Firm Profile
Holman Webb, established in 1960, is a dedicated commercial and insurance law firm with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide.

The common thread across all our practice groups are partner led teams of experienced specialists that are accessible, available and responsive. Many of our lawyers have received accolades and awards including the Australian Law Awards, Best Lawyers International, Chambers 500, Australasian Legal Business, Australian Financial Review, Who’s Who Legal and Corporate INTL.

Our clients operate in a range of Australian industry sectors throughout the country and include major national and multi-national corporations, medium enterprises, not-for-profits and Commonwealth and State Government departments.

With over 60% of our lawyers having held senior in-house roles in Australia’s largest corporations, we provide unmatched business acumen when providing advice to our clients. We take the time to understand our client’s business, organisational culture, strategic alliances and management objectives.

News
June 2018: John Wakefield of Australia (Sydney) member firm Holman Webb was recently named Australian Arbitrator of the Year by Australasian Law Awards 2018. Mr. Wakefield is chairman of the firm and also heads its dispute resolution group in Sydney. He is a fellow and past president of the Australian branch of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a fellow of the Australian Center for International Commercial Arbitration. He is also a member of the arbitration panel of the Kuala Lumpur Regional Center for Arbitration. Mr. Wakefield last year was elected to the board of trustees of CIArb as its Australasia member. Since 2016 he has been chairman of the board of the Australian Disputes Center. Also at Holman Webb, the firm has bolstered its property and construction practices with the merger of boutique Sydney law firm Bruce and Stewart, which brings over three decades of combined experience in the areas of property, construction, land subdivision, joint ventures, corporate advisory, airport regulation and airport development work.

May 2018: Australian member firm Holman Webb has been nominated in the following categories for the Australasian Law Awards 2018: Law Firm of the Year (1-100 lawyers); Insurance Specialist Firm of the Year; Australasian Arbitrator of the Year – John Wakefield; and Law Firm Leader of the Year (≤ 200 lawyers) – Greg Malakou. These awards are conferred upon those leading firms and in-house teams whose achievements over the past 12 months exemplify excellence in the legal profession. Also at Holman Webb, two of the firm’s partners are finalists for 2018 Law Partner of the Year Awards. They are Alison Choy Flannigan, for Health Partner of the Year, and John Van de Poll, for Insurance Partner of the Year.

February 2018: Australia recently announced the formation of a Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry, Sydney member firm Holman Webb reports. Calls for a Royal Commission have grown in the last three years, particularly following a Senate inquiry into allegations of financial planning irregularities in parts of the banking industry. In announcing the formation of the Royal Commission, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said, “Most Australians are consumers of banking and financial services, and we all have the right to be treated honestly and fairly by banking and financial services providers.” The Royal Commission’s jurisdiction will extend to Australian banks, wealth managers, superannuation providers, and insurance companies. For more information regarding the Royal Commission and its work, contact Holman Webb partner Shane Roberts at shane.roberts@holmanwebb.com.au or senior associate Callun Blurton at callun.blurton@holmanwebb.com.au.