Mark has a broad range of experience in corporate and commercial practice areas, with a particular focus on the sports, entertainment and media industries.
Mark’s practice primarily focuses on:
- mergers and acquisitions and drafting of associated documentation;
- media rights and associated broadcasting and production arrangements;
- sporting event commercialisation, including structuring advice and the drafting of agreements dealing with licensing, venue hire and procurement;
- intellectual property commercialisation, including intellectual property licensing and technology licensing agreements;
- advising clients on all aspects of corporate governance and structuring (including directors’ duties and related party transactions); and
- drafting and advising on general commercial agreements.
Mark has acted for clients of all sizes, including major listed and private companies, family businesses, sporting organisations, and athletes.
Mark is a Recommended Lawyer in Legal 500 for media and entertainment. He was previously the independent director on the board of Speedway Australia.
Experience
- Advising numerous sporting bodies on complex, high value media rights transactions across free-to-air television, subscription television and digital platforms.
- Assisting a client draft and negotiate the naming rights agreement for a large stadium owned and operated by the client.
- Acting for buyers and sellers of businesses and companies across a range of industries.
- Assisting a prominent live music venue negotiate its venue hiring agreements.
- Advising on the corporate restructuring for a prominent national sporting organisation.
- Assisting a brewery on all aspects of its operations, including structuring, capital raising, and drafting brewing and supply contracts.
- Advising a large automobile manufacturer in respect of their procurement and supply agreements.
- Acting for both the sponsor and sponsee in respect of the drafting and negotiation of sponsorship agreements.
- Drafting rules and regulations for sporting organisations.
- Providing advice to a number of clients (including sporting organisations, venue operators and resort owners) regarding refund obligations and arrangements arising from COVID-19.
- Assisting sporting teams and individual athletes negotiate agreements for the use and commercialisation of athletes’ image rights, including in respect of the use in advertisements and other promotional material.
- Drafting IT master services and development agreements for clients involved in various industries, including the superannuation, tertiary education and online auction industries.
- Providing advice to a State government department in relation to procurement and supply arrangements.
Awards and Recognition
The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2022 - 2024
Media and entertainment
Law Institute of Victoria Legal Awards 2019
Highly Commended, Rogers Legal Writing Award
Memberships
- Australian and New Zealand Sports Law Association (ANZSLA)