Current practice

Leon’s practice is founded on a commitment to meeting clients’ objectives in a responsive manner and a reputation for innovative structuring solutions.

As a member of Australia’s leading legal corporate advisory team, Leon has significant experience in corporate governance, mergers, takeovers, acquisitions, equity raisings and public company finance. He also regularly advises on competition issues arising in the mergers & acquisitions context.

Acknowledged as one of Australia’s leading corporate lawyers and ranked as one of Australia’s top legal advisors on completed mergers and acquisitions.

Industry experience

Major projects and clients

Leon’s clients include major listed companies, leading merchant and investment banks, telecommunication, entertainment, manufacturing and brewing corporations.

Specific recent experience includes public listed company takeovers, negotiated acquisition and sales of significant businesses as well as public company floats.

Recent deals

• Advised DCA Group on its $2.7 billion acquisition by CVC Asia Pacific and CVC Capital Partners.
• Represented Lend Lease Corporation in its proposed $11 billion stapling with GPT.
• Establishment and subsequent public listing of Macquarie Communications Infrastructure Group.
• Caltex Australia in relation to its strategic retail petrol alliance with Woolworths Limited.
• Macquarie Communications Infrastructure Group in its acquisition of a controlling stake in ntl Broadcasting UK and the associated rights offer (RAPIDSTM) to assist financing.
• Macquarie Bank in its investment banking joint venture in Thailand with Thai Military Bank.
• DCA Group Limited in its acquisition of the MIA Group Limited and its associated funding including the issue of bonds listed in Singapore.
• San Miguel Corporation in its acquisition of Berri Limited.

Other representative matters

Public offerings, spin-offs and floats

• Rights issues, placements, convertible issues for Hutchison Telecommunications, Amalgamated Holdings and Austar.
• Floats of: MCIG, Austar United Communications Limited, Hutchison Telecommunications (Australia) Limited, Rebel Sport, David Jones, Freedom Furniture, and TDG Logistics.
• Advising major shareholders in relation to the spin-off of Coca-Cola Beverages plc from Coca-Cola Amatil.

Acquisitions, disposals, joint ventures

• $850 million acquisition of the privatised national television and radio transmission business for Macquarie Bank.
• $4.6 billion sale of MLC by Lend Lease Corporation to National Australia Bank.
• The establishment of a $2 billion 3G joint venture between Hutchison Whampoa Limited and TCNZ in Australia.
• $33 billion global merger of British American Tobacco plc and Rothmans International.
• San Miguel’s $3.4 billion transfer of its Coca-Cola bottlers business in the Philippines to Coca-Cola Amatil.
• Bunge International’s $428 million sale of Bunge Defiance (Milling & Baking) to Goodman Fielder.
• National Westminster plc’s sale of County NatWest funds management business to NAB and broking/advisory business to Salomon Smith Barney.
• Patrick Ltd’s acquisition of Australian Stevedores from Howard Smith and the Australian Government.

Takeovers work

• Luxottica’s $550 million takeover of OPSM Limited and subsequent minority mop up.
• San Miguel Corporation successful takeover of J.Boag & Son Limited.
• Austar’s bid for eisa Limited.
• TNZ in relation to its $524 million mop up bid of AAPT.
• Bunge Industrial’s bid for Defiance Mills Limited.
• Merrill Lynch & Co, Inc’s successful bid for McIntosh Securities Limited and acquisition of Centaures.

Professional background

Before joining Freehills Leon worked as an economist with the Commonwealth Treasury and the Campbell Inquiry. He holds qualifications in law, accounting and economics.

Leon is an active presenter on legal developments in company and securities law and was until recently a part-time lecturer in the master’s program at Sydney University.

Other: director of Macquarie Media Fund and former director of Coca-Cola Amatil, OPSM and state and national board of Freehills.