Swaab Attorneys

Transport and logistics impact almost every business in every sector.  They form a critical part of the business and consumer supply chain.  Transport and logistics may be integral to your revenues as a service provider or infrastructure owner or operator; or may form a very significant cost to your business if you are a user of transport and logistics services.  Either way, transport and logistics have an enormous impact on the risk profile of businesses operating in Australia.

As a sector, transport and logistics covers a range of things – the four modes (road, rail, aviation and shipping, each with their related infrastructure) as well as intermodal, warehouse logistics, supply chain management arrangements and procurement.  And each of these aspects is undergoing continual strategic, economic and legal change, including increasingly complex regulation.

Our Transport and Logistics team works closely with both providers and users of transport and logistics services and with owners, operators and users of transport and logistics infrastructure, across the major modes, across a range of industries, in the private and public sectors.  Our team's industry knowledge, expertise and experience covers both transport and logistics specific advice – as well as the key related areas of IT, environment, property, workplace relations and dispute resolution – to ensure seamless service and to help clients manage their transport and logistics related risks.

• Complex outsourced 3PL and 4PL warehousing, distribution and transport agreements
• Strategic sourcing and supply chain management and restructuring arrangements
• Transport and logistics tenders
• Standard form and bespoke road and rail freight agreements
• Fleet and transport/terminal infrastructure service, management and maintenance arrangements
• Road and rail regulatory advice
• Aviation regulatory advice
• Corporate and commercial advice for international carriers and airport operators
• Aircraft leases, acquisitions and disposals and maintenance agreements
• Air carriage and charter arrangements International trade and customs advice
• Stevedoring and towage arrangements
• Leasing and development of warehousing, freight terminal and distribution facilities
• Real estate
• Acquisitions and disposals
• Environmental and planning advice
• Joint ventures, mergers and acquisitions
• Labour supply agreements
• Litigation and dispute resolution
• Insolvency and restructuring
• Workers compensation and injury advice

• Logistics outsourcing and strategic sourcing agreements for local and international manufacturers, importers and distributors in the food and beverage, FMCG, pharmaceutical, telecommunications and automotive sectors
• Advising a national retailer in connection with the re-engineering of its supply chain and related IT implementation arrangements, and on its transport contracts with its transport providers and vendors
• Advising nationally operating road, rail and logistics service providers and infrastructure owner/operators on contracts for the provision of their services and facilities to their customers
• Advising providers and users of heavy vehicle road transport services on 'chain of responsibility' and other regulatory reform issues and strategies
• Advising numerous domestic and international airlines on asset acquisition/disposition, commercial agreements, government contracting, dispute resolution, liability and aviation, corporate and competition regulatory compliance.
• Advising aircraft manufacturers on government contracting, commercial agreements, intellectual property, liability, dispute resolution, asset acquisition/disposition and aviation and competition regulatory compliance.
• Advising aviation consultants on commercial agreements, dispute resolution, operational issues and corporate regulatory compliance.
• Advising domestic regional airports and Local Government Authorities on  airport operational issues, commercial agreements, dispute resolution, liability, transport security, corporatisation and aviation, corporate and competition regulatory compliance.
• Advising companies on domestic and cross-jurisdictional aircraft acquisition/disposition and aviation regulatory compliance.
• Advising warehouse operators, transport providers and wholesalers, retailers and distributors in relation to logistics specific employment and industrial issues

Affiliations

• Logistics Association of Australia
• Australian Logistics Council
• Aviation Lawyers Association of Australia and New Zealand