Private equity & other unregulated M&A

All of our lawyers have extensive private M&A experience, and our principals have spent significant periods in market leading private equity teams in Brisbane, Sydney and London.

This enables us to focus quickly on the key value drivers on both buy and sell side engagements, and recommend cutting edge solutions which meet commercial objectives and help minimise execution risk.

Our ability to identify the key issues early in the transaction process helps ensure we provide a compelling value proposition for our clients. We also provide carefully tailored due diligence solutions, deep diving on issues that matter and not wasting time and money on those that don’t.

We regularly act for exiting founders, continuing management and on the buy side in deals with a private equity involvement and our principals are Queensland market leaders in these transactions.

Regulated M&A

We regularly advise on public M&A deals including schemes of arrangement and both friendly and hostile Chapter 6 takeovers.

Our lawyers understand that these can be make or break deals for our clients, and are dedicated to providing commensurate quality advice and service.

We have the experience to guide clients through the regulatory process on agreed transactions, and to formulate successful strategies on either side of a hostile deal.

We also have strong relationships with key regulatory bodies including ASIC and ASX and a history of successful involvement in Takeovers Panel matters.
Our firm prides itself on providing top tier quality advice and service on all client engagements and regularly goes toe to toe with Australia’s largest and most prestigious firms. If a transaction needs a premium quality legal advisor without the price tag, we are the firm to engage.

Capital markets

A number of our senior lawyers have spent significant proportions of their careers at Queensland’s largest capital markets firm, acting on a wide array of high profile IPOs and secondary capital raisings.

Our lawyers understand the importance of strong project management in driving outcomes, and take an active role leading project teams through the regulatory hurdles within agreed timeframes.

We also have strong relationships with a full range of providers of equity capital which allows us to provide unbiased advice on the best source of funds to achieve objectives, and also introductions to these parties where appropriate.

Agribusiness

Our lawyers advise farming families, large corporate agribusinesses and institutional funds in relation to their rural interests.

We have particular expertise in:

• Sales and acquisitions of rural land, water and business assets
• Mergers & acquisitions
• Restructuring of family and corporate businesses
• Establishment of agricultural funds for investment in the industry
• Leasing and agistment arrangements
• Supply and offtake agreements
• Foreign Investment Review Board advice
• Farm management agreements
• Land tenure advice

Our team has a genuine interest in the agricultural sector, with several members growing up in the bush which allows us to better understand industry issues and challenges.

Property

Our property team regularly advise property developers, owners, investors and landlords / tenants in relation to their property portfolios.
Our lawyers have acted for listed and unlisted property development companies assisting development managers and executive teams on the delivery of large projects and the negotiation of complex transactions.

We assist clients with:

• Acquisitions and disposals of commercial, residential, industrial and rural property
• Leasing of commercial, office and retail premises
• Due diligence
• Structuring of transactions and projects
• Development advice
• Titling and body corporate advice

Dispute resolution

Our team prides itself on cost effective resolution of disputes including the most commercially complex matters. Our specialist lawyers focus on identifying key issues and formulating winning strategies early. This helps avoid matters becoming bogged down in expensive and time consuming process, ensures optimal outcomes and allows our clients to maintain focus on their core businesses.

Board & management advisory

Our clients regularly need quick, incisive advice on a range of governance issues (including continuous disclosure) and other corporate actions.

We have the expert understanding of corporate governance theory, the Corporations Act and the ASX Listing Rules to provide practical and commercially focussed advice within tight timeframes.

We are not simply ‘risk police’ – we work to understand our clients’ businesses quickly, and tailor our recommendations and advice accordingly.

Commercial contracts

Our commercial team includes a number of university medallists, along with a former London based partner of a leading international firm.  They provide cost effective assistance on a full range of commercial contracts, with a particular focus on finding clever ways to resolve impasses in negotiations and avoiding important commercial gains being lost through lawyers digging in on unimportant issues.

We also provide an M&A type level of responsiveness and turnaround on smaller commercial matters, which helps progress negotiations and finalise documents quickly.  We see this as an important point of difference for clients as it helps avoid matters dragging out and allows them to get on with business.

Our value proposition in this area has resulted in several of our corporate clients using our team as a variable cost extension of their in-house capabilities.

Intellectual Property

Our intellectual property lawyers regularly advise on:

• intellectual property strategies, including protecting intellectual property ownership and transactions related to corporate restructures
• protection and commercialisation, including in copyright, trade marks, domains, designs and patent commercialisation
• intellectual property due diligence, including both buy-side and sell-side intellectual property due diligences in support of our corporate team

Employment

Our employment team is experienced across the full spectrum of employment law, industrial relations and workplace health and safety matters and regularly advises on:

• operation of employment contracts, including dismissal processes, redundancy process and requirements, restraint of trade provisions and the risks and strategies associated with the same.
• independent contractor and employee distinctions, including advising on the implications of the same for any given client
• award and enterprise agreements, including advising on applicability and interpretation of relevant provisions
• unlawful discrimination and sexual harassment, including advising on whether existing policies and procedures align with a client’s legal obligations
• workers’ compensation claims, including management of ill and injured employees and compliance with work health and safety legislation
• defending unfair dismissal and general protections claims