Current practice

John is a partner in the Banking & Finance group with a primary focus on financing of major projects, corporate restructuring and capital markets.

Industry experience

Since joining the firm, John has played a major role in some significant financing transactions, including a large number of high-profile privatisations and infrastructure projects, most recently in the telecommunications industry. Similarly, John has been very active in the funding of major corporate acquisitions, including through capital market issues. In particular, John has played a key role in developing the use of US Private Placement Note issues for complex restructures and financings in Australia.

John has represented borrower groups and lending institutions and advised on transactions on behalf of:

• Publishing and Broadcasting Limited
• Consolidated Press Holdings
• Hoyts
• Crown
• Telstra
• Rothschild
• Australia and New Zealand Bank
• Commonwealth Bank of Australia
• Fairfax Group
• Lend Lease
• Department of Defence
• Vodafone.

Some of the projects he has acted on include:

• the privatisation of the Perth and Northern Territory airports
• telecommunication infrastructure financing
• satellite acquisition by Defence and Optus
• Collinsville Power Station
• Olympic Village
• Darling Park Development
• the Chullora Printing Facility.

Professional background

John has a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Laws with first class honours. In addition, he has had a number of articles published in both the Australian Law Journal and the Journal of Banking & Finance Law.

Prior to joining the firm John was an associate to Justice Morling of the Federal Court of Australia and of the Supreme Court of the Northern Territory.

Through his employment with the Northern Territory Attorney-General's Department, John has also had a number of years of experience acting for public authorities and government departments in a variety of areas, including taxation and revenue recovery, land and resource management and conservation, construction and leasing and public service regulation of employment and finance. In this context, John has represented the government on a number of mining and major construction projects.

He also brings to our legal practice a background of experience in the high technology industry through his three years of postgraduate research in laser physics and its application to many new and developing technologies, including those in the field of telecommunications.