Our expert legal team specialises in IPOs, backdoor listings, capital raising (equity, debt and hybrids), mergers and acquisitions, technology and online businesses, mining and resources, litigation, media and defamation and employment law. It is our philosophy that exceeding expectations and going the extra mile to achieve the best result for the client will build long-term successful business partnerships.
Equity capital markets (ECM) are where companies raise capital. It includes stock exchanges, such as the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) and the National Stock Exchange of Australia (NSX). An ECM legal team works closely with their client to structure their equity offering, improve valuation, ensure legal and regulatory compliance and organise transactions.
How we can help
Automic Legal has deep expertise in Equity Capital Markets.
We specialise in:
Please contact Andrew Whitten on andrew.whitten@automicgroup.com.au if you have any queries.
Compliance advisory services ensure that clients have the guidance they need to navigate an increasingly challenging regulatory and compliance environment. With on-going regulatory changes, clients face complex expectations and potentially costly consequences of non-compliance, including enforcement action by ASIC.
Corporate governance professionals are able to mitigate risk and ensure effective compliance to benefit all stakeholders including clients, their customers and shareholders.
Automic Group can assist in advising both private and public entities on a wide range of corporate governance matters, including:
Our team works strategically with individual directors, full boards of directors, board committees, CEOs and other executive officers to facilitate effective and legally compliant management. We assist in all the day-to-day operations of running public companies, such as reporting requirements, managing disclosures and attending to lodgement of announcements and statutory filings.
Please contact David Hwang on david.hwang@automicgroup.com.au if you have any queries.
Mergers and Acquisition (M&A) law relates to the regulations that control one company being purchased by another (acquisition), or the joining of two companies to become a new entity (merger). Companies commonly engage in M&A to increase market share, further the growth of their business or to gain a competitive advantage.
Why are mergers and acquisitions regulated?
Takeovers in Australia are regulated by both legislation and regulatory policy. The takeovers rules under Chapter 6 of the Corporations Act apply to takeovers of ASX listed companies and unlisted companies with more than 50 shareholders. A number of regulators are involved in approving acquisition and merger transactions, so it’s important you partner with a firm that has extensive experience in M&A..
How we can help?
Automic Group Legal are seasoned merger and acquisition practitioners. We have acted on a range of M&A transactions from private small family business acquisitions to international multi-million dollar acquisitions, including complex private equity structures and management buy-outs.
With our ECM expertise, we are also experts at executing and defending takeover bids.
Our services are tailored to each individual client’s needs and include:
Funds Management is the process by which an investment specialist manages a pool of assets. Having legal advice ensures that clients remain compliant throughout the on-going regulatory changes in Australian financial services.
Automic Group has expertise acting for funds, fund managers, financial product issuers and financial markets participants.
In the fast moving digital economy there are many aspects which require legal assistance. It is important that an idea or business is protected and operates legally. Automic Legal has extensive experience in assisting clients to build businesses in the new digital economy
Automic Group is a specialist in technology, intellectual property and privacy law. We act for leading companies in the technology, software, telecommunications, media and e-commerce industries.
Our expertise includes:
Mining and Resources Law relates to all aspects of utilising natural resources and the legal requirements affecting minerals, their ownership, exploration and extraction.
Automic Group Legal has a wealth of domestic and international expertise in mining, energy and resources. Due to the numerous resources activities of our clients, the firm has acquired extensive expertise in both domestic and offshore transactions.
We can assist you with your legal requirements, including compliance with the JORC Code, tenement licensing, off-take agreements, farm-in agreements and services contracts.
Our lawyers have a comprehensive understanding of the specific legal requirements of this sector, including the operating environment, commercial profit drivers and the social and political issues that face mining and resources companies.
Our legal team have clients based in Australia, Asia and Canada with resource interests in various global locations, including Australia, Papua New Guinea, Mongolia, Indonesia, Canada and Africa. Our extensive experience, practical industry knowledge and specialist legal skills in mining and resources law mean that we provide our clients with effective and relevant legal advice in all matters.
We handle the full range of issues that arise in resource exploration, development and production, providing legal services to assist with:
Litigation is the process of resolving a dispute through a court case.
Automic Group Legal is experienced, strategic and has a high success rate. We have a thorough understanding of how best to use commercial leverage and apply the law to meet your objectives. Our aim is always to give focused and practical advice that is cost effective, and to keep you in full control of the dispute.
While we prefer the speed, certainty and cost savings of negotiated outcomes, we recognise that sometimes parties must resort to litigation to resolve the dispute. When litigation is unavoidable, we uncompromisingly enforce or protect your interests with a view to minimising your financial exposure, and risk to your brand or business.
Our team has experience in handling some of Australia’s largest and most complex litigation, and regularly handles disputes in all major courts and tribunals. Contentious and challenging corporate and commercial disputes are our core business.
Our expertise includes litigation involving:
Our clients include some of Australia’s highest profile companies and business people. We are also engaged by litigation funders to advise them on prospects in cases they are considering funding.
Property law deals with ownership and use of real estate, including access or exclusive use rights under lease or licence.
Automic Legal can assist with almost all property-related transactions.
Our clients include developers, real estate investment trusts, property managers, substantial property holders and companies with significant leasing interests.
Property Acquisition Development and Sale
Our team has experience across the full range of industry segments including office, commercial, industrial, educational, retail, pubs, residential and mixed-use developments and are skilled in advising on every aspect of the development, acquisition and sale stages.
In addition to advising on development, acquisition and sale stages and producing the accompanying transaction documentation, we can assist with due diligence, title subdivision, strata and community schemes and investment structures. We also handle listed and unlisted property trusts and joint venture arrangements.
Our knowledge and experience deliver commercially astute solutions tailored specifically to the respective interests of our clients.
