Peter Paradise joined the Sydney office of Freehills after his return from the United Kingdom in 2004 and is a partner in the Projects group. Peter is recognised by the Australian Financial Review as one of Australia’s Best Lawyers.

Peter has written a number of articles on infrastructure, construction and contract law in Australia and has also produced a ‘Guide to Doing Business in Australia’. Peter has also led transactions that have won the ALB Project Finance Deal of the Year 2008, the ALB Insolvency and Restructuring Deal of the Year 2008 and the IPA Project of the Year 2009.

Peter has worked extensively on major projects and infrastructure in Australia, the United Kingdom and Europe, particularly in the transport, road/rail, energy, defence, social infrastructure and technology industries. Peter’s practice also includes design and construction, facilities management, project finance, M&A and corporate advisory and he represents the Australian legal interests of a number of United States and other foreign entities.

Public Private Partnerships (PPP)

Peter has held a leading role in advising a number of consortiums tendering for PPP projects throughout Australia including advising:

• Macquarie, Leightons, Veolia and Alstom on the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the Gold Coast Rapid Transit PPP project
• RBS, Leightons and Transfield on the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the Single Living Environment and Accommodation Precinct (LEAP) Phase 2 PPP project
• Bovis Lend Lease and Baulderstone on the design and construction of the New Royal Adelaide Hospital PPP project and the Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre PPP project
• ABN AMRO and Leightons on the design, construction and operation of the Department of Defence Headquarters Joint Operations Command (HQJOC), the first ever Commonwealth PPP project
• Babcock & Brown, Singapore Power and Veolia on the design, construction and operation of the Rosehill Camellia Recycled Water Project
• ABN AMRO on the design, construction and operation of the Darwin Waterfront PPP project
• United Group and Mitsubishi consortium on the NSW Rolling Stock PPP project including the design and construction of railcars and a maintenance facility
• Bovis Lend Lease, Transfield and the Defence Housing Authority on the Single Living Environment and Accommodation Precinct (LEAP) Phase 1 PPP project
• Bovis Lend Lease on the design and construction of the Royal Children’s Hospital PPP project in Victoria and the Royal North Shore Hospital PPP project
• Macquarie on its bid to design, construct and operate the Singapore SportsHub PPP project
• ABN AMRO and Leightons on its bid to design, construct, own and operate the Sydney Water Headquarters in Parramatta
• Honeywell on the operation and maintenance of the Ararat Prisons PPP project, and
• United Group on the operation and maintenance of the Singapore Sportshub PPP project.

Project and structured financing

Peter has extensive experience in project and structured financing and re-financing. Recent transactions Peter has been involved in include advising:

• Global Crossing on the issue of USD750m in senior notes
• Newmont Indonesia Limited and Nusa Tenggara Mining Corporation on the re-financing of a portfolio of gold and copper mines in the Republic of Indonesia
• the AGL/Petronas consortium on the PNG Australia Pipeline project
• Toronto Dominion Bank, ANZ and a syndicate of lenders in relation to the Smithfield Cogeneration Power Station project
• the John Fairfax Group in relation to the Chullora lease/CPI linked bond financing for the Chullora printing facilities
• the John Fairfax Group in relation to the financing required to fund the proposed purchase of the Trading Post group of companies, and
• on the investment and financing aspects of the development by a consortium of oil and gas exploration in Uzbekistan.

Mergers & acquisitions

Peter commenced his legal career in M&A and he has extensive experience in this area particularly in the secondary market for infrastructure assets and in the sale and purchase of cross-border interests, oil and gas entities, start-up technology companies, and assets in distress. Recent transactions include advising:

• Transurban on the acquisition of the Lane Cove Tunnel
• ABN AMRO and Leightons on the acquisition of the CrossCity Tunnel
• Shell Technology Ventures on its purchase of Australian oil and gas infrastructure assets
• Macquarie on its purchase of SK Gas (LPG and LNG) infrastructure assets in the Republic of Korea
• NICE Systems Ltd on its purchase of Australian voice recognition technology companies
• Royal Dutch Shell on its investment and option to purchase United Kingdom sub-sea technology company
• Macquarie on its proposed purchase of the Sydney Airport Link railway assets
• the ERG group on its proposed sale of its European businesses
• ABB on  the disposal of its European CHP assets, and
• in Alphasteel Ltd on the sale of its steel mill business in the United Kingdom.

Foreign investment

Peter is the lawyer of choice for many American and other foreign entities looking to invest in Australia.  Peter has advised the following foreign entities in relation to their Australian interests:

• Global Crossing Limited
• Lightning Source Inc.
• EnerNOC, Inc.
• EMC Corporation
• VMware, Inc.
• Tectura Corporation
• Serena Software, Inc.
• Mitel Networks Corporation
• Calidus Software, Inc.
• Blackbaud, Inc.
• Ensemble Chimes Global Inc.
• Doble Engineering Company
• Well Dynamics B.V.
• Kenda Capital B.V.
• Shell Technology Ventures B.V.
• Verve Partners Ltd
• Nice Systems Ltd, and
• Network Box Corporation Ltd.

Peter holds a Bachelor of Business (majoring in accounting and finance) and a Bachelor of Laws with honours together with a Master of Business Law from the University of Sydney.

In addition to being admitted as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of New South Wales and the High Court of Australia, Peter has also been admitted to the Roll of Solicitors in England and Wales and as a solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales.

Peter is a member of Infrastructure Partnerships Australia (IPA) and the International Project Finance Association (IPFA).