Frank Poeta—profile of new partner specialising in property transactions
19 July 2007Just as thorough preparation is vital for providing exceptional legal service to clients, Frank Poeta believes the characteristics of his particular practice have been advantageous in preparing him for entry to the Freehills partnership.
Frank, one of nine new partners, specialises in property transactions, an area that has been particularly buoyant in his home town of Perth in recent years.
‘It has slowed a little, but the last three years has been an unprecedented boom time in the Perth property market,’ he says. ‘It’s provided an opportunity to develop a strong team of lawyers under my direct supervision. I’ve also focused on building relationships with the premier developers in the Perth market, and have developed a strong understanding of the industry.
‘So in that sense, it’s helped provide me with a very effective grounding for the role of partner and how to run a practice.’
Frank joined Freehills in 1995 and, after completing the usual round of rotations, ended up in the firm’s property practice area.
He specialises in providing legal services for strata developments and integrated subdivisions. For example, his team is currently acting on Mirvac’s Peninsula development—the largest master plan community development ever undertaken in Western Australia.
‘The calibre and profile of the deals we are working on has always been one of the strongest attractions of this practice area for me,’ he says. ‘It’s never a case of just coming into the office to put lids on jars; it really is challenging, high-end work.’
Apart from keeping up to date with industry and legal developments, Frank sees a large part of his service to clients as delivering legal advice effectively and being prepared to recommend a course of action.
‘One of the things I focus on is making sure I understand the commercial drivers for clients, and offering them legal solutions that take account of these drivers. Clients often ask me, “What would you do?”, and rather than just explaining the law and what their options are, I try to give them some comfort in helping them select the most effective path to meet their commercial objectives.’
It’s an approach Frank sees as an important part of any solicitor’s development, and something he knows he will be continuing to coach his team on in his role as a partner.
‘Client contact is very important. Being able to do the legal work is one thing, but actually being able to deliver that legal work effectively is, in most respects, just as critical.
‘For example, one of the things I always try to do is to make sure all the correspondence I send to clients goes from a solicitor in my team, as well as me. It’s a small thing but it provides the client with an extra point of contact, and an additional opportunity for our solicitors to develop those important client relationship skills.
‘These days clients can go to a multitude of firms when they need legal advice and, by and large, the solution that’s provided will be very similar. But some advice will be a little bit better than others, and communicated back to the client in a way that more effectively enhances the client’s understanding of all the issues.
‘It’s those sorts of things that distinguish one lawyer from another, not just their legal expertise.’
Outside of Freehills Frank owns a small property development business, which he believes also gives him an edge over other lawyers in Perth.
‘The developments my business is involved in are on a much smaller scale than those of my clients at Freehills, but nevertheless the principles are the same and it does help me in terms of maintaining my familiarity with the industry and understanding the issues facing my clients.’
Frank also enjoys spending time with his young family. He plays basketball and follows a variety of sports when time permits— most notably football, Formula 1 racing and soccer.
Frank's professional biography is available by clicking here.
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