Laura Young

Laura specialises in a broad range of commercial matters, from strategic transactions (acquisitions & disposals, joint ventures, restructures, partnerships and shareholders arrangements) to all aspects of daily commercial operations (with a focus on the preparation, interpretation and negotiation of a broad range of commercial contracts such as confidentiality arrangements, tenders, subcontractor arrangements, heads of agreement, supply & procurement arrangements, sponsorships, consultancy agreements, terms & conditions/credit applications, manufacturing and distribution arrangements). Laura acts primarily for private and government clients, and is a core member of the firms’ Government client team.

Laura is also a member of the firm’s Competition and Consumer group and has a particular interest and expertise in the Australian Consumer Law, including advising on consumer guarantees, the unfair contract term regime, misleading and deceptive conduct and unconscionable conduct. She also has a great deal of experience advising on corporate governance matters, particularly for private and not-for-profit entities.

Laura has been placed on a number of secondments with major firm clients, including a long-term appointment as Acting General Counsel of a major ASX listed client. Her time in-house played a key role in the development of both her legal skills as well as her practice style. Laura credits her ability to provide her clients with practical solution based advice with a view of achieving a satisfactory commercial outcome to her time in-house.

Experience

Laura’s recent experience includes:

  • Commercial Negotiation: Assisting a client to negotiate a significant ongoing services arrangement with a Commonwealth Government entity;
  • Major ASX listed client:In her capacity as Acting General Counsel (in a secondment role), assisting a major ASX listed client in the financial services sector on the implementation of a new business, including advising on regulatory, legal and compliance issues and signing off on marketing and implementation matters up to project launch, and acquisition of a finance, insurance and warranty business for $115 million;
  • Manufacturing, distribution and retail: Advising clients (in various industries including manufacturing, distribution and retail) to update their standard documentation (website terms and conditions, terms of supply, terms of hire, distribution agreements and purchase terms) to comply with the Australian Consumer Law including unfair contract terms legislation and in particular the extension of the unfair contract term legislation to small business contracts;
  • Corporate governance: Assisting various clients on their corporate governance practices, including advising and presenting to board members in respect of their directors’ and officers’ duties, advising on D&O policies and deeds of indemnity, access and insurance; and
  • Government contracting: Acting for various Victorian Government Departments and Agencies on the preparation and negotiation of commercial contracts, including funding deeds and goods & services procurement documents; advising Victorian Government Departments and Agencies on contractual risk and interpretation matters (including rights to terminate, rights to withhold payments, ability to make claims etc); acting for a Victorian Government Department on a significant funding project which included protected negotiations with multiple other parties including various government agencies as well as private entities.

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