As one of Australia's leading single office firms, Henry Davis York prides itself on doing things differently, whether it be its strong focus on people, culture and organic growth, its decision to practice from Sydney only or its specialist banking and financial services practice. With nearly 200 lawyers, 45 of whom are partners, HDY's clients include some of Australia's leading corporations and government and government-related organisations.
Servicing national needs from a single office
Unlike most full service corporate firms in Australia, HDY has made a conscious decision to service all clients from a single office in Sydney. "We decided that we would be different and not follow the pack," HDY's Managing Partner Stephen Purcell says. "Our approach has obvious benefits in terms of a unified culture and consistency of service and quality."
"We do not see a need for a physical presence in every state. We have developed proven methods for managing - and exceeding - client expectations from one office. While not always immediately thought of as a firm with national capabilities, we have a blue-chip client base including several large clients whose head office is in another state."
There are many recent examples of HDY's national work, one of the more complex being last year, when HDY acted for Eureka Funds Management Limited as trustee for Alternative Investment (Hotel) and New Zealand Private Syndicate in its acquisition of nine hotels across Australia and New Zealand from the InterContinental Hotel Group. The transaction involved the acquisition of the nine companies and seven trusts in which the hotels were held.
Director of Eureka Funds Management, Kumar Kalyanakumar said, "HDY's ability to understand the competitive nature of the transaction and our risk tolerance and assist us in structuring the deal covering many areas such as taxation, debt financing and transactional matters, greatly assisted our success on this transaction."
Financial services and insolvency specialists
Going against the trend in more ways than one, HDY's banking, restructuring and insolvency team has grown its market share and the depth and breadth of its practice in what is undoubtedly one of the quietest times in this country's insolvency market. "HDY's Banking, Restructuring and Insolvency Group continues to be a cornerstone of our business," Purcell commented.
The firm is performing lead roles in significant ongoing complex insolvencies, most of which are conducted on a national scale, including Fincorp, BettaElectrical, Retravision, Autogroup, HIH, Republic of Nauru, KingBros and New Cap Re. HDY is the only firm on the panel of each of the top six Australian banks and recently received the award for 'Best Insolvency Practice' at the Australian Law Awards.
Good people are worth investing in
Not only does HDY buck the national trend of multiple office law firms - it has received the highest ranking of any law firm and for the 3rd year has been ranked in the top 10 of nearly 300 organisations for the implementation of work/life strategies. This recognises the real investment in people and processes at all levels of the firm with policies ranging from Flexible Work Options to the active promotion of sensible working hours. "It has been a long term business goal for Henry Davis York to achieve recognition as 'Employer of Choice' and ensure we provide a flexible and family friendly work environment for staff," Purcell states.
Staff and clients alike often comment on the impact of these values and the unique culture at HDY. While the firm plays alongside the toughest of competitors, it is set apart by its focus, friendly and down to earth nature, the accessibility of its partners and its client service standards.
Results for clients
As testament to HDY's decision to focus resources and service clients from one office, the last 12 months have brought a host of significant client endorsement - including panel appointments, industry awards and involvement in major matters. A selection of these include advising Principal Healthcare on the acquisition of 39 aged care homes around Australia from Moran Health Care Group, advising the Mine Manager on matters relating to the high profile Beaconsfield inquest, advising a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (a Fortune 500 company) to successfully resolve an urgent dispute claim over mineral off-take arrangements and exclusively advising on the establishment of FEX, a new energy and futures exchange, the first of its kind in Australia.
"For many firms success is about growing in size and maximising profits. While financial performance is important at HDY, it is not our only focus. Looking forward, our focus will continue to be on contributing to the success of our clients, looking after our staff and hopefully maintaining balance along the way."