Hayley is a partner in Freehills’ Banking & Finance group.

Hayley specialises in leveraged and acquisition finance, corporate finance and corporate restructuring. Her practice involves acting for a range of financial institutions (including domestic and international   banks) as well as borrowers and financial sponsors in relation to a broad range of finance transactions.

Acquisition and leveraged finance

Hayley acts for financiers, corporates and financial sponsors in relation to acquisition and leveraged financing.

Major transactions Hayley has worked on include acting for:

• Ausfuel/Gull – Acted for Archer Capital in relation to the $225 million financing for the acquisition of the Gull group and refinancing of the financing for the acquisition of the Ausfuel group.
• Brownes – Acted for Archer Capital on the financing of the acquisition of WA Brownes milk and fruit juice business.
• Various banks supporting bids for Loscam and The Study Group sale processes
• Wolseley Private Equity in relation to the financing of the acquisition of Abergeldie Complex Infrastructure
• Commonwealth Bank of Australia in relation to the Illyria’s acquisition of 50% of DMG Radio Australia
• Advent Private Capital and management in relation to the financing of the buyout of Genesis Care Group (I-Med/HeartCare Group).
• The Carlyle Group in relation to the joint venture by Carlyle and National Hire Group Limited (NHG) to acquire Coates Hire Limited via scheme of arrangement and the assets of NHG.  The financing consisted of senior debt of A$2.26 billion and subordinated debt of approximately A$110 million
• Barclays Bank PLC on the A$1.8 billion senior debt financing for the public to private takeover of Multiplex Limited and Multiplex Property Trust by Brookfield Asset Management Inc.
• Goldman Sachs in relation to senior and subordinated debt financing for the bid for the acquisition by CVC of the Yellow Pages business in New Zealand
• Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co (KKR) and Seven in relation to the A$4 billion media joint venture between KKR and Seven. The joint  venture includes Seven’s television, magazines and on-line businesses. The financing consists of A$2.65 billion senior facilities and a subordinated note issue of A$400 million
• Pacific Equity Partners (PEP) in relation to the financing of the proposed public to private acquisition of Flight Centre via scheme of arrangement by PEP and the founders and the subsequent joint venture between Flight Centre and PEP. The financing consisted of approximately A$1.3 billion senior and subordinated facilities arranged by Credit Suisse and ANZ

Restructuring

Hayley acts for financiers (including domestic banks), corporate and financial sponsors in relation to workout and restructuring transactions.

Major restructuring transactions include acting for Elders Limited on the complex debt restructuring of over A$1.2 billion of bank debt and US private placement notes which included accommodating an equity raising and asset sales.

Corporate and project finance

Major transactions Hayley has worked on include acting for:

• Aston Resources Limited on its financing arrangements pre and post its initial public offering
• Independent Public Corporation of Papua New Guinea AFT The General Business Trust on the issuance of A$1.681 billion of exchangeable bonds
• Babcock & Brown on the senior bank debt financing of the design, construct and maintenance of the Long Bay Prison PPP
• ABN AMRO on the bond financing of the design, construct and maintenance of the Defence Headquarters PPP
• CBA on the bond financing as part of a A$750 million bank and bond refinancing for WA Airports

Hayley holds a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) and a Bachelor of Commerce from Monash University.

Hayley is admitted to practice as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, the High Court of Australia and the Supreme Court of England and Wales.

Hayley joined Freehills in 2006 and was made a partner in 2008.  Hayley previously worked as a senior associate in the Leveraged Finance department of Allen & Overy LLP, London for four years.

Hayley completed a six month secondment as an associate in the Leveraged Finance department of the Financing Group, Goldman Sachs, London working on European leveraged and corporate finance.

Hayley has contributed articles to various law journals including Journal of International Banking and Financial Law, the Journal of International Banking Law, the Journal of Banking and Finance Law and the Practice and Australian Venture Capital Journal.

Hayley contributed to the Australian law aspects and chapter of Cross Border Collateral: Legal Risk and the Conflicts of Law by R. Potok, Butterworths, 2002.

Hayley also regularly conducts sessions for the APLMA documentation courses.