Thomson Geer has strengthened its Perth corporate team with the appointment of two new partners and a new service offering for the mining and energy sectors.

Resources specialists Paul Harley and Sarah O’Brien-Smith have joined Thomson Geer as partners from HopgoodGanim, along with a mining tenement management team led by Yvette Collins, bolstering Thomson Geer’s six-partner Perth corporate team.

In what is a significant strategic move for Thomson Geer, the eight new appointments bring deep sector knowledge to the firm, complementing the corporate team’s extensive transactional experience.

The Perth corporate team has been focused on establishing itself as a leading corporate practice in the mining and energy sectors since joining Thomson Geer in 2020 and has consistently been at or near the top of market rankings.

Thomson Geer Chief Executive Partner Adrian Tembel said: “Paul, Sarah, Yvette and the team add very important capabilities for us.

“We are deeply embedded in the vibrant, world class West Australian mining and energy ecosystem and we are very pleased with our work in the sector’s transactional activity.

“Since establishing our office in Perth in 2019, building up a mining and energy services team has been a priority of us and we’re delighted Paul, Sarah, Yvette and team have joined us. We know them well and we see many attractive synergies they can bring to the firm.”

The Thomson Geer Perth office has grown from 25 people when it opened, to 60 now.

“Perth has become an important part of our national capability,” Adrian said.

About Paul Harley

Paul advises on transactions, operations and the full range of issues faced by mining and energy companies and infrastructure providers in project development, including acquisition, structuring, tenure, native title, financing and commercial dealings. He also has an extensive back-end practice in the Warden’s Court where he assists clients to efficiently and effectively resolve disputes. He is recognised for his expertise by Doyle’s Guide and the Best Lawyers directory.

About Sarah O’Brien-Smith

‍Sarah handles all commercial, transactional and litigious matters that can affect mining and energy companies. Her experience includes advising on sale and purchase agreements for exploration and mining projects, farm-in and joint venture agreements, split commodity/mineral rights agreements, royalty deeds, access and compensation deeds and operational contracts, such as mining services contracts and offtake agreements.Sarah also regularly appears in Warden’s Court proceedings involving tenement applications and objections, exemption applications and forfeiture matters.

About new tenement management service

The new tenement management service offering will be known as TG Mining Title Services. It will help Australian and international companies to manage their mining titles including applications, objections, compliance, due diligence, transfers and reporting.