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Thomson Geer
Thomson Geer
Headquarters1 O'Connell Street
Sydney, Australia
No. of offices4
Major practice areasFull service commercial law
Key peopleAdrian Tembel (CEO)
Revenue $135 million
Date founded2014 (by merger)
Company typePartnership
Websitewww.tglaw.com.au

Thomson Geer is a independent Australian commercial law firm headquartered in Sydney, Australia. Its predecessor firms included Thomsons Lawyers and Herbert Geer. The firm operates a full commercial law service as a fully integrated national firm with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide. It is one of the top ten firms in the country by revenue, and the seventh largest firm in Australia by headcount.

History

Rialto Towers, Thomson Geer’s Melbourne office

Thomson Geer was formed on 31 March 2014 as a combination of two mid-tier Australian practices, Thomson Lawyers and Herbert Geer. The result was a firm with annual revenue in excess of $120 million, and the seventh largest firm in Australia by headcount.

Herbert Geer

Waterfront Place, Brisbane, Thomson Geer’s Brisbane offices

The law firm of Herbert Geer was founded on 26 January 1939 when Keith Geer commenced his sole practice in Bank Place, off Collins Street, Melbourne. After the disruption of the Second World War, Keith Geer resumed his practice and was joined in 1946 by Geoffrey Herbert, who continued to operate from his office in Black Rock.

The firm was known as Herbert & Geer and was largely a conveyancing practice. In 1950 the partnership expanded further with the addition of Eric Rundle and in 1960 it assumed the name, Herbert Geer & Rundle. In 1962 the Melbourne office relocated to 113 William Street, taking with it a total of ten partners and staff and three residents in the office at Black Rock. At about this time the firm purchased an office in Niddrie at the request of the Bank of New South Wales, for professional expansion in this area. This office was sold in 1988. Between 1962 and 1970, three small practices were absorbed into Herbert Geer & Rundle; Farmer & Ramsay, Williams & Matthews and the office of Cyril Brooks. Many clients from these three firms are still associated with the firm today.

The firm achieved publicity in the early 1970s by handling the defendant’s litigation for all workers' compensation claims arising from the Westgate bridge collapse. Further office relocations occurred with moves to Owen Dixon Chambers and BHP House before arriving at the State Bank Building in 1983 when the firm had 12 partners and 110 staff. In April 1999, Herbert Geer & Rundle opened a Sydney office and expanded to Brisbane in early 2001.

In 2008 the firm rebranded as Herbert Geer. At the same time it joined with Brisbane firm Nicol Robinson Halletts Lawyers, as well as the boutique construction firm RDK in Sydney.

Herbert Geer acted for iiNet Limited, an Australian ISP, in its defence of a landmark Federal Court claim and subsequent appeal brought by a group of major film studios alleging that iiNet had authorised copyright infringements by its subscribers, and in successfully arguing the matter of Kirk v Industrial Relations Commission in the High Court.

Thomsons Lawyers

Thomsons Lawyers was an incarnation of a number of prominent boutique firms throughout Australia that merged throughout the 20th Century, and traces its origins to the 1880s. Its predecessor firms in Sydney were Cowley Hearne, a North Sydney-based boutique founded in the 1960s, which later became Thomson Playford, a firm with roots in Adelaide dating back to the 1880s. Thomson Playford merged with CBD boutique, Cutler, Hughes & Harris in 2008, and became Thomsons Lawyers. Prior to the 2014 merger with Herbert Geer, Thomsons experienced significant growth since 2009, with revenue and average profit per partner, tripling.

Clients

Clients of Thomson Geer include McDonalds, Origin Energy, Mercedes Benz, Mobil and Goodman Fielder. The firm’s ASX listed clients stands at 12, as of 2014

Significant Legal Work

In 2015, Thomson Geer defended iiNet and other ISPs such as Telstra and Optus in a case brought in the Federal Court of Australia by Dallas Buyers Club for breach of copyright laws. The case set legal precedence in Australia, whereby copyright holders can gain access to the details of internet users who illegally obtain their copyright material. This will lead to individuals in breach of copyright be liable to damages by copyright holders. Thomson Geer successfully argued that any damages must only be compensatory and not exemplary, like in the United States.

