Gilbert + Tobin
 | This article may rely excessively on sources too closely associated with the subject, potentially preventing the article from being verifiable and neutral. (February 2022) |
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| Headquarters | Sydney, Australia |
|---|---|
| Offices | Sydney Melbourne Perth |
| No. of attorneys | 500+ lawyers |
| No. of employees | 1000+ employees |
| Major practice areas | Artificial Intelligence, Banking and Finance, Corporate Advisory, Competition Consumer and Market Regulation, Climate Change and Sustainability, Disputes and Investigations, Intellectual Property, Pro Bono, Real Estate, and Technology and Digital. |
| Key people | Danny Gilbert (Chairman), Sam Nickless (CEO), Tim Gordon (Executive Partner). |
| Date founded | 1988 |
| Company type | Partnership |
| Website | www.gtlaw.com.au |
Gilbert + Tobin is a commercial law firm in Australia with more than 110 partners and 1,000 employees.[1] The firm specialises in transactions, disputes and regulation.[2]
Awards and recognition
[edit]Gilbert + Tobin (G+T) has 25 practice areas ranked in the Chambers Asia-Pacific Guide 2025.[3] It is also ranked by Chambers as a leading firm globally.[3]
G+T was named the Most Innovative Law Firm headquartered in the Asia-Pacific, and Innovation in People and Skills by the Financial Times,[4] and Darren Fittler was recognised as an Innovative Practitioner.
Other recent awards include:
- Chambers Asia-Pacific (2025) - Band 1 in 11 areas of law (Climate Change, Banking & Finance: Acquisition Finance, Banking & Finance: Corporate Finance, Capital Markets: Equity, Charities, Competition/Antitrust, Corporate/M&A, Intellectual Property, Private Equity, TMT: IT & Telecommunications and Fintech Legal).
- Legal 500 Asia-Pacific (2025) - Tier 1 in nine practice areas (Banking and Finance, Capital Markets: Equity, Competition and Trade, Corporate and M&A, Data Protection, Fintech and Financial Services Regulatory, Intellectual Property, Restructuring and Insolvency and IT and Telecoms).
- Client Choice Awards (2025, 2024, 2023, 2022, 2020) - Best law and related services.
- Mergermarket Australian M&A Awards (2021) - Technology, Media and Telecom M&A Legal Adviser of the Year and Private Equity Legal Adviser of the Year.
Corporate social responsibility
[edit]The Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Program at G+T focuses on community, reconciliation and the environment.
Pro bono work has always been an integral part of the firm. In 1996, G+T became the first firm in Australia to appoint a full-time in-house pro bono lawyer. G+T is also a foundation signatory to the National Pro Bono Aspirational Target.[5]
G+T is commitment to creating a fair workplace for everyone, regardless of gender. The firm has the smallest gender pay gap amongst the big law firms.[6]
In 2000, Danny Gilbert agreed to support a centre for public law at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, and in 2001 the Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law was founded. It functions as a research centre specialising in constitutional and administrative law, Indigenous legal issues, and human rights.[7]
G+T dedicates significant resources to its Indigenous Legal Cadetship Program, employing Indigenous law students on a part-time basis for the duration of their degrees in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth. The program aims to increase the number of Indigenous people entering the legal profession.[citation needed]
In 2017, G+T backed campaigns for marriage equality in the Australian Same-Sex Marriage Postal Survey. They provided pro-bono legal advice to a major campaign group and supported staff in canvassing voters.[8]
In 2023, G+T supported[9] the constitutional Voice to Parliament for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.
Staff conditions
[edit]Over 2018 and 2019, the New South Wales workplace regulator, SafeWork NSW, investigated Gilbert + Tobin on two separate occasions, following complaints of workplace fatigue and excessive work hours.[10] The first inquiry was in response to allegations from a senior lawyer that the firm's junior lawyers regularly slept in offices and needed stimulant supplements to keep abreast of work demands.[11] The firm had its HR department launch an internal investigation. Managing partner Danny Gilbert characterised the complaint as "vicious" and as containing "untruths". Gilbert said he was aware of the onerous demands placed on staff, but the nature of the business environment meant high workloads were unavoidable. He emphasised in an email to staff that, nevertheless, workloads should not compromise health and safety, and the firm was always ready to do better and find ways to relieve staff pressure.[12]
After SafeWork met with management in January 2019, the regulator indicated it was satisfied, saying Gilbert + Tobin "had the organisational capacity and responsiveness to assess and address risks and issues as they arise", and declined to take further action.[12]
References
- ^ Gilbert + Tobin Lawyers. "Who We Are". www.gtlaw.com.au.
- ^ Pelly, Michael (23 March 2022). "Danny Gilbert stepping down as managing partner". Australian Financial Review. Retrieved 2 April 2025.
- ^ a b Chambers and Partners. "Chambers Profiles: Gilbert + Tobin, Asia-Pacific". chambers.com.
- ^ FT staff. "Asia-Pacific Innovative Lawyers 2024: FT 25 (Asia-Pacific headquartered)". The Financial Times. Archived from the original on 21 October 2020. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
- ^ "Target Signatories - Australian Pro Bono Centre". Australian Pro Bono Centre. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
- ^ Doraisamy, Naomi Neilson and Jerome; Neilson, Naomi (27 February 2024). "What the gender pay gap looks like at Australia's biggest firms". www.lawyersweekly.com.au. Retrieved 2 May 2025.
- ^ "About us". University of NSW. Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
- ^ Han, Misa; Bailey, Michael; Sier, Jessica (16 November 2017). "How corporates threw weight behind same-sex marriage". Australian Financial Review. Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
[At] Gilbert + Tobin, the internal LGBTI network organised two calling parties at work, with over 50 employees calling voters as part of the Yes campaign. The law firm backed the events by providing the phones, food and drinks.[...] Behind the scene, the firm's pro bono team provided legal support to the Australian Marriage Equality team.
- ^ "Voice leaders fear delay will hurt momentum". Australian Financial Review. 5 June 2022. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
- ^ Wootton, Hannah (15 November 2019). "SafeWork to investigate top law firm over work hours". Australian Financial Review. Archived from the original on 21 July 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- ^ Gillezeau, Natasha; Fowler, Elouise (24 January 2019). "What it's like working as a young corporate lawyer at a top tier firm". Australian Financial Review. Archived from the original on 20 May 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
- ^ a b Fowler, Elouise; Gillezeau, Natasha (18 February 2019). "'Untruths': Gilbert + Tobin's Danny Gilbert rejects overwork culture". Australian Financial Review. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2022.