Property lawyers must navigate a minefield of challenges, from vague lease provisions that spark disputes to the repercussions of recent tax changes affecting transactions. Coupled with the increasing importance of cyber resilience, the stakes are higher than ever. Adopt practical strategies to clearly define lease terms, effectively manage owners' corporation disputes, and understand tax implications to provide robust client advice. Enhance your negotiation skills to manage competing interests and fortify your practice against hidden dangers.

Presenters

Emilie Fary, Special Counsel, Baker & McKenziex
Emilie has over 20 years' experience as a Commercial Real Estate lawyer with in depth knowledge and experience in a broad range of commercial real estate matters, with a particular focus on industrial and office leasing. Emilie has comprehensive commercial office, retail and industrial leasing experience acting for both owners and occupiers nationally, including extensive experience in preparation and negotiation of Agreements for Lease and related pre-commitment documentation. In addition to commercial leasing, Emilie's practice also includes sales and acquisitions for institutional investors and preparation and negotiation of development documentation, acquisition of development land and off the plan broad acre residential sales. Emilie has recently held Committee roles on the Property Council of Australia VIC Tax, Retail and Commercial Leasing Committees. Emilie is commercial and astute in her approach with strong project management skills to deliver results on time.


Josh Baldacchino, Senior Associate, Baker & McKenzie


Karena Balkwill, Senior Associate, Gadens


Richard Brooks, Consultant, Ashurst
Richard Brooks is a consultant in Ashurst's real estate practice. Richard has a broad real estate practice, including acting for REITs and other institutional property owners, developers and corporate and government real estate occupiers, and acting on real estate aspects of M&A, infrastructure and energy and resources projects. Richard is experienced in acting on commercial property leasing (for landlords and tenants), sale and lease backs, real estate investment and real estate development. Richard is listed in Best Lawyers Australia 2024 in Real Property Law, Leasing Law and Government Practice.


Anastasia Aslanidis, Principal Lawyer, Prisma Legal
Property law has been the focus of Anastasia’s legal career since her admission to practice in August 2000. Anastasia achieved her accredited specialisation in property law in 2013. Over her career, she has worked in private practice, as in-house counsel (for a managed investment scheme) and as a sole practitioner. Anastasia joined Bedelis Lawyers in May 2017, where she is currently one of the principals of the firm. She has been fortunate and privileged to have worked for a myriad of clients in various property law matters ranging from the “simple” conveyance to the complicated development with 5 owners corporations. Anastasia’s property law portfolio includes: Sales and acquisitions of all types of property, Developments, Subdivisions / NICO subdivisions, Put and call options and tenders, Commercial and retail leasing, Loan documentation including mezzanine funding, Mortgagee sales and sales of property by receivers and managers, GST, duty and land tax, Property due diligence reports, Adverse possession, Creation / removal of easements. Boundary disputes, General Conveyancing, Property transfers including transfers to SMSFs and Property disputes. Property matters are like a show-bag. They can be full of surprises.


Andrew Cameron, Barrister, List G Barristers
Andrew Cameron has a broad national commercial and public law practice. His practice comprises complex litigation involving valuation and real property law, contract, equity & trusts, corporations & securities law, commercial crime, inquiries and royal commissions. Andrew holds a Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and a Master of Laws, all from the University of Melbourne. He won a number of academic prizes during his undergraduate studies. He completed his articles at Minter Ellison and read with Wendy Harris KC and David Batt KC. Andrew is currently a director of List G Barristers and teaches in the Victorian Bar Readers’ Course on written evidence. Andrew has been recognised in Best Lawyers in Australia and Doyle’s Guide to Leading Commercial Litigation & Disputes Barristers.


Sangeeta Thaker, Consulting Principal, Keypoint Law
Sangeeta is an Accredited Specialist in Property Law, with over 20 years of experience advising Australian and international developers, corporations, listed and unlisted property trusts and financiers on the full breadth of property transactions – including acquisitions, disposals, structuring issues, lease transactions and development advice in relation to retail, commercial, industrial and residential property. Sangeeta has extensive experience in drafting and negotiating agreements for leases (and sub leases and licences), acting for both landlords and tenants on leases with a variety of permitted uses including airport subleases, port terminal leases, service station leases, shopping centre leases, QSR leases, leases in medical centres and hangar licences. Sangeeta joined Keypoint Law in 2022 and is based in Melbourne.


Zoe Christodoulou, Senior Associate, Gadens
Zoe Christodoulou specialises in property development and distressed property sales, and has experience acting on a number of significant property acquisitions and disposals. Zoe has experience providing advice to a range of institutional and private property developers for numerous greenfield development projects across Victoria. Zoe has experience in mixed use developments (including large scale residential apartments) and industrial developments. She is a member of the Urban Development Institute of Australia Committee (Outlook Young Professionals Committee) and has been recognised as a finalist in the Lawyers Weekly Women in Law Awards 2020, in the ‘Rising Star of the Year’ category and as a finalist in the 2024 Lawyers Weekly 30 under 30 Awards in the ‘Real Estate’ category.


Joshua Dellios, Partner, MinterEllison
Joshua Dellios specialise in helping clients navigate complex project approvals, land access and regulatory matters with a focus on the renewable energy, resources, infrastructure and urban development sectors. As a former environmental engineer and front-end corporate lawyer who has worked across Australia, Asia, Europe, the Americas and Africa, both government and private sector clients value my deep technical and commercial expertise and my solutions-focussed approach.


Natashia Ackroyd, Partner, Holding Redlich
Natashia is a real estate partner at Holding Redlich. Over the past 15 years she has acted for many Australian and off shore funds, institutional investors and developers in their investment activities. She has also acted for state governments on strategic development projects. Her expertise includes real estate fund investments, property development, joint ventures and co-ownership arrangements, commercial leasing, structuring and titling issues and the tax issues associated with real estate projects and investments.


Andrew Silver, Barrister, Greens List Barrister
Andrew has a broad commercial and equity practice at the Bar. He is regularly briefed in respect of contract, trust, property, insolvency, partnership and corporations law disputes.


Iain McLaren, Special Counsel, HWL Ebsworth Lawyers
Iain specialises in information technology law, privacy, data protection, intellectual property, and general commercial contracting. Iain has over 15 years of experience in private practice and in-house. In addition to working in private practice, Iain previously worked in-house at Australia Post in relation to technology, data, and financial services matters, at ANZ Bank and Hewlett Packard, and on secondment at Energy Australia. Iain holds Bachelor of Information Systems (First Class Honours) and Bachelor of Computing (B.Sc. Computing) degrees, and previously lead the service delivery team at Plexus Legal, a law firm and legal robotic process automation company, in a combined legal and technology management role. Iain also has extensive organisation transformation experience, including drafting the agreements for, and being heavily involved in the commercial and pricing negotiations in relation to, global business process outsourcing (BPO) projects.