Martin Lovell
Deputy Managing Partner
Adelaide
Profile
Martin is one of Australia’s leading energy, infrastructure and projects lawyers, national head of the firm’s Projects, Infrastructure & Construction practice and co-head of its Energy & Resources team. He is recognised as a Leading Partner for Energy by Legal 500, ranked by Chambers Asia-Pacific for Energy & Natural Resources, and named Best Lawyers Lawyer of the Year for Project Finance and Development Law in Adelaide.
Martin advises infrastructure investors, developers, government, contractors and financial institutions on the transactional, financing, regulatory and delivery aspects of major projects across the energy, transport, defence and resources sectors. His practice spans the full project lifecycle, from regulatory strategy and project structuring through to financing, procurement, construction and project delivery under models including EPC, D&C and alliancing.
Martin takes an integrated approach to major projects, bringing together project structuring, finance and project delivery so that the lawyers negotiating project documents understand their bankability and risk-allocation implications. This enables clients to address the commercial, financing and delivery elements of a project as an integrated whole rather than coordinating separate legal workstreams. The approach is particularly relevant to Australia’s energy transition, where new generation, storage and transmission infrastructure requires an understanding of both project delivery and financing structures.
Martin has led the Piper Alderman team on some of Australia’s most significant infrastructure mandates, including advising ElectraNet on the $2.28bn SA–NSW Interconnector (Project EnergyConnect) and advising Hitachi Rail on ETCS rail technology for Queensland’s Cross River Rail network. His broader project experience includes major transport, defence, water and data centre infrastructure as well as hydrogen and grid-scale battery storage projects, including Piper Alderman’s role on the $15.4bn Torrens to Darlington project. He also advises on joint ventures, offtake agreements, consortium arrangements and other complex project-related transactions.
Martin advises sponsors and financial institutions on project finance, structured finance and secured lending, with his financing expertise directly integrated with his projects practice.
He holds a Master of Law with first class honours from the University of Cambridge.
“Martin Lovell is the lawyer I ring when I have a bet-the-house judgement call to make. He is commercial, has a great gut instinct, understands the competitive tensions, and understands the business. When I need to emphasise a point internally, I add Martin’s name into the conversation.”
— The Legal 500 Asia-Pacific: Infrastructure Projects and Construction
Expertise
Recognition
Martin was recognised as a Ranked Individual (Band 4) in the Chambers Asia Pacific Guide: Energy & Natural Resources: Utilities, 2025 edition “Martin Lovell is a talented and responsive legal adviser and expert in his field.”
Martin Lovell is the lawyer I ring when I have a bet-the-house judgement call to make. He is commercial, has a great gut instinct, understands the competitive tensions, and understands the business. When I need to emphasise a point internally, I add Martin’s name into the conversation.
The Legal 500 Asia-Pacific: Infrastructure Projects and Construction
The team are strongly led by Martin Lovell – whenever challenged we always feel we have the best negotiator in the room. He has a balanced, non-threatening approach which nearly always ends in a win-win scenario.
The Legal 500 Asia-Pacific: Energy (transactions and regulatory)
Martin provides concise, timely and practical advice on complex matters and this is invaluable to our business.
Chambers Asia Pacific Guide: Energy & Natural Resources: Utilities
Martin Lovell is an excellent lawyer, incredible hardworking, commercially astute and a market leader in the Energy sector, not just in South Australia, but Australia wide. He really takes the time to understand the business and to deliver high quality outcomes.
The Legal 500 Asia-Pacific
Martin has been recognised in Chambers and Partners Asia-Pacific where he was described as “an excellent communicator [who is] able to distil complex issues into clear, simple advice” and in the IFLR 1000 as “highly professional, diligent and practical.” In the 2020 edition of the Legal 500 Asia Pacific, Martin is described as a ‘magic circle quality’ lawyer.
Accolades
Chambers & Partners
- Asia Pacific Guide – Energy & Natural Resources: Utilities – Band 4, since 2023 edition
- Global Guide – Energy & Natural Resources: Utilities – Band 4, since 2025 edition
The Legal 500
- The Legal 500 Asia Pacific: Australia – Leading Partner for Energy (transactions and regulatory) – 2026 edition
- The Legal 500 Asia Pacific: Australia – Leading Lawyer for Energy (transactions and regulatory) – 2025 edition
- The Legal 500 Asia Pacific: Australia – Recommended for Infrastructure Projects and Construction – since 2020 edition
- The Legal 500 Asia Pacific: Australia – Recommended for Energy (transactions and regulatory) – since 2020 edition
Best Lawyers
- Best Lawyers in Australia – ‘Lawyer of the Year’ for Project Finance and Development Law (Adelaide, AU) – 2020 & 2026 editions | Recognised since 2014 edition
- Best Lawyers in Australia – ‘Lawyer of the Year’ for Commercial Law (Adelaide, AU) – 2020 edition | Recognised since 2019 edition
- Best Lawyers in Australia – Recognised for Asset Finance Law (Adelaide, AU) – Since 2025 edition
- Best Lawyers in Australia – Recognised for Construction / Infrastructure Law (Adelaide, AU) – Since 2023 edition
- Best Lawyers in Australia – Recognised for Corporate Law (Adelaide, AU) – Since 2025 edition
- Best Lawyers in Australia – Recognised for Debt Capital Markets Law (Adelaide, AU) – Since 2025 edition
- Best Lawyers in Australia – Recognised for Energy Law (Adelaide, AU) – Since 2025 edition
- Best Lawyers in Australia – Recognised for Equipment Finance Law (Adelaide, AU) – Since 2026 edition
- Best Lawyers in Australia – Recognised for Natural Resources Law (Adelaide, AU) – 2025 edition
- Best Lawyers in Australia – Recognised for Structured Finance Law (Adelaide, AU) – Since 2014 edition
Doyle’s Guide
Memberships
- Australian Institute of Energy (AIE)
- Banking & Financial Services Law Association (BFLSA)
- Law Council of Australia – Financial Services Committee and PPSA Sub-Committee
- SACOME Infrastructure Committee
- Flinders University of South Australia, Adjunct Lecturer
- University of Adelaide, GDLP Lecturer
