More complex, more regulated and far riskier. New reforms and new duties are reshaping the landscape from tax and disclosure exposures to mortgagee enforcement, insolvency and ACCC scrutiny. Get across the decisions driving lease drafting and risk allocation, and work through the red flags in rental determinations, early exits and default responses. Sharpen your approach to incentives, make-good, restructuring and misleading conduct claims while staying ahead of the next wave of compliance reforms redefining Victoria’s leasing practice.

Presenters

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.

Sam Hopper SC, Owen Dixon Chambers West
Sam Hopper is one of the Victorian Bar's leading property and insolvency barristers. He acts for investors in relation to various collapsed managed investment schemes, regularly advises and appears for the Small Business Commissioner and regularly appears in the retail tenancies list at VCAT. Sam also maintains an active blog discussing various issues relating to property and insolvency at http://samhopperbarrister.wordpress.com/

Paul Nunan, Director, Eastern Bridge PTY Limited
Paul has been a director of Eastern Bridge for over ten years. Paul is a property and commercial lawyer and is recognised and accredited by the Law Institute of Victoria as a specialist commercial leasing lawyer. He is a member of the Leases Committee and is co-chair of the Law Institute Property and Commercial Tenancy Advisory Committee.

Jennika Anthony-Shaw, Barrister, Foley’s List
Jennika practices in commercial litigation, with a focus on the areas of Equity and Trusts, Building and Construction, Property, and Insolvency. She has a thorough knowledge of substantive law, litigation strategy and civil procedure, and has a particular affinity for complex problem solving. Jennika is briefed led and un-led in domestic as well as international arbitration proceedings, and also advises and advises in Trust and Property matters in the United States and European jurisdictions. Prior to coming to the Bar, Jennika was a Judges' Associate at the Supreme Court of Victoria and the Court's Commercial Group Proceedings Coordinator. In that role she provided enhanced case management of the Court’s shