Lawyers Weekly Partner of the Year Awards: the finalists have been announced

29-April-2025

Merryn Stewart
Head of Marketing & Communications
Sparke Helmore Lawyers

Merryn Stewart
Head of Marketing & Communications
Sparke Helmore Lawyers
t: +61 2 9260 2591

Merryn has worked for many years across brand, marketing and communications. She spent 18 years based in London working for various legal and accounting firms, before returning to Australia in 2008 to continue her career in professional services.

The Lawyers Weekly Partner of the Year Awards 2025 have been announced and we are pleased to share that three of our partners have made the shortlist! Matt Ellis, Shannon Platt and Chantal Tipene have been recognised as finalists in the following categories:

Matt Ellis: Financial Services Partner of the Year and Insurance Partner of the Year
Shannon Platt: Intellectual Property Partner of the Year
Chantal Tipene: Government Partner of the Year

The awards ceremony showcases the talent of individuals who have demonstrated leadership, technical expertise, and business development skills while mentoring new entrants in the legal profession.

Winners will be announced at a black-tie gala ceremony on Thursday 12 June 2025, at The Star in Sydney.

Congratulations to Matt, Shannon and Chantal!

About Sparke Helmore

We’ve come a long way since our doors first opened in the Hunter in 1882. We’ve had an office in Sydney since the ‘60s and we recently opened our tenth office in Cairns.

We cover six key areas of law – Corporate & Commercial, Commercial Insurance, Government, Property Environment & Finance, Statutory Lines of Insurance and Workplace – with more than 30 specialised areas of expertise. We’re a truly national, full service and proudly Australian firm that delivers results through deep collaboration with our clients. Wherever our clients need us, that’s where we’ll be.

Covering a big country needs a big team—we’re more than 880 people now and still growing. And in true Australian spirit, we’re friendly, approachable and easy to work with. And when you work with one of us, you get the expertise of all of us.