Offices

Thomson Geer has 4 offices across Australia. The firm is headquartered in Sydney, on 1 O'Connell Street. The Melbourne office is located at Rialto Towers on 525 Collins Street, the Brisbane office is in Waterfront Place and the Adelaide office is on 19 Gouger Street.

Main practice areas

  • Banking & Finance
  • Competition & Regulation
  • Construction & Projects
  • Corporate & Advisory
  • Environment & Planning
  • Insurance
  • Intellectual Property
  • Litigation & Dispute Resolution
  • Mergers & Acquisitions
  • Property
  • Restructuring & Insolvency
  • Superannuation & Wealth Management
  • Tax
  • Technology

References

  1. "Here to win: Thomson Geer". Australasianlawyer.com.au. 4 August 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  2. "Exclusive: Herbert Geer and HWL Ebsworth had merger talks". Lawyersweekly.com.au. 14 February 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  3. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/legal-affairs/merger-to-create-120m-firm/story-e6frg97x-1226826478524
  4. ^ http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/legal-affairs/merger-to-create-120m-firm/story-e6frg97x-1226826478524
  5. ^ Feb 14 2014 at 12:15 AM (14 February 2014). "Thomsons and Herbert Geer merger focuses on mid-level". afr.com. Retrieved 26 September 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Kriegler, Yun (13 February 2014). "Australian mid-market firms merge to form Thomson Geer | News". The Lawyer. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  7. ^ "Media - Thomsons Lawyers announces merger with Herbert Geer". Tglaw.com.au. 13 February 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  8. ^ "Exclusive: Herbert Geer and HWL Ebsworth had merger talks". Lawyersweekly.com.au. 14 February 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  9. "Thomsons Lawyers and Herbert Geer Merge to Form a New Independent Law Firm". Top50lawfirms.com.au. 31 March 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  10. ^ Alex Boxsell. "Mid-market merger: Thomsons Lawyers, Herbert Geer eye tie-up". Brw.com.au. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  11. ^ Aug 9 2013 at 12:10 AM (9 August 2013). "Thomsons Lawyers, Herbert Geer eye merger". afr.com. Retrieved 26 September 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. "Herbert Geer & Rundle and Nicol Robinson Halletts join forces". Lawyersweekly.com.au. 29 May 2008. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  13. Herbert Geer's win for iiNet" Lawyers Weekly 8 February 2011
  14. HCA 1
  15. ^ "Thomson Playford's growth leaves Adelaide behind". Lawyersweekly.com.au. 13 April 2006. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  16. ^ "Media - Thomson Playford Merges With Cutler, Hughes & Harris – And an Exciting New Commercial Law Firm Emerges". Tglaw.com.au. 25 July 2008. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  17. "Cowley Hearne loses Cowley but keeps Hearne". Lawyersweekly.com.au. 18 June 2004. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  18. ^ "Here to win: Thomson Geer". Australasianlawyer.com.au. 4 August 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  19. "Dallas Buyers Club LLC v iiNet Limited [2015] FCA 317". Judgments.fedcourt.gov.au. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  20. Lia Timson (22 September 2015). "Telstra, Optus not worth chasing in Dallas Buyers Club piracy crackdown: lawyers". Smh.com.au. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  21. "Dallas Buyers Club: Federal Court backs ISPs in row over illegal downloads - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". Abc.net.au. 14 August 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  22. Harry Tucker (14 August 2015). "Dallas Buyers Club pirates identities kept private, for now". News.com.au. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  23. "Federal Court rules on Dallas Buyers club downloaders". Australasianlawyer.com.au. 14 August 2015. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  24. Paul Bibby and Hannah Francis (22 September 2015). "Dallas Buyers Club dealt major blow in Federal Court iiNet piracy case". Smh.com.au. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  25. "Local". Tglaw.com.au. Retrieved 26 September 2015.
  26. ^ "Contact Us". Tglaw.com.au. Retrieved 26 September 2015.

External links


Category:Law firms established in 2014 Category:Law firms of Australia

Thomson Geer

Thomson Geer

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