for its technical excellence and its 'market-leading expertise in respect of natural gas', which is a key strength of the team. Former practice head Andrew Smith retired in November, and subsequently Dan Howard took on the role of leading the ‘small but powerful team‘ out of the firm’s Brisbane office, bringing a significant amount of expertise in the areas of electricity, mining and infrastructure projects to the practice. Tony Wassaf is a key name to note for mining pipeline matters.

McCullough Robertson offers clients a strong national presence, operating in Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria. Their experience includes solar, hydro, wind, battery storage, and bioenergy projects. Senior commercial and corporate lawyer Damien Clarke and Kate Swain, who is a go-to practitioner for compliance and regulatory matters, jointly head up the team. Several of the group’s clients are large Australian as well as international energy companies. The group is also notable in its experience in the electricity sector.

At Norton Rose Fulbright, Lisa Koch in Sydney jointly leads the team together with Gavin Scott in Brisbane, whose work centres around mining and petroleum projects. The group is particularly active in critical minerals within the battery sector, as well as being heavily involved in deep-sea mining. The team adopts a multidisciplinary approach, and hosts a range of practice area expertise, including disputes and M&A transactions. Keira Brennan is a go-to practitioner in the team for joint ventures in the energy sector.

Referred to as ‘reliable, knowledgeable and responsive‘, Piper Alderman fields a national, cross-practice team which assists a variety of clients in the energy sector who are involved in natural resources, mining, and minerals. Practice co-heads are Josh Steele in Brisbane, a key contact for corporate matters, and projects and finance lawyer Martin Lovell. Former practice head Ashley Watson is instrumental in the team’s work in this space, in particular when it comes to gold exploration and mining, tenements, land access, and infrastructure matters.

John Tivey, Christopher Flynn, Joel Rennie, and Jared Muller are the quartet leading the White & Case team, which operates across all areas of energy, oil and gas, and mining projects, and often appears in international projects. Brendan Quinn has a strong project finance practice, which lends itself to energy projects or matters with a financial aspect to them. Emblematic of the team more widely, Flynn advises Australian and multinational companies on transactions and projects in an array of sectors including upstream and LNG.

John Mollard, the firm’s regional head of mining and resources, David Perks, co-regional head of natural resources, and Kym Livesley, regional head of energy, jointly lead the natural resources team at Dentons. Perks is referred to by one client as ‘an exceptional M&A and energy and resources lawyer’ who ‘consistently provides quality, commercial advice and is easy to work with.’ The group counts some large global energy pioneers amongst its clients.

Squire Patton Boggs‘ offering spans both coasts in Australia and meshes corporate and projects expertise with expertise in the renewables, oil and gas, LNG, hydrogen, CCS/CCUS, minerals, power and energy storage sectors. Key figures include corporate law experts Tony Chong in Perth and Michael Gajic in Sydney. The multidisciplinary group as a whole continues to grow its transport practice alongside its mining, energy and renewables work.