Simon Reed—profile of new partner in Freehills’ Corporate group
08 January 2008Simon Reed, a new partner in Freehills’ Corporate group, started his articles in 1997 as part of the last ever intake of clerks at Parker & Parker in Perth. Three months into his articles, Parker & Parker merged with Freehills to form the largest firm in Perth.
Simon rotated through Banking & Finance and Litigation before arriving in the Perth Corporate group, where he remained.
Simon has been well travelled during his time with Freehills. After a couple of years in the UK working at magic circle firm Freshfields, Simon returned to the Perth office before relocating to Melbourne to take up a secondment with the Takeovers Panel (Panel). Simon describes his year at the Panel as a ‘fantastic experience’.
‘Freehills has a good track record of supporting the Panel through secondments, and for good reason—it gives secondees exposure to the highest profile M&A and takeovers practitioners in Australia. There is no better or quicker way to get up the curve on the very technical area of takeovers law—at the Panel you are immersed in takeovers law and policy around the clock,’ says Simon.
While his particular area of interest is in public takeovers and mergers, Simon’s practice also covers capital markets work, as well as private M&A and negotiated transactions.
‘Takeovers and merger transactions tend to be very intense and conducted in short time frames, which is good as there is little chance of being bored. In hostile bids or competitive auctions, it does feel like you’re in a brawl—strategic thinking is needed to gain an advantage,’ Simon says.
‘The legal boundaries in takeovers and mergers are constantly evolving, as participants try to stay ahead of the pack,’ he adds.
According to Simon, it’s important to stay on top of current developments and keeping ‘your ear to the ground’ to discover what new techniques other people are using.
Simon says he is excited about his new role as a partner in Freehills’ Corporate group, and he is looking forward to this next step in his development. Having recently relocated back to Perth from the Melbourne office, he will be busy catching up with old friends and colleagues as well as building new relationships. There will also be the challenge of fitting back into Western Australia’s active market and raising his profile in Perth.
‘The Perth team already have a great client list but there’ll be more responsibility on me to make and renew my own connections and ensure new deals continue to flow in,’ he says.
According to Simon, good interpersonal skills are an important attribute for lawyers working within the Corporate area, due to the need to deal with an array of stakeholders on transactions.
‘Takeovers and capital raisings in Australia are quite technical areas and can be a real minefield for the uninitiated, so young lawyers need to work at building a sound understanding of the law. But this needs to be balanced with a good interpersonal skill set. Corporate transactions can involve fairly pushy or aggressive personalities—you need to be able to communicate confidently to get your point across,’ he says.
He also recommends that junior lawyers get involved in all aspects of corporate transactions to get as much experience as possible.
‘It’s a real trap for junior lawyers to focus on one small part of the transaction. Wherever possible, lawyers should take time out to understand the bigger picture, asking questions or getting exposure to the transaction as a whole. Senior practitioners should encourage this as well, by inviting team members to meetings or conference calls. Understanding the broader strategies and objectives means that lawyers have a better feel for how their own task fits into the plan, not to mention making the work more interesting,’ he says.
After a busy week Simon likes to unwind by playing sport, particularly hockey, although he admits that a few broken fingers in the last couple of years has made him think about hanging up the stick.
He is also an avid Carlton supporter. ‘One of my major regrets about leaving Melbourne, apart from not being able to enjoy Rodd Levy’s occasional fashion faux pas such as wearing golf pants in the office, is that after suffering through the worst four years of Carlton’s history, I won’t be there to watch the Juddernaut and the Blues turn it all around,’ he sighs.
Simon’s professional biography is available by clicking here.
For more information please contact
Public Affairs Manager
arriarne.kemp-bishop@freehills.com
+61 3 9288 1119+61 414 311 331
Assistant Public Affairs Manager
jeremy.hyman@freehills.com+61 2 9322 4957+61 448 390 798
