The Best Lawyers® in Australia, 2027 edition
16/04/2026
In the 2027 edition of The Best Lawyers® in Australia, a total of 66 of Piper Alderman’s lawyers have been recognised comprising of 53 Piper Alderman lawyers listed as a ‘Best Lawyer’, with a further 13 lawyers named in the ‘Ones to Watch’ list.
In terms of individual recognition, 2 Piper Alderman partners have been named ‘Lawyer of the Year’, an honour awarded to one outstanding lawyer per practice area across Australia.
- Partner Rod Jones has been named ‘Lawyer of the Year’ for ‘Wealth Management / Succession Planning Practice’, Adelaide
- Partner Ashley Watson has been named ‘Lawyer of the Year’ for ‘Mining Law’, Adelaide
Brisbane Partner, Josh Steele has been recognised for the first time in the 2027 edition as ‘Best Lawyer’ for ‘Mergers and Acquisitions Law’ and ‘Natural Resources Law’.
The firm has also been recognised in 53 areas of law across Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.
The full list of practice areas and recognised lawyers is listed below.
Agriculture and Rural Affairs
- Simon Venus – Adelaide
Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Tony Abbott – Adelaide
- Tom Griffith – Adelaide
- Nick Burkett – Brisbane
- Karyn Reardon – Brisbane
- Joanne Hardwick – Melbourne
- Cris Cureton – Sydney
- Anne Freeman – Sydney
- Hannah Veldre – Sydney – Ones to Watch
Asset Finance Law
- Martin Lovell – Adelaide
Banking and Finance Law
- Shannon Adams – Adelaide
- Mark Gordon – Adelaide
- Martin Lovell – Adelaide
Class Action Litigation
- Anne Freeman – Sydney
- Millie Byrnes Howe – Sydney–Ones to Watch
Commercial Law
- Mark Gordon – Adelaide
- Martin Lovell – Adelaide
- Simon Venus – Adelaide
- Ashley Watson – Adelaide
- Andrew Rankin – Brisbane
- Michael Coker – Melbourne
- Michael Lhuede– Melbourne
- James Macdonald – Melbourne
- Alasdair McLean – Melbourne
- Andrea Beatty – Sydney
- Liberty Privopoulos – Adelaide – Ones to Watch
- Travis Shueard – Adelaide – Ones to Watch
- Mareli Treurnicht – Perth – Ones to Watch
Competition Law
- Andrew Rankin – Brisbane
Construction / Infrastructure Law
- Martin Lovell – Adelaide
- Juniper Watson – Adelaide
- Karyn Reardon – Brisbane
- Geoff Emmett – Melbourne
- Cris Cureton – Sydney
- Brent Henderson – Sydney
- Shaun Clifford – Melbourne – Ones to Watch
Corporate / Governance Practice
- Shannon Adams – Adelaide
- Andrew Rankin – Brisbane
- Michael Coker – Melbourne
- James Macdonald – Melbourne
Corporate Law
- James Dickson – Adelaide
- Mark Gordon – Adelaide
- Martin Lovell – Adelaide
- Simon Venus – Adelaide
- Andrew Rankin – Brisbane
- Alastair Macphee – Melbourne
- Alasdair McLean – Melbourne
- Hugh Scales – Melbourne
- Wally McDonald – Sydney
- Hannah Guest – Adelaide – Ones to Watch
Debt Capital Markets Law
- Martin Lovell – Adelaide
Education Law
- Erin McCarthy – Adelaide
- Michael Coker – Melbourne
- Chris Hartigan – Melbourne
Employee Benefits Law
- Chris Hartigan – Melbourne
Energy Law
- Martin Lovell – Adelaide
Equipment Finance Law
- Martin Lovell – Adelaide
Equity Capital Markets Law
- Campbell Davidson – Sydney
- Mark Williamson – Sydney
Ethics and Professional Responsibility Practice
- Nick Burkett – Brisbane
Financial Institutions
- Andrea Beatty – Sydney
Funds Management
- Michael Coker – Melbourne
Government Practice
- Wally McDonald – Sydney
Health and Aged Care Law
- Andrew Rankin – Brisbane
- Lis Boyce – Sydney
- Tim Capelin – Sydney
Hospitality and Tourism Law
- Jonathan Dodd – Adelaide
Human Rights Law
- Emily Haar – Adelaide
- Erin McCarthy – Adelaide
- Chris Hartigan – Melbourne
- Shane Entriken – Perth
- Ben Motro – Sydney
Information Technology Law
- Tim Clark – Melbourne
- Richard W. Horton – Sydney
Insolvency and Reorganization Law
- Louise Gehrig – Melbourne
- Joanne Hardwick – Melbourne
- Michael Lhuede – Melbourne
- Stephen Kyrou – Melbourne – Ones to Watch
Insurance Law
- Nick Burkett – Brisbane
- Greg Whyte – Brisbane
Intellectual Property Law
- Tim O’Callaghan – Adelaide
- Tim Clark – Melbourne
- Travis Shueard – Adelaide – Ones to Watch
Labour and Employment Law
- Emily Haar – Adelaide
- Erin McCarthy – Adelaide
- Chris Hartigan – Melbourne
- Tim Lange – Melbourne
- Tim Capelin – Sydney
- Andrew Jonklaas – Perth – Ones to Watch
Leasing Law
- Tony Britten-Jones – Adelaide
- Jonathan Dodd – Adelaide
- Warren Denny – Brisbane
- Catherine Wheeler – Perth
- Lauren Abbott – Brisbane – Ones to Watch
- Janet Wong – Melbourne – Ones to Watch
Legal Malpractice Litigation
- Nick Burkett – Brisbane
Life Sciences Practice
- Lis Boyce – Sydney
Litigation
- Tony Abbott – Adelaide
- Juniper Watson – Adelaide
- Nick Burkett – Brisbane
- Karyn Reardon – Brisbane
- Joanne Hardwick – Melbourne
- Michael Lhuede – Melbourne
- Meriel Steadman – Perth
- Cris Cureton – Sydney
- David Starkoff – Sydney
- Travis Shueard – Adelaide – Ones to Watch
- Stephen Kyrou – Melbourne – Ones to Watch
- Sian Ede – Sydney – Ones to Watch
- Hannah Veldre – Sydney – Ones to Watch
Mergers and Acquisitions Law
- Simon Venus – Adelaide
- Andrew Rankin – Brisbane
- Josh Steele – Brisbane
- James Macdonald – Melbourne
- Alasdair McLean – Melbourne
- Wally McDonald – Sydney
- Mark Williamson – Sydney
- Samuel Blight – Sydney – Ones to Watch
Mining Law
- Ashley Watson – Adelaide
- Katie Winterbourne – Perth
Native Title Law
- Ashley Watson – Adelaide
Natural Resources Law
- Martin Lovell – Adelaide
- Ashley Watson – Adelaide
- Josh Steele – Brisbane
- Katie Winterbourne – Perth
Non-Profit / Charities Law
- Donna Benge – Adelaide
- Andrew Rankin – Brisbane
Occupational Health and Safety Law
- Emily Haar – Adelaide
- Erin McCarthy – Adelaide
- Chris Hartigan – Melbourne
- Tim Lange – Melbourne
Oil and Gas Law
- Martin Lovell – Adelaide
- Ashley Watson – Adelaide
Planning and Environmental Law
- Ashley Watson – Adelaide
- Katie Winterbourne – Perth
Privacy and Data Security Law
- Tim Clark – Melbourne
- Andrea Beatty – Sydney
Private Equity Law
- James Macdonald – Melbourne
Professional Malpractice Litigation
- Nick Burkett – Brisbane
Project Finance and Development Practice
- Martin Lovell – Adelaide
Real Property Law
- Tony Britten-Jones – Adelaide
- Warren Denny – Brisbane
- Peter Nugent – Brisbane
- Catherine Wheeler – Perth
- Marcus Andrews – Sydney
- Lauren Abbott – Brisbane – Ones to Watch
- Janet Wong – Melbourne – Ones to Watch
Regulatory Practice
- Andrea Beatty – Sydney
Structured Finance Law
- Martin Lovell – Adelaide
Tax Law
- Megan Bishop – Melbourne
Trade Law
- Tony Abbott – Adelaide
Trusts and Estates
- Rod Jones – Adelaide
- Samuel Morphett – Adelaide – Ones to Watch
Venture Capital Law
- James Macdonald – Melbourne
Water Law
- Katie Winterbourne – Perth
Wealth Management / Succession Planning Practice
- Donna Benge – Adelaide
- Rod Jones – Adelaide