Dentons

Amber Warren

Amber is a partner with the Banking and Finance team in Sydney, and a member of Dentons’ Public Policy and Regulation global leadership team. Amber provides transactional support for regulated lending, including reverse mortgages and loans to self-managed superannuation funds (SMSFs), and for financial services compliance and regulation advice. She acts for all major Australian banks as well as smaller Australian lenders, foreign banks and corporations operating in the financial services sector.

Anthony Walsh

Anthony is a partner who has had significant experience acting for domestic and foreign lenders on a range of financing matters in London and Sydney. His experience includes in-house work at the London branch of Société Générale. 

Ben Allen

Ben is a partner with almost 20 years as a litigator and dispute resolution lawyer. Ben has acted in complex and sensitive commercial disputes for both government and private sector clients, including class actions, financial services representative proceedings, financial products and technology procurement disputes. Ben also leads the Australia region White Collar & Government Investigations team, acting for clients in all areas of organisational risk including fraud, bribery and corruption, data privacy and corporate wrongdoing. Ben acts for clients in a broad range of disputes relating to property, contracts, corporations law, equity and tortious claims with a particular industry focus on commercial disputes relating to the property, technology and health care sectors. Ben’s experience includes managing complex and reputation-sensitive commercial disputes in the Federal Court and Supreme Courts of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory. He is also highly skilled in dispute negotiation, alternative dispute resolution, conciliation and mediation. Ben also acts for clients facing regulator investigations of alleged corporate wrongdoing and white collar crime offences, as well as those facing enforcement actions by regulators. Ben regularly advises clients in relation to fraud, data privacy, bribery and corruption and Corporations Act breaches, and assists with policy development (including whistleblowing, cyber breach preparedness, anti-bribery fraud control management and regulator responses). Ben also helps organizations prepare for and conduct internal investigations of corporate wrongdoing and resultant recovery actions, including asset-tracing and asset preservation.

David Perks

David is a partner and leads the Corporate and Commercial team in Perth and has over 20 years’ experience advising some of Australia’s leading energy and resources companies. David has a broad range of corporate experience with particular expertise advising ASX 200 clients on large, complex and innovative transactions. David has expert knowledge of the Corporations Act, ASX Listing Rules, the petroleum legislative regime, the mining legislative regime and foreign investment regulation.

David Sharpe

David is a partner with expertise in property law, particularly areas relating to retail, commercial and industrial leasing, acquisitions and sales and the development of all areas of real estate. David advises many large institutions such as property trusts and listed public companies, and also has a wide range of private property clients.

David Carter

David is a partner with experience acting for a range of ADI’s, finance companies, vendor introducers and equipment lessors.

David McIntosh

David is a partner with extensive experience advising banks, financial institutions, insolvency practitioners and corporate clients on a wide range of restructuring and insolvency issues.  David has represented a number of major Australian and international banks and financial institutions, insolvency officeholders, creditors, shareholders, security trustees, note holders and directors, advising on all aspects of corporate and debt restructuring, as well as local and cross-border insolvency processes and issues. In addition, he has extensive experience advising clients generally on all aspects of loan and security structuring, recovery and enforcement.

Elise Ivory

Elise is a partner in the Banking & Finance group in Sydney, where she handles regulation and compliance issues. Elise regularly advises major banks, private lenders, mortgage brokers, originators, aggregators and securitized programs on consumer and commercial credit regulation, compliance, distribution and licensing.

Geoff Cairns

Hamish Walton

Hamish Walton is a corporate partner in Dentons’ Melbourne office. Hamish has more than 25 years’ experience in advising clients on high profile complex corporate transactions in Australia and offshore across a range of industries including financial institutions, education, renewable energy, life sciences and health care, media, entertainment and sports, technology, automotive and real estate. Hamish specialises in public and private M&A, private equity and joint ventures. He has detailed experience in assisting clients on major cross border M&A transactions. Hamish also specialises in equity capital markets including initial public offerings, backdoor listings, rights issues and securities based employee incentives. His experience includes advising underwriters and issuers in connection with the IPO and rights issue process, GDR offerings, dual listings, bookbuilds, market stabilization and co-ordinating securities offering opinions across various jurisdictions.

Ian Clarke, OBE

As a Consultant in Dentons’ Corporate team, Ian draws on more than 35 years’ experience as a partner advising in the Firm’s Corporate and Finance practices. Seen as an expert on PNG and the Pacific, Ian offers strategic advice to a range of banks, international financial institutions, energy and resource companies, financial intermediaries, sovereign wealth funds, multi-lateral development banks, and governments in the Pacific and Australia. Ian has advised on major commercial transactions including aircraft financing and acquisitions, privatizations, and major energy and resource projects. He has also advised the Independent State of Papua New Guinea and State-owned entities extensively with regards to legislative reform and policy. Through his involvement with the major peak private sector bodies in the Pacific, Ian regularly works with governments in the Pacific and major donor partners, including DFAT, on issues facing the region including more recent efforts to invest in Pacific infrastructure.

