Minter Ellison's South Australian and Northern Territory offices respond to clients' needs through innovative and practical client focused solutions

Minter Ellison's Adelaide and Darwin offices have undergone a dramatic transformation over the past five years to become recognised for their innovative differentiation strategy - a strategy based on providing state-of-the art, technology leveraged solutions to clients.

Minter Ellison is the largest firm in Adelaide with a total complement of 280 staff including the Darwin office which has tripled in size over the last three years. Operating as one partnership across South Australia and the Northern Territory, Minter Ellison has 40 partners and 160 fee-earners across both offices. the firm is also part of the wider Minter Ellison legal group, which is one of the largest full-service law firms in the asia pacific region.

Central to the firm's success in recent years is the dynamic team of partners and staff led by chief executive partner, Nigel McBride, who joined the Adelaide office from Minter Ellison Perth in 2000. the firm attracts the lion's share of Adelaide's premium work across M&A, private equity, energy and resources, financial services, media, employment, insolvency, property and environment, insurance and corporate risk and commercial litigation. When asked about the firm's growth strategy, McBride said, "recently we were described as having been 'transformed from one of Adelaide's more staid law firms into a radical, risk taking operation now recognised as leading the nation in legal business innovation' - it doesn't get more compelling than that," he says.

"We're proud of our reputation for innovation and an internal culture that drives excellence."

"When we talk about innovation, we look at it from a 'whole of firm' perspective - from technology platforms tailored to our clients' needs, to staff retention strategies, and even to the award winning fit-out of our new premises," McBride says.

The strategy has already led to results with Minter Ellison being appointed the SA Workcover Corporation's sole legal provider in July 2005, taking over the work previously handled by eight other law firms.

"Minter Ellison achieved this by making a fixed price commitment, which meant partnering and risk sharing with the corporation to achieve a saving of around a$30 million in legal costs over five years," McBride explains.

In addition to a saving in legal costs, Workcover CEO, Julia Davison commented in November 2007 that Minter Ellison has "worked closely with me and my senior management team to not only consistently meet and exceed comprehensive contractual KPIS, but to constantly seek to improve the scheme's outcomes as a whole."

According to McBride, the Workcover appointment has led to technology based solutions for a range of corporate and public sector clients, including ray White, one of the four major Australian banks and Housing SA in the management of the South Australian Housing Trust property assets.

The success of the firm's technology leveraged platforms has led to the establishment of 'liift pty ltd', a company that's dedicated to the further development of smart platforms across areas from risk management to claims and incident management.

The firm's innovative approach also extends to its staff retention strategies. as the current chairman of SA Great, McBride is passionate about attracting and keeping the country's best young professionals in South Australia. McBride explains: "The 'brain drain' out of Adelaide and the global war for talent is a reality for South Australian employers, and unless we take innovative steps we are going to continue to lose people."

Last year Minter Ellison's Business Development Manager in Adelaide took part in an exchange program that saw her spend three months at Deloitte's global head office in New York. This pilot program was established to provide key members of staff with the opportunity to experience a new culture and a global work environment while committing to return to the firm and share their learnings in SA.

The firm has also been recognised for its innovative approach to pro bono and community initiatives. last year, Minter Ellison received an AbaF 'Good Practice Recognition' award for its partnership with the Adelaide Cabaret Festival. It was also the recipient of the SA Premier's Business Volunteering Award and an Australian Civic Trust Commendation for its involvement with the Housing Legal Clinic in South Australia.

This particular program included running a campaign to assist the homeless of South Australia to vote in the 2007 Federal Election. The firm is also highly regarded for its pro bono work with arts organisations such as the 2008 Adelaide Bank Festival of Arts.

As Adelaide is increasingly recognised as Australia's 'Boston' or 'Dublin', Adelaide's leading law firm is also challenging traditional boundaries to deliver innovative and value driven client solutions that are attracting national and international attention.

For more information on Minter Ellison please call  08 8233 5555  or visit www.minterellison.com