Lachlan joined the Sydney office of Freehills in 1995 and since 1997, his area of focus and expertise has been in securitisation. He has also been involved in property financing and property development transactions.

Lachlan has extensive securitisation experience and is involved in providing advice in relation to mortgage and asset-backed securitisation programs and transactions. This includes negotiating and liaising with rating agencies and regulatory bodies and advising, negotiating and preparing all relevant transaction documentation for residential and commercial mortgage-backed programs and asset-backed programs and involving the issue of securities both domestically and offshore, including United States SEC registered and Irish Stock Exchange listed transactions. The receivables for asset-backed programs have ranged from trade debtors and credit cards to export receivables with the assets located in Australia and offshore.

Lachlan has acted for various parties in connection with a broad range of securitisation transactions, including issuers, promoters, packagers, arrangers, underwriters, credit enhancers, trustees, originators and facility providers to securitisation arrangements.

Some of Lachlan’s recent securitisation transactions have included acting for:

• Citibank and CRS and its subsidiaries on the CRS program in relation to the securitisation of various classes of asset-backed securities, including BHP Billiton Ltd and BHP Steel Ltd trade receivables
• ABN AMRO and Tasman and its subsidiaries on the Tasman receivables program, including David Jones Ltd’s credit card receivables, BMW Australia’s hire purchase agreements and Cananwill/AON insurance premium loan receivables
• Rothschild on certain unrated issues, including the securitisation of fund manager fees
• Members Equity Bank in relation to all aspects of its Superannuation Members’ Home Loans program (including its global bond issues), its Maxis Loans program and its Super Business Loans program
• Members Equity Bank in relation to all aspects of its NIM transactions
• in relation to the securitisation of assets in North America, Asia and New Zealand, and
• Barclays and JP Morgan in respect of underwriting arrangements in relation to bond issued in connection with the Interstar mortgage backed securitisation program.

Lachlan graduated from Macquarie University in 1992 with First Class Honours and the University Medal in Law.

Before joining Freehills, Lachlan was tipstaff and legal researcher to Justice Handley AO of the New South Wales Court of Appeal.

Lachlan is involved with the Australian Securitisation Forum and is a member of the regulatory and prudential committees, and has been involved in other subcommittees of the Australian Securitisation Forum.

Lachlan has also written and co-authored a number of articles on pollution legislation and administrative law which have been published in the Environmental and Planning Law Journal, Australian Environmental Law News, and the Australian Journal of Administrative Law.