Special Reports

MICHAEL Hunt is bemused by his Legal Elite accolade, a little sensitive that it could be just another unwelcome sign of old age. The ‘number one mining lawyer’ tag attaches awkwardly to one not entirely at ease with the general legal clique

THE past year has provided a fresh change for Perth’s top property lawyer, KPMG Legal partner Ted Sharp. After more than 20 years with Freehills and its predecessor Parker & Parker, Mr Sharp chose to pursue new opportunities at a much smaller firm.

IT was a post-study trip in the US that inspired Tony van Merwyk to pursue a career in environmental planning law. Mr van Merwyk completed a masters in international environmental law at the University of San Diego in 1990 and was travelling throughout

CRIMINAL law runs through the veins of Robert Mazza, who has followed in the footsteps of his late father. Mr Mazza was articled with his father in the early 1980s and the two worked together for two decades, until Jim Mazza passed away in 1999.

AN attraction to the law might have led Mallesons Stephen Jaques partner Rob Lilburne into the profession but the pressure cooker of the Robe River Iron Ore dispute in the 1980s cemented his place in the industrial relations field.

The Legal Elite survey was introduced by WA Business News to highlight and champion the State’s top legal practitioners, as Mark Beyer reports.

IAIN Gerrard and Mike McNulty may have a new name on their business cards but in many respects their working lives have been unaffected by the collapse of Andersen.

THE collapse of Andersen triggered a change of direction for former corporate finance partner Justin Willis.

WHEN former Andersen tax partner Keith Johns received his formal job offer from Ernst & Young last year, he saw that he had two choices.

FORMER Andersen audit partner Derek Parkin has racked up a couple of firsts since his old firm collapsed. Of Andersen’s 10 former Perth partners, he is the only one to have added the title of professor to his resume.

One year on from the demise of Andersen, Mark Beyer spoke to former partners and staff to find how they survived and where they are now.

WA does not have an innovation strategy and, according to TechStart Australia venture manager Marcus Christian, WA is the only State in Australia besides Tasmania without a biotechnology strategy.

A YAWNING chasm between the State’s research sector and its development counterpart appears to be the principal barrier to Western Australia securing a larger share of the national funding allotment.

MUCH is hanging on next month’s scheduled announcement of the preferred tenderer, or possibly tenderers, to supply electricity to Western Power in six West Kimberley centres.

DEVELOPING an innovation strategy will help foster and grow WA’s R&D capabilities, but just what should that strategy encompass?

FUND managers believe universities are too focused on basic research and do not have a strong commercial outlook. For their part the universities say that a failure to back pure research stifles ‘chance’ commercially viable opportunities.

ACCORDING to the State Government, WA gained its 10 per cent of funding in the latest round of CRC funding.

LEAVING Perth’s biggest advertising company to form a start-up competitor has paid off handsomely for Lori Canalini and Adam Barker.

THE Rising Stars Index is a platform to showcase private enterprises in Western Australia that have sustained high rates of growth over the two financial years ending June 30 2002.

RentSmart’s business partners include Australia’s two largest retail groups, Coles Myer and Woolworths, two of Australia’s biggest banks in ANZ and National, and global IT suppliers Hewlett-Packard and Compaq, which merged last year to form HP.

TWO home-grown tech companies have become leading lights in their respective fields and, although their technologies are strikingly different, there are some business similarities.

Respondents to the Rising Stars survey completed a detailed questionnaire on their business strategies and plans. The responses provide in-depth insights into the success drivers for the Rising Stars.

MAINSHEET Corporate is a corporate strategy and advisory firm unlike any other. While many corporate advisory firms have been established by lawyers, Mainsheet has grown up and still exists inside a law firm environment.

Australian Finance Group is hardly a household name, so it may surprise some readers to learn it is one of the top players in the home loans market.

The Rising Stars survey highlights the value-creating strategies being used by successful private enterprises in WA, writes LUKE MARTINO.

Unlike those who have disappeared, they have anticipated future trends and changed their business accordingly. Over the past 15 years at Touchstone DDI they have successfully moved from typesetting to independent pre-press to printing.

The growing community and political focus on environmental management has been good news for Myaree-based MPL Group. The company offers a unique combination of services, according to managing director Chris Morris.

Is the highly sought after position of lord mayor really worth winning? Joe Poprzeczny assesses its limited powers and offers recommendations on how to improve the role.

AN often forgotten segment of the City of Perth’s history and culture could play a major role in the lord mayoral election. The Greek and Italian communities, while not as visible as they once were, are said to hold considerable sway at the ballot box.

POSTAL voting is expected to prompt greater than usual interest in polling from Perth businesses in the City of Perth ballot next month, a marked change from recent elections.

The pundits are hedging their bets in the upcoming race for lord mayor, with some well-qualified challengers lining up to take on the incumbent Dr Peter Nattrass. WA Business News’ reporters look at the candidates and their agendas.

THERE are 126 outcomes possible from a choice of four City of Perth councillors from nine nominees. And each would make for an interesting combination.