More than a law firm.
Founded in 1954 by the late Francis Nigel Warner Shand, MBE, we are an institution with an unrivalled legal legacy in Papua New Guinea, with offices in the major cities and regions.
Accountability | Sustainability | Integration
Accountability
Our clients' interests come first. We act professionally, ethically and with integrity.
Sustainability
We build enduring relationships on trust and mutual respect, and aim to leave a positive legacy on every case.
Integration
A local firm but a global player: deep knowledge of PNG law and culture, combined with international capability.
Our practice areas
A full range of legal services in litigation, administrative and constitutional, resource, property and commercial law.
Administrative & Constitutional Law
Legal work for most government departments and statutory corporations, commissions of inquiry and tribunals, and the review and drafting of legislation, statutes and regulations.
Commercial Law
Banking and commercial financing, companies, business and land groups, joint ventures, takeovers, mergers and acquisitions, restructuring and corporate securities.
Litigation
Commercial litigation, admiralty, criminal law, debt collection, bankruptcy and insolvency, family law, personal injury and torts.
Mining Law
Mining, petroleum and energy transactions and licences, financing, acquisitions and strategic alliances, landowner and stakeholder management, compliance and government decision-making.
Oil & Gas, Timber, Fishing & Resource Law
Joint venture, sale and purchase and farm-in agreements, landowner and environmental law, acting for resource developers, shipping and stevedoring companies and contractors.
Property Law
Residential, commercial and industrial leases, conveyancing, mortgages, time-sharing, company share titles, the Land Act, land registration and town planning.
A local firm, a global player
In keeping with its integration policy, Warner Shand Lawyers is associated with the global firm Baker McKenzie as a partner on agency arrangement. Together they offer leading expertise in areas including mining, climate change and commercial law. Recently, the two firms designed the legal framework for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation plus (REDD+) and Result Based Payments (RBP), resulting in amendment of the Climate Change Act to develop carbon rights in PNG.
Offices across Papua New Guinea
Port Moresby · Waigani · Kokopo · Lae · Mount Hagen