John has more than 25 years’ experience as a corporate and commercial lawyer.
Having worked on deals in Australasia, Europe and the United States, John has extensive corporate and funds transactional experience. Primarily, his work has focused on property fund mergers and acquisitions, initial public offerings and secondary capital raisings, fund restructurings, and the launch of wholesale and retail syndicates and joint ventures. He has substantial experience in structuring, managing and executing offshore transactions.
John has strong technical expertise in the property funds sector, having advised on real estate portfolio and corporate acquisitions, transactional activity for wholesale and retail unlisted funds and related regulatory, governance and compliance matters.
With senior in-house experience through the global financial crisis, John has a unique perspective on the commercial and regulatory pressures that confront boards and management in the Australian market.
John has been recognised in The Best Lawyers in Australia in Equity Capital Markets Law, Funds Management, Investment Funds, Corporate/Governance Practice, Corporate Law and Mergers and Acquisitions Law every year since 2014. He is also is a recommended Corporate/M&A lawyer in Victoria in Doyle's Guide to the Australian Legal Profession.
- Advised Scentre Group and Barrenjoey Private Capital on the successful launch of a new private fund, the West Lakes Opportunity Trust, and the acquisition of a 50 per cent interest in Westfield West Lakes shopping centre in Adelaide for $174.8 million.
- Advised Arena REIT on its recently announced $120 million capital raising and the portfolio acquisition of six early learning centre properties.
- Advised Islamic Bank Australia on becoming the first Islamic bank licensed in Australia.
- Acting for Moelis Australia in its A$29.5 million acquisition of real estate funds manager, Armada Funds Management.
- Advising on the formation by IPO of several listed A-REITs and subsequent capital raisings.
- Acting on the merger of various listed A-REITs, including by trust schemes of arrangement and regulated takeovers and transaction management of takeover bids of US listed property REITs.
- Acting for underwriters on numerous IPOs, rights issues, accelerated entitlement offers and placements.
- Acting on the acquisition of various Australian and United States property funds management companies.
- Acting on the establishment, operation and buyout of several Australian and United States funds management joint ventures.
- Acting on the sale of Australian general and life insurance entities.
Best Lawyers in Australia
2025 | Corporate/Governance Practice, Corporate Law, Funds Management, Investment Funds, Mergers & Acquisitions Law
2014-2024 | Corporate/Governance Practice, Corporate Law, Equity Capital Markets Law, Funds Management ('Lawyer of the Year 2022'), Investment Funds, Mergers & Acquisitions Law
Doyle's Guide to the Australian Legal Profession 2022
Corporate Lawyers (Victoria)
- Law Institute of Victoria
- Corporations Committee of the Law Council of Australia
- Law Society of England & Wales