Current practice
Richard is a partner in the Corporate section of Freehills’ Melbourne office. He has practiced in corporate and commercial law for over 20 years.
He has broad based corporate and commercial experience, with particular expertise in:
- capital raisings
- mergers and acquisitions
- securities law matters
- joint ventures and matters requiring shareholder agreements
- corporate head office advisory matters
Experience
Richard is a partner in the Corporate section of Freehills’ Melbourne office. He has broad-based corporate and commercial experience, with particular expertise in capital raising, mergers & acquisitions and securities law.
He has broad-based corporate and commercial experience.
Richard acts for major clients of the firm on matters including:
- company fundraisings
- share and business acquisitions and disposals
- public company takeover and merger transactions
- company reorganisations
- joint ventures and matters requiring shareholder agreements
- corporate head office and advisory matters.
Major projects & clients
Richard has acted for clients involved in a diverse range of projects including:
Capital Markets
The public floatation of:
- Transurban City Link Ltd
- Transurban CARS Trust
- Atlas Group Holdings Ltd
- Repco Corporation
- Colorpak Ltd
- Just Group Ltd
- SP Ausnet
- Gunns Forests
- Myer Group Finance Notes
Numerous rights issue and placement transactions:
The establishment of Gunns Limited’s managed investment scheme to fund eucalypt and radiata pine plantations and the related managed investment scheme securities offerings
Business acquisitions and divestments
- Colorpak in its acquisition of Carter Holt Harvey’s folding carton business in Australia and New Zealand
- Just Group Ltd in its acquisition of the Smiggle business
- Repco in its acquisition of the Ingram and McLeod business from Alesco Corporation
- Coles Myer in its acquisition of Theo’s Liquor
- Numerous business acquisition for the UXC Group
- ANZ Investment Bank in the acquisition of Australian Convenience Foods
- Tourism Holdings in the acquisition of the Britz Motor Home Rental business
- Malaysian Mining Corporation on its sale of 49% of Ashton Mining Ltd
- GUD Holdings in its acquisition of the Davey Products Group
- The divestment by Sirva Inc of its Allied Picklords records management business to Iron Mountain
Takeovers and Schemes of Arrangement
- acting for Coles Group in its acquisition by Wesfarmers by scheme of arrangement
- Just Group in its defence of the takeover bid by Premier Investments
- Centro Properties Group in its merger by scheme of arrangement with Prime Property Group
- FH Faulding & Co in its defence of the takeover bid by Mayne Nickless
Business re-organisations
- the demerger of ME Bank from Industry Super Holdings Group
Professional background
Richard holds Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Commerce degrees from The University of Melbourne. He also has a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment from the Financial Services Institute of Australia (FINSIA). He is a Fellow of FINSIA.
