COMMERCIAL PRACTICE

Executive Overview

Nicholas Weston provides clear commercial advice to Australian and international clients looking to trade, invest, expand and quickly take advantage of corporate opportunities.We have experience in creating, developing and perfecting solutions for clients in virtually every sector of the economy, from construction to retailing, from banking to entertainment, and from basic industries to information technology. We provide general commercial, transactional and other specialty legal work to private clients, businesses and some of the country’s largest companies.

Experience

Principal, Nick Weston has acted for major organisations including St.George Bank, Guild Insurance, Melbourne University Student Union, and the New South Wales Police Credit Union and worked in retail and insurance before coming to the law. His experience gives him an invaluable client-side and commercial perspective.

Solicitor, Lea Lewin has a strong background in intellectual property law matters and related commercialisation issues. She has worked with clients of varying size and backgrounds ranging from large pharmaceutical companies to small local businesses.

We combine strong commercial knowledge with experience not just with large organizations but with new market entrants, mid-size Australian businesses and local subsidiaries of international companies in matters ranging from day-to-day trading agreements and commercial contracts, to structuring trade operations, mergers and takeovers, cross-border trade, licensing, franchising, trade practices, finance, corporations law, and keeping clients up to speed on new legal developments.

Methods

· Assessment of potential problems.
· Evaluation and analysis of client’s vulnerabilities and risk exposures.
· Identify objectives, timetable, budget.
· Corporate representation as general counsel or liaise with in-house counsel.
· Structuring, negotiating, documenting; review of documentation; compliance, advice.
· Connecting the basis of each contract with the client’s commercial strategy.
· Attention to important commercial points while sparing the client from technical drafting issues.

Results

· Multi-disciplinary advice.
· International transactions.
· Clear and practical compliance programmes.
· Negotiations leading to on-going relationships.
· Removing menaces to navigation

BUSINESS OBJECTIVES

Commercial Contracts

With experience crossing a range of markets and industry sectors, our work includes strategic alliances, mergers, acquisitions and sales, contracts, joint ventures, corporate finance, investment and loan agreements, shareholder agreements, advising directors on their corporate responsibilities.

Case Study: Acted for vendor in the sale of a chain of businesses. Provided corporations law advice, documented the transaction, completed the due diligence and settlement within a very short time-frame.

Corporations

Incorporations, shareholder agreements, strategic transactions, governance and compliance advice is a particular expertise of the firm.

Case Study: Representation of Melbourne University Student Union over a period. During that time, the firm handled a variety of litigation and governance matters for the Student Union, including advices on its Constitution, By-Laws, disputes with other directors, university-related matters, protection of the Student Union President’s reputation, and in numerous employment and contractual matters.

International

The firm has solid experience acting for foreign businesses headquartered or with offices in the USA, UK and Europe as well as Australian businesses with specific dealings outside Australia. In non-contentious business, we assist with local law and custom in analysing key assumptions concerning the course of action you have in mind, help effect your plans and provide ongoing advice.

Case Study: Representation of leading United States fabric manufacturing group in various retail, real estate and corporate projects in Australia. Formed local start-up operation with finance, business planning, intellectual property protection, licensing, and employee issues. We also helped them meet various legal needs in dealing with suppliers, customers, investors and other third parties.

Commodotised Services

We have acted for banks, insurers, credit unions and public companies to conduct high volume, cost effective conveyancing, recoveries, mortgage enforcement, sales in possession, bankruptcy and insolvency proceedings, and loan securitisation.

Case Study: Engaged by a credit union on a word-of-mouth referral from another client credit union to provide documentation to secure their mortgage loans to members. The firm effected the brief by using computers to do routine, repetitive legal work quickly, cheaply, and with little risk of error using a HotDocs document automation engine.

Working with their lending staff we customized the Consumer Credit Code computer program we had developed to suit their requirements and procedures.

The result is that their loans are processed and secured faster, better and cheaper than before. With a focus on IT, strong precedents and streamlined processes, contact us to discuss ‘work-flowing’ your regular work.