Paynter reaches partnership at Herbert Smith Freehills

International Tax Review is part of Legal Benchmarking Limited, 1-2 Paris Garden, London, SE1 8ND

Copyright © Legal Benchmarking Limited and its affiliated companies 2026

Accessibility | Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Modern Slavery Statement


Paynter reaches partnership at Herbert Smith Freehills

Hugh Paynter, a dispute resolution lawyer, has become a partner of Herbert Smith Freehills in Sydney.

fotoflexer-photohughpaynterhfs.jpg

Paynter has acted in major, high-value tax disputes that have dealt with a range of issues and industries, such as for National Australia Bank in litigation with more than A$900 million ($922 million) at stake concerning international hybrid capital raisings (the $1 billion ExCaps and $450 million TrUEPrS), involving general deductibility, Part IVA (anti-avoidance) and transfer pricing issues; Lend Lease in its successful defence of a $95 million Part IVA and capital gains tax dispute concerning its A$365 million Westpac warrant transaction and the Cross City consortium in a A$60 million land rich stamp duty dispute involving significant valuation issues.

more across site & shared bottom lb ros

More from across our site

The agreement with Daribatech, alongside recent high-profile investment in talent, suggests the firm is gearing up for a significant push in the region
Several factors have led to a steady transition of TP work away from traditional advisers and towards full-service law firms, DLA Piper’s new TP leader says
Julian Balson's departure from EY's Tier 1 tax controversy practice for lower-ranked Fieldfisher represents one of the more eye-catching UK hires of the year
Former IRS commissioner Danny Werfel argues that the biggest obstacle to AI adoption in tax is not technology, but trust, and introduces a practical AI risk framework to help
Howell takes a deep dive into how he led the landmark PepsiCo dispute, discusses the ATO's enforcement priorities, and emphasises KordaMentha's market ambitions
Global tax leader David Linke said that the TaxSim gaming programme could replace aspects of traditional face-to-face learning
Former ATO economist Craig Silverwood is joining from Australian firm MinterEllison
The rebranding, which will see changes to signage, visual identity and digital properties, is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year
The software space was previously more fragmented, but that model is becoming more difficult to sustain as tax administration becomes increasingly digitised
While some may argue that heads should roll following KPMG Australia’s audit leak scandal, client and revenue data emphasises that tax team stability is paramount
Gift this article