Leasing
We act for lessees and lessors across a wide range of property types and different industry sectors, including those with special licensing conditions, such as child care centres, pubs, medical centres and pharmacies.
We can assist with commercial, industrial and shopping centre leases, as well as with licences for shared areas and car parks.
In addition to preparing and advising on leasing documents, our team can help with advice on tenant relations, relevant legislative regimes and preparation of collateral contracts, such as management agreements.
Employment law governs the employer-employee relationship which is typically, but not always, the subject of both federal and state laws. Employment law encapsulates many different subjects, most with the common goal to protect workers’ rights whilst providing clarity for employers in their businesses.
The laws relevant to the employer-employee relationship address matters such as employment entitlements and benefits, termination of employment (including wrongful termination), labour relations, employment discrimination, general protections, minimum wages, occupational health and safety and much more.
The ramifications of inadequate attention or compliance with employment obligations can have far-reaching consequences for both employers and employees and can result in regulatory prosecutions and investigations. For this reason, businesses should take steps to ensure ongoing compliance with the laws and developments and to minimise the risk of breaches of the laws, non-compliance and industrial actions.
Automic Group Legal offers a comprehensive range of employment law services, including preparation of employment, executive and contractor agreements. We also prepare employee option share plans and other incentive packages.
We assist clients with exiting employees with minimum legal risk, whether it be by termination, on notice or by preparing a program of performance management.
We have extensive experience in contested litigation involving employment issues and we will act quickly and decisively including, if necessary, obtaining injunctions to protect your confidential information or to enforce restraints of trade.
In addition to conducting high value and urgent disputes in the Supreme Court, we regularly appear in the Fair Work Commission and provide advice and representation in matters involving unfair dismissal, bullying and harassment and investigations for breaches of the Fair Work Act. We also act against trade unions.
We are experts at crisis management and brand protection and have been involved in some of the most high-profile employment litigation cases in Australia. We act to protect clients’ interests across industry sectors, including software, engineering and construction, patent attorneys, television executives, accounting firms, schools, child care centres and some of Australia’s most senior public servants.
Principal
Andrew is a corporate lawyer with a particular focus on ASX listed companies. Over the past decade Andrew has been involved in dozens of transactions, including reverse takeovers and IPOs across a wide range of industry sectors, with an emphasis on technology, health & medical and mining companies. He is widely regarded as Sydney’s leading specialist in delivery of legal services to ASX listed companies and has steered dozens of them through listing, raising capital, mergers & acquisitions and disposals of business. Andrew has an excellent relationship with ASIC and ASX officers, as well as with Sydney’s leading bankers and brokers.
LinkedIn
Alistair specialises in complex commercial matters that require careful strategic planning. An experienced commercial litigator with an outstanding record of success in contested litigation, Alistair also applies his exceptional black letter knowledge and analytical skills in transactional work. Alistair is known for his ability to cut through to the real issues and for giving clear and concise advice. He is trusted by some of Australia’s most preeminent business people to handle their personal legal affairs. Alistair is regularly engaged in matters involving serious risk to personal and corporate reputations and he has extensive experience in media sensitive matters. Prior to founding Automic Legal in 2010, Alistair worked at Freehills and was an Associate to a Judge of the Federal Court of Australia. Alistair’s academic work has been quoted by the Court of Appeal of New South Wales and in leading Australian text books. Alistair has extensive experience advising ASX listed companies and their directors and is a member of the University of New South Wales Law Advisory Council.
Principal | Chief Compliance Officer
David is an experienced corporate lawyer specialising in listings on ASX (IPOs and reverse listings), equity capital markets, mergers & acquisitions and providing advice on corporate governance and compliance issues. He is sought out for his expertise and guidance across a range of legal, governance and ASX compliance matters that are commonly considered by the Boards of unlisted (pre-IPO) and ASX listed entities at every stage of their growth, from listings, secondary raisings and strategic acquisitions or investments. David is a trusted adviser to dozens of boards and executive teams across a range of industries, including technology, health care, industrials, e-commerce and mining. David is a member of Automic Group’s senior leadership team, and serves as its Chief Compliance Officer across the company secretarial, legal, registry and governance divisions.
Victoria-Jane is a lawyer with extensive experience in all areas of commercial law and litigation and also spans the employment and media practices of Automic Group. Given Victoria-Jane’s breadth of experience, she is able to readily identify and diagnose legal issues and risks enabling her to provide strategic and pragmatic advice specifically catered to a client’s specific needs. Victoria-Jane acts for large institutional clients, publicly listed entities, small to medium businesses and individuals across the Federal and various State jurisdictions of Australia. In addition to her core areas, Victoria-Jane is also recognised for her transactional and corporate advisory work which is heavily informed by her understanding and experience in litigation and disputes. Victoria-Jane is a trusted advisor to her clients and known for her empathy and approachable manner.
Senior Associate
Stella is a corporate law specialist with extensive experience in cross-border and domestic merger and acquisitions, regulatory compliance and corporate governance issues. She has advised on a number of significant inbound investments and multi-jurisdictional acquisitions across a broad range of industries, as well as listings on ASX (IPOs and reverse listings). She is trusted by her clients for her commercial acumen and ability to deal with complex issues in a clear and concise manner. Formerly a lawyer in ASIC, Stella has gained special knowledge and skillset in regulatory compliance and corporate governance advisory, with demonstrated technical expertise in fundraising, takeover provisions, related party transactions, continuous disclosure and financial reporting provisions under the Corporations Act. She was also heavily involved in the Crowd Source Funding and Emerging Market Issuer projects while working in ASIC. Stella also has experience in ACCC and NZCC merger clearance filing, other competition law and consumer law matters.
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