Jason Morris

Jason is a partner with more than 20 years’ experience in banking law and corporate finance. Jason advises both domestic and offshore financiers and has worked with all of Australia’s major commercial banks. He advises borrowers across a wide range of industries, with clients including Tabcorp, Treasury Wine Estates and Australian Unity.

Jeff Baker

Jeff is a partner whose practice focuses on preparing and negotiating documentation and advising Australian and offshore based clients, be they lenders or borrowers, in respect of secured and unsecured corporate, structured, property and project financing transactions.

John Reen

John specializes in mergers and acquisitions, private equity and equity capital market transactions. He also regularly advises on general corporate and commercial law, corporate governance, securities law, foreign investment and listing rule matters. John's clients include private equity firms, listed companies, fund managers and a network of corporate advisors. John is one of Australia's leading M&A and private equity lawyers, and has acted for many of the mid-market private equity firms in Australia in relation to fund establishment, investment structuring, investment, acquisition and exit.

John Stragalinos

John Stragalinos is a partner in our Restructuring & Insolvency and Commercial Litigation team in Melbourne.John has acted for banks, creditors, major corporates, boards of directors, administrators, receivers, and liquidators on a wide range of restructurings and insolvency administrations for more than 23 years. As an expert in restructuring and insolvency, John has been entrusted to act on many of Australia’s largest restructurings or insolvencies including: Slater & Gordon, Ansett Australia, Allco Finance Group, Raptis Group (Southport Central project), Timbercorp, ABC Learning, Westpoint Corporation and ForceCorp.John has also acted for major corporates, banks, financial institutions and government bodies on a range of commercial disputes, litigation and arbitrations. He has extensive experience in property, contractual, banking and shareholder disputes. He has advised on complex corporate and regulatory matters including proceedings commenced by ASIC and APRA.

Justin Bates

Justin is a partner and seen as one of Australia’s leading restructuring and insolvency lawyers. Over the last 20 years, he has acted predominately for banks and receivers. He has also acted for liquidators and company administrators. He has conducted cases involving questions of banking practice, company law, professional indemnity insurance, misrepresentation, fraud and property law. Very often Justin’s cases are conducted in the Supreme and District Courts of NSW and the Federal Court of Australia.Justin has also been responsible for the conduct of Federal Court class action proceedings and NSW Court of Appeal matters.

Kirsten Pike

Kirsten Pike is a partner with expertise in property law. Her particular focus is on the acquisition, disposal and leasing of residential, commercial, retail and industrial properties and assets.Kirsten works with a number of clients including listed property trusts, not for profit organisations, high net worth individuals, banks and financial institutions, receivers, mortgagees, liquidators and trustees.

Kylie Britton

Kylie’s principal area of practice is in bankruptcy law, having acted on behalf of trustees in bankruptcy and creditors in all aspects of bankruptcy law. Kylie also has vast experience in corporate insolvency and banking and financial services litigation, acting on behalf of receivers, administrators and liquidators in advising on issues associated with insolvent administrations. Kylie has also acted for numerous lenders in relation to complex civil litigation (both secured and unsecured) and shortfall issues.

Kym Livesley

Kym has over 30 years’ experience as a corporate lawyer, and developed a solid reputation for achieving the best commercial outcomes for clients. Kym’s practice, while corporate in nature, has a strong emphasis in the energy and resources, projects, and industrial sectors. He has substantial experience in the emerging economies of South East Asia, as well as experience in Africa, the US and South America. Kym regularly advises on capital raisings including IPOs and listings on foreign stock exchanges, takeovers, reconstructions, complex contractual agreements including JVAs, JOAs and alliances, mergers and acquisitions, directors’ duties and corporate governance issues. Kym has also been involved in numerous reverse takeovers and backdoor listings, including those involving multiple jurisdictions.

Lis Boyce

Lisa Wright

Lisa is a partner with over 25 years of experience in a broad range of dispute resolution matters, with a focus on corporate and commercial disputes.  Lisa's commercial dispute resolution and related advice extends to Corporations Act matters (including corporate crime investigations and prosecutions), commercial/contractual disputes, claims in equity, misleading or deceptive conduct claims and professional negligence claims. She has extensive experience in leading teams to conduct major, complex litigation. She is also experienced in alternative dispute resolution, including mediations, arbitrations and expert determinations.

Louise Massey

Louise is partner in the Litigation and Dispute Resolution team in Sydney. Louise is a skilled commercial litigator who is repeatedly recognised as a leading dispute resolution lawyer in The Legal 500 Asia Pacific, most recently in the 2018 edition. Many of Australia’s major banks and financial institutions, as well as property, government, insurance professional service, energy and resources businesses, have called on Louise for her detailed input. Louise is a recognised expert in commercial litigation with extensive experience in the District Court of NSW, the Supreme Court of NSW and the Federal Court of Australia. Louise provides advice and develops strategy for her clients that is commercially focussed and aligned with their business needs without losing sight of the legal objectives. To this end, Louise regularly engages in alternative dispute resolution including mediations, arbitrations and settlement conferences.

Mandi Jacobson

Mandi is a partner and the head of Dentons Life Sciences group in Australia. She works on many high profile and high value matters and is highly regarded for her thorough knowledge therapeutic goods legislation and regulations, industry codes of conduct, and the complex regulatory framework in Australia. She is a highly regarded commercial litigator and product risk specialist. Mandi brings more than 15 years' experience acting for clients in regard to regulatory compliance, consumer law, therapeutic goods registrations and listings, product recalls, product liability, clinical trials, access to unapproved therapeutic goods, privacy issues, FOI requests, reimbursement/pricing, advertising, medical cannabis, and class actions.

Matthew Rollason

Matthew is a partner with 20 years' experience as a property, commercial and corporate lawyer, with extensive experience in the areas of property, banking and finance, insolvency and commercial law. Matthew has advised generally in relation to operational and land management matters and complex development arrangements and structures and has acted generally in relation to all aspects of real estate transactions including acquisitions, disposals and leasing. He has a keen interest in liquor and gaming and hospitality assets.Matthew has also acted in acquisitions and disposals of significant Federal and State Government and GOC land holdings and advised government generally in relation to operational and land management matters. For many years Matthew has specialised in the area of insolvency and the realisation of distressed assets for financiers and insolvency administrators, as well as commercial property acquisitions and disposals, commercial property development, restructures and workouts and asset management and realisation.

Nick Stretch

Nick is a partner and head of Dentons’ Corporate group in Australia. Nick is experienced in mergers and acquisitions and has advised in both public and private contexts. Nick also has particular experience in insolvencies and business reconstructions across a broad range of sectors, including construction, financial institutions, mining and technology. Nick is also experienced in mergers and acquisitions and has advised in both public and private contexts.

Peter Luke

Peter Luke is a partner with almost thirty years’ experience. Peter acts primarily on structured and project finance matters with a particular emphasis on real estate and professional services financing. He also has an extensive business banking practice.

Robyn Chatwood

Robyn is an intellectual property and information technology partner whose practice covers franchising and distribution, commercial contracts and concession agreements, information technology and communications law, e-commerce law, data protection/privacy and all forms of new technology and IP such as artificial intelligence, payment platforms and crypto currencies, augmented reality and virtual reality. Robyn has advised many companies behind the world's leading brands.Robyn has particular expertise in the hotel, leisure, retail, education and healthcare sectors. She is recognised as a leading expert in retail, education, hotel and leisure franchising. She is a member of the firm's franchise group, hotel sector group and the firm’s retail group. Robyn’s clients include multi-national corporations, financial institutions, start-ups such as games developers and public authorities. Robyn works with them on matters such as franchise agreements and master developer agreements (and their related contracts and disclosure documents), strategic outsourcing agreements, major commercial contracts and software licensing, outsourcing and development agreements.Robyn also has a specialty in international licensing, particularly in retail, hospitality and healthcare sectors, and advises on data protection law impacts in respect of international transfers and customer relationship management, and IP driven joint venture agreements. Her practice has included both contentious and non-contentious matters.

Scott Guthrie

Scott Guthrie is a partner with 21 years of expertise advising clients in the finance, insolvency and property industries.A significant part of Scott's practice involves acting for various stakeholders in the unsecured and secured insolvency market. Scott regularly advises and acts for receivers, liquidators, administrators and bankruptcy trustees in identifying, preserving and recovering assets for secured and unsecured creditors. Scott also represents directors and company officers, particularly in response to investigations and enforcement action by ASIC and other corporate regulators.Scott also represents a number of major banking institutions to recover secured and unsecured funds, and acts for them and other non-bank financiers in all manner of disputes, including those concerning the priority of securities, mortgage fraud, cheque conversion claims and professional negligence claims (against auditors and valuers).Scott has also acted for property developers in joint venture disputes, as well as contractual disputes concerning the application of consumer protection legislation (such as the Land Sales Act) and disputes concerning alleged rights of termination.

Stephen Massa

Stephen is an experienced finance, corporate and commercial lawyer and Head of Dentons Port Moresby office. Stephen advises financial institutions, governments, central banks, state owned enterprises, corporates and NGOs on a range of transactions, projects and contentious matters in the Asia Pacific region. Stephen is qualified in Papua New Guinea, Australia and England and has significant experience in each of these jurisdictions.

Timothy Lipscombe

Tim is the Sydney Banking and Finance Leader and has over a number of years been ranked as one of the top real estate, property & construction finance lawyers in Australia. Tim has significant cross border and domestic experience advising clients in the areas of syndicated, club and bilateral corporate finance and bank lending; real estate, property and construction finance; leveraged and acquisition finance; asset and equipment finance and leasing and debt restructuring and workouts.