Best Lawyers in Australia - 2026 edition

We are thriled to announce that seven of our principal lawyers Seva Surmei, Daniel Jenkinson, Glenn Davis, Paul Dugan, Peter Kupniewski, Peter Varacalli and Tom Dachs have been included in the 2026 edition of the Best Lawyers in Australia.

Since it was first published in 1983, Best Lawyers has become universally regarded as the definitive guide to legal excellence.

Lawyers on the Best Lawyers in Australia list are divided by geographic region and practice areas. The Best Lawyers' nominees are reviewed by their peers based on professional expertise and undergo a detailed authentication process by Best Lawyers.

Special congratulations to Seva Surmei who has been recognised in the 2026 edition as "Lawyer of the Year" in the category of Franchise Law in the Adelaide area.

It’s fantastic to see this accomplished and dedicated group of lawyers celebrated for their ongoing commitment to delivering exceptional outcomes for our clients.

Read on for more about our award-winning lawyers or visit our Best Lawyers profile here.

Seva has been awarded “Best Lawyers in Australia” 2026 for her work in Franchise Law. Seva has also been recognised in the 2026 edition as "Lawyer of the Year" in the category of Franchise Law in the Adelaide area. Only a single lawyer in each practice area and designated metropolitan area is honoured as the “Lawyer of the Year,” making this a significant and coveted accolade. This is the third time Seva has received this prestigious award.

Seva is a principal in the firm’s transactions practice.

A significant aspect of Seva’s practice is in franchising, licensing and distribution. In particular, acting for major franchisors in the establishment, development and operation of franchise systems including providing advice in respect of compliance with the Franchising Code of Conduct.

Seva also has extensive experience in property transactions including preparing and advising clients in relation to contracts for the sale and purchase of land, due diligence and commercial leases.

Congratulations Seva!

Check out Seva's Best Lawyers profile here.

Daniel has been awarded "Best Lawyers in Australia" 2026 for his work in Commercial Law, Corporate Law, Mergers and Acquisitions Law and Superannuation Law. Daniel has been recognised by Best Lawyers since 2020.

Daniel leads the firm’s transactions practice.

He acts on mergers & acquisitions, corporate and commercial matters for a broad range of business clients, ranging from SMEs to some of the largest businesses in South Australia. He works across a variety of industry sectors, including financial services, property, energy and resources and manufacturing.

Daniel regularly leads projects involving:

• share, asset, business and property sales and purchases;
• corporate structuring and the establishment and governance of joint venture structures;
• due diligence investigations;
• infrastructure delivery and funding agreements for major projects;
• outsourcing, distribution and other contractual arrangements.

Congratulations Daniel!

Check out Daniel's Best Lawyers profile here.

Glenn has been awarded “Best Lawyers in Australia” 2026 for his work in Commercial Law, Corporate Law, Energy Law, Litigation, Mergers and Acquisitions Law, Natural Resources Law and Oil and Gas Law. Glenn has been recognised by Best Lawyers since 2014.

Glenn is a principal in the firm’s corporate practice.

Glenn provides advice to public and private entities throughout Australia on a full range of corporate and business law issues. This includes capital raisings, listings, mergers by acquisition and schemes of arrangement, ASIC, ASX and legislative compliance, capital reductions and other securities issues and transactions.

He acts for large and medium sized corporates, both listed and unlisted, providing advice on a full range of business issues.

He also works extensively in resolving corporate and business disputes in all States. He has successfully resolved a wide range of corporate and commercial disputes throughout Australia.

Glenn’s expertise and experience now sees him in the role of director on a number of public and private companies.

Congratulations Glenn!

Check out Glenn's Best Lawyers profile here.

Paul has been awarded “Best Lawyers in Australia” 2025 for his work in Labour and Employment Law, Litigation and Occupational Health and Safety Law. Paul has been recognised by Best Lawyers since 2025.

Paul is a principal in the firm’s disputes practice.

Paul has particular expertise in:

• all aspects of industrial relations and workplace law, and work health and safety;
• privacy, data and cyber/information security and response;
• risk management advice and the investigation and resolution of corporate and commercial issues and disputes;
• advice and representation of clients in competition and consumer law matters; and
• insolvency matters.

Paul is a key member of the Cyber Alliance Group – a collaboration between DMAW Lawyers, Comunet and Digital Trace Australia to provide comprehensive cyber security advice and services to business.

In addition to his experience in private practice, Paul has provided in-house advice and worked as a senior lawyer with ASIC. He is able to draw upon this experience in developing strategies to assist clients.

Congratulations Paul!

Check out Paul's Best Lawyers profile here.

Peter has been awarded "Best Lawyers in Australia" 2026 for his work in Corporate Law, Energy Law and Oil and Gas Law. Peter is being recognised for the first time this year in the 2026 edition of Best Lawyers In Australia.

Peter is a principal in the firm’s corporate practice.

He provides advice on the full range of corporate transactions including capital raisings, contested and friendly takeover bids and schemes of arrangement.

Peter has held numerous company secretarial roles for ASX companies and is experienced in managing the daily head office needs of small, medium and large businesses.

Peter regularly leads projects involving:

• gas transport and marketing;
• acquisitions and divestments;
• capital markets;
• takeovers and schemes;
• corporate governance;
• contracting and procurement;
• land access, native title and Aboriginal cultural heritage;
• dispute management and regulatory inquiries.

Congratulations Peter!

Check out Peter's Best Lawyers profile here.

Peter has been awarded “Best Lawyers in Australia” 2026 for his work in Real Property Law. Peter has been recognised by Best Lawyers since 2020.

Peter is a principal in the firm’s transactions practice.

Peter is a specialist in real estate, construction and infrastructure law. He regularly leads projects involving:

• capital acquisitions and disposals of land;
• front end construction matters;
• real estate developments (including front end planning matters);
• real estate and construction financing; and
• leasing.

Congratulations Peter!

Check out Peter's Best Lawyers profile here.

Tom has been awarded "Best Lawyers in Australia" 2026 for his work in Construction/Infrastructure Law and Litigation. Tom has been recognised by Best Lawyers since 2024.

Tom is a principal in firm’s disputes practice.

Tom joined DMAW Lawyers in April 2007 as a senior associate, following previous roles at Clifford Chance in London and Hicksons Lawyers in Sydney where he acted in major litigation matters.

Tom specialises in commercial disputes. He has acted in a full spectrum of complex commercial litigation, construction, superannuation, transport and trade matters.

Tom's experience includes advising and representing a variety of clients, ranging from ASX listed companies, international and larger private entities, through to smaller entities, families and individuals.

Congratulations Tom!

Check out Tom's Best Lawyers profile here.