Major Areas of Specialisation
Corporate and commercial law, including mergers and acquisitions, capital raisings and foreign investment, especially in relation to listed companies and representing parties before the Takeovers Panel; financial product development especially equity derivatives and futures and securities markets.
Qualifications
BA (Hons), LLM (Hons) (University of Sydney)
Notable Assignments
- Acting for Keybridge Capital on its successful defence against an unsolicited takeover bid made by Oceania Capital Partners for Keybridge (including Takeovers Panel proceedings).
- Acting for Competitive Foods (effectively the manager and the majority franchisee of Burger King/Hungry Jack's in Australia and NZ) on its sale of 45 Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise restaurants to Collins Foods.
- Acting for Australian Unity on its $380 million scheme of arrangement merger with Grand United.
- Acting for Keybridge Capital on its acquisition of PF Finance Group by scheme of arrangement.
- Advising one of Glencore International's wholly owned subsidiaries on its near unconditional takeover bid for Minara Resources, valuing Minara at in excess of A$1 billion.
- Advising secured noteholders of Canwest on disposal of Canwest's controlling holding in listed Ten Network Holdings for A$680 million.
- Advising Glencore on acquisition of equity swap exposure in Austral Coal and successfully representing Glencore in subsequent Takeover Panel and Court proceedings.
- Advising Australian Unity on its issue of R V debentures to finance its retirement village businesses.
- Advising Australian Unity on the A$65 million sale of its general insurance business to Calliden.
- Part of Atanaskovic Hartnell team advising Transurban Group on its successful takeover of Sydney Roads' Group (A$1.2 billion).
- Part of Atanaskovic Hartnell team advising James Hardie with special responsibility for design of the NSW legislation to govern the asbestos compensation arrangement, the ASIC investigation and subsequent litigation.
- Acting for Queensland Gas in its successful 100% takeover bid for Sunshine Gas.
- Acting for ERM Power on its acquisition of joint-venture interests in power projects in Queesnland and Western Australia from Babcock and Brown Power.
- Advising Macquarie Bank on the establishment of its Fusion Funds (a dynamically hedged investment product).
Other Experience
- Previously Counsel to the Takeover Panel and partner of Blake Dawson Waldron (including as London Resident Partner).
- Member of the M&A and Financial Services Commission of the Union Internationale des Avocats.
- Member of the Corporations Committee of the Law Council of Australia
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