Making partner is the ultimate recognition of a lawyer’s skills – the culmination of years, sometimes decades, of dedication and effort. From starry-eyed graduates grappling with their first role to senior associates pulling all-nighters, the goal of partnership can often provide that extra motivation to push through.

Yet while many see partnership as an end in itself, for most lawyers this is when their careers truly take off. The opportunity to manage teams and take responsibility for trusted clients comes with a new set of challenges. Suddenly decisions can have billion-dollar consequences, with partners making judgment calls that make or break the deal.

For those who thrive in this environment, the benefits flow freely. Certainly the remuneration is attractive, as well as the perks that come along with seniority. Yet the rewards can go deeper than the hip pocket. Taking on a complex matter, and successfully completing it, delivers a special brand of personal satisfaction.

Partners are often responsible for the kind of legal analysis that creates new precedents, pushing the law in novel directions. Commercially minded lawyers can be key strategic advisers to a business, taking an active role in its growth. For partners working with clients on personal matters, their advice often goes to the root of a client’s work or family life.

Senior lawyers take on a duty to uphold and maintain the rule of law. Beyond achieving the best result for their client, partners are responsible for keeping our markets, institutions and wider society operating within the bounds of the legal system.

The sacrifices involved in partnership are not insignificant. Lawyers, especially at senior levels, continue to work some of the longest hours of any profession. Technology has created an opportunity to work more flexibly – but has also allowed work responsibilities to creep into nights at home and family holidays.

At Lawyers Weekly, we recognise the efforts of these partners and their wider contributions to the legal profession. Whether advising a client through an emotionally fraught divorce, negotiating a high-value insurance claim or sealing a billion-dollar merger, partners have achieved some outstanding results in 2015 – and we wanted to celebrate them!

The Partner of the Year Awards were an opportunity to applaud some of Australia’s most talented lawyers across a wide range of practice areas.

More than 400 people came together to celebrate the 152 finalists from firms across the country. The finalists reflect the diversity of the Australian legal profession, hailing from major global firms, mid-sized players and boutiques alike.

The winners are some of Australia’s most notable partners, the true movers and shakers of the legal sector. Lawyers Weekly offers a hearty congratulations to all the finalists, as well as the winners who were ultimately successful on the night.

Winners:

Banking and Finance: Berkeley Cox, King & Wood Mallesons

Mr Cox is the national managing partner for the firm’s financial services team, as well as its banking and finance and project and real estate practice teams. He has championed the firm’s fintech strategy, demonstrated by his team’s work on the creation of an Australian New Payments Platform with the Australian Payments Clearing Association.

Commercial: Dr Martyn Taylor, Norton Rose Fulbright

Dr Taylor was the only partner to win two awards on the night, demonstrating his wide-ranging practice expertise. In the commercial category, he secured merger clearances for a number of megadeals worth tens of billions. As an example, he advised on the $33 billion GSK/Novartise/Lily global asset swap.

Competition, Trade and Regulation: Luke Woodward, Gilbert + Tobin

Mr Woodward heads up the firm’s competition and regulation group and is based in Sydney. He specialises in ACCC acquisition and merger clearances, investigations and prosecutions and infrastructure regulation. Prior to joining the firm, he held roles at the ACCC as general counsel and executive general manager, compliance division.

Construction and Infrastructure: Sandra Steele, K&L Gates

Ms Steele, who is based in the firm’s Sydney office, has more than 20 years’ experience advising on contentious and non-contentious construction law matters. She is also an accredited adjudicator with the Institute of Arbitrators & Mediators Australia and has spent seven years as the national president of the National Association of Women in Construction in Australia.

Dispute Resolution and Litigation: Jason Betts, Herbert Smith Freehills

Mr Betts is a partner in the Australian commercial litigation practice, as well as one of the architects of the firm’s class actions practice. He has been active in class actions in Australia, including advising on the defence of Newcrest mining against a shareholder class action.

Family Law: Mark Parker, Lander & Rogers

Mr Parker is the national practice group leader of the firm’s family and relationship law team, as well as a member of the board. His practice focuses on property disputes, both domestically and in overseas jurisdictions, including Singapore, Hong Kong and Europe. Under his leadership, the practice group has expanded to Sydney.

Financial Services: Michelle Levy, Allens

Ms Levy is a partner in the firm’s Sydney practice, specialising in superannuation, life insurance, distribution and financial services law. Over the past year, she has acted for one of Australia’s largest banks on new product development and assisted high-profile clients with regulatory investigations.

Government: Eleanor Scott, Macdonnells Law

A recently appointed partner, Ms Scott has quickly come to lead the firm’s government team. With a focus on local government advisory, she has substantially expanded the firm’s client base. She also spearheaded the creation of a mining and resources practice area to diversify its service offering.

Health: Dr Teresa Nicoletti, Piper Alderman

Ms Nicoletti is a lawyer and a scientist who heads up Piper Alderman’s national health and life sciences practice. One of her key focuses over the past year has been the legalisation of medicinal cannabis, both in advising commercial enterprises wishing to operate in this space and undertaking advocacy work.

Insolvency: Amanda Banton, Squire Patton Boggs

An experiences litigator, Ms Banton leads the firm’s restructuring and insolvency practice group in the Asia-Pacific region. A recent career highlight included leading a successful Federal Court class action on behalf of local councils against a number of entities, including global investment bank ABN Amro and ratings agency Standard & Poor’s.

Insurance: John Van De Poll, Holman Webb

Mr Van De Poll is a litigator heading up the firm’s national insurance practice, including as head of its recoveries team and co-lead of the litigation group. As an accredited specialist in commercial litigation, he has lead teams on a number of precedent-setting matters in the insurance sector.

Intellectual Property: Shannon Platt, Sparke Helmore

Ms Platt leads the firm’s corporate group, and is the national line leader of the intellectual property and technology teams. She was the founding member of the intellectual property practice at the firm and has more than 25 years’ experience in patent, trademark, copyright and design disputes, both in Australia and overseas.

Mergers and Acquisitions: Philippa Stone, Herbert Smith Freehills

Operating out of the Sydney office, Ms Stone is a joint head of the firm’s equity capital markets team. In the past 12 months, she has advised on two of Australia’s largest M&A deals: the proposed $8.9 billion acquisition of Asciano, which is underway, and the $10.258 billion acquisition of TransGrid.

Migration: Rita Chowdhury, Withers SBL

Ms Chowdhury has 20 years’ experience in immigration law, with previous roles at the Department of Immigration and at the Australian High Commission in London. She established the Australian arm of international firm Withers SBL in 2014, and acts as the Sydney office managing director.

Planning and Environment: Carolyn Salam, MinterEllison

Ms Salam is a partner in the firm’s Gold Coast office, making her the only winner based outside of a capital city. She has advised a number of local governments in the region on large-scale developments, as well as private entities in relation to environmental management of major infrastructure projects.

Pro bono: Michael Anglin, Salvos Legal Humanitarian

Mr Anglin is a partner specialising in humanitarian law, having joined Salvos Legal in 2012 after four years with the Commonwealth government. He manages the practice in Goodna, Queensland, assisting with insurance claims relating to the 2011 Brisbane floods as well as criminal and family matters, debt, housing, social security and migration/refugee law.

Projects, Energy and Resources: Tanya Denning, Ashurst

Ms Denning is the head of the energy and resources practice in Ashurst’s Melbourne office. She was managing partner of the firm’s Adelaide office from 2011 to 2014. Over the past year, she has advised on several of the highest-profile deals in the resources sector, including the expansion of the Olympic Dam mine by BHP Billiton.

Real Estate: Nikki Robinson, Clayton Utz

Ms Robinson is the national practice group partner for the firm’s real estate team and is based in Sydney. She has been a key adviser on a number of significant and complex property transactions, with a particular expertise in urban renewal, including the landmark Barangarooo project valued at more than $7 billion.

Taxation: Michael Clough, King & Wood Mallesons

A lawyer with 35 years’ experience, Mr Clough operates out of the firm’s Melbourne office with a specialisation in income tax issues. He has advised on a number of taxation disputes, including the landmark billion-dollar Chevron Australia matter, the first case on Australia’s new transfer pricing provisions.

Technology, Media and Communications: Dr Martyn Taylor, Norton Rose Fulbright

Dr Taylor heads up the firm’s telecommunications group and co-heads the rail group in the Asia-Pacific region. He was recognised for his work on a number of matters, including the $20 billion telecoms network deployment in Myanmar and the $2.2 billion acquisition of Crown Castle Australia by Macquarie Group.

Workplace Relations: Jennifer Wyborn, Clayton Utz

An accredited specialist in employment and industrial relations, Ms Wyborn is a partner in the firm’s Canberra office. Her clients include large government departments such as the Department of Defence, the ATO and the Department of Social Services, as well as tertiary institutions and private sector entities.