Current practice

Quentin is a partner in Freehills’ Sydney Corporate practice.

Quentin advises the corporate head offices of listed public companies on a range of Corporations Act and ASX Listing Rule issues, including:

• corporate governance issues such as directors’ duties and liabilities and general board policies (including board committee charters)
• director and senior executive remuneration issues, including advising in relation to incentive/equity compensation plans, service agreements and related disclosure issues
• corporate disclosure requirements, including annual reports and other periodic reporting requirements
• company constitutions, notices of meeting and general meeting procedures
• compliance with continuous disclosure and insider trading obligations, and
• capital management, including capital raisings, dividend reinvestment plans, share buy-backs and other capital reductions.

Industry experience

Quentin advises many of the firm’s listed company clients on all aspects of their corporate governance and ASX Listing Rules and Corporations Act responsibilities. He also has a relationship role for a number of the firm’s significant clients including AXA, Santos and Shell.

In 1997 he established the Head Office Advisory Team (HOAT). Prior to focusing on ’head office advisory‘ issues, Quentin’s principal area of practice was mergers and acquisitions, an area in which he practised for more than a decade.

Significant M&A transactions include:

• acting for AXA in connection with its acquisition of 51 per cent of National Mutual, the demutualisation of NMLA, and the ASX Listing of AXA Asia Pacific Holdings Limited
• acting for the Commonwealth in respect of the Telstra Corporation float and ASX Listing including Due Diligence and Prospectus Committee responsibility
• acting for Ansell in connection with the sale of the Pacific Brands Food Group, the flotation of Cochlear Limited and the sale of Ansell’s controlling interest in Loscam Limited, and
• acting for Rosemount Estate in connection with its merger with Southcorp Limited.

Quentin’s M&A background assists him to advise on the Corporations Act and ASX requirements relevant to the structuring of major transactions involving listed companies and on the related Board and shareholder approval issues.

Professional background

Quentin has a Bachelor of Economics Degree and a Bachelor of Laws Degree (with Honours) from the Australian National University, and a Master of Laws Degree from the University of Sydney. He is admitted to practice in Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, Western Australia and in California, United States of America. Quentin joined Freehills as a partner in 1993.

Quentin now resides in Sydney and practises out of the Sydney office.