Current practice

Philip’s practice encompasses a broad range of corporate and securities and commercial law, including mergers and acquisitions, capital raisings, corporate advisory and commercial contracting.

Industry experience

Philip’s experience in corporate and commercial matters includes:

• acting on the acquisition and disposal of businesses in various industries including due diligence and drafting and negotiating transaction documentation
• advising on the conduct and defence of takeover bids, including conduct of takeovers panel proceedings
• advising on and drafting joint ventures and strategic alliances
• advising Australian and international clients on conduct of public equity offerings in Australia, including securities law aspects, ASX listing, prospectus drafting and due diligence procedures
• drafting and negotiating a broad range of commercial documents, including shareholders agreements, subscription agreements, facilities management agreements, customer migration agreements and services agreements

Clients and transactions

Clients Philip has advised include health industry companies, leading telecommunications and media companies, investment banks and major Australian and international companies.

Recent transactions in which Philip has been involved include:

• Austar United Communications in relation to an exit by CHAMP of it’s investment in Austar through an institutional overnight block trade and sale to Liberty Global.
• Lend Lease, in its proposal to staple its shares with GPT units, and the subsequent internalisation of GPT’s management. 
• Caltex’s retail fuel sales joint venture with Woolworths.
• Casinos Austria International Limited in its response to the takeover offer by Casinos Austria International Holding GmbH.
• Challenger Financial Services Group’s acquisition of the Interstar financial services business and other Australian assets of Zurich

Capital markets

• Advising DCA Group Limited on renegotiating joint venture and service arrangements with radiologist groups working in its I-MED/MIA Network business around Australia.
• DCA Group LImited’s $600 million acquisition of MIA Group Limited by way of a scheme of arrangement.
• Luxottica’s $500 million bid for OPSM.
• Austar United Communications’ capital restructure and CHAMP’s investment in Austar.
• The acquisition and restructure of its I-Med diagnostic imaging business for DCA Group Limited.
• Austar United Communications’ $200 million rights issue.
• Australian law aspects of the three-way demerger of Fletcher Challenge Limited and listing of successor businesses on the ASX.

Professional background

Philip holds a Masters of Law and a Bachelor of Science with first class honours from the University of Sydney.

He is admitted as a solicitor in New South Wales. Philip was admitted to the Freehills partnership in July 2006.