Laura specialises in a broad range of commercial matters, ranging from strategic transactions (acquisitions & disposals, joint ventures, restructures, partnerships and shareholders arrangements) to all aspects of daily commercial operations.
Laura provides commercially driven and solution-oriented advice and support to her clients. Risk, risk appetite, strategic drivers and the broader commercial context all play a part in providing practical solutions and delivering excellent outcomes for her clients. Laura acts across a broad variety of industries (and acts for both private and government clients) and works closely with other practice groups and teams to deliver holistic support on a range of commercial matters.
Her commercial contracting expertise includes the preparation, interpretation and negotiation of a variety of commercial contracts such as confidentiality arrangements, tenders, subcontractor arrangements, heads of agreement, supply & procurement arrangements, sponsorships, consultancy agreements, terms & conditions/credit applications, non-disclosure agreements, shareholders’ deeds, joint venture arrangements, partnerships, and manufacturing and distribution arrangements.
As a core member of the firm’s Competition and Consumer group, Laura has a particular interest and expertise in the Australian Consumer Law, including advising on consumer guarantees and the unfair contract term regime. She also specialises in modern slavery and has a deep understanding of how to support organisations on their modern slavery compliance journey.
Laura also acts on private sales and acquisitions (business and share sales), supporting her clients on either the buy or sell side through the diligence, negotiation and completion of such matters, providing strategic advice and focusing on risk mitigation and structuring to deliver the best outcome for her clients.
Laura acts for various not-for-profit entities, has Board experience in the not-for-profit sector and works closely with the tax team to deliver excellent outcomes to clients operating in this space.
Laura also has significant in-house experience through various client secondments in the past, including acting in 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.
Expertise
Experience
- Commercial Contracting Assisting a listed client to negotiate a significant outsourcing arrangement with a global outsourcing provider including providing strategic advice around operational implications and the management of data and privacy issues.
- Transactions Advising a major accounting practice on the simultaneous acquisition of multiple other accounting and financial services businesses; assisting with due diligence aspects, negotiation of sale contracts through to completion.
- Unfair contract terms Ongoing support and assistance to clients on the unfair contract term regime; discussing risks of clauses being deemed to be unfair in collaboration with clients (including any legitimate business interests being protected), amending standard form contracts to minimise these risks and advising on current trends and outcomes for businesses that have been found to have unfair terms in their contracts.
- Large project support 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Modern Slavery Acting for clients to support them with their modern slavery compliance journey, including sitting on modern slavery committees, preparing modern slavery statements, conducting modern slavery risk assessments, providing modern slavery training to Boards and businesses, drafting modern slavery questionnaires, clauses and supplier codes of conduct, and facilitating discussions with NGOs and industry peers in order to “information share” in this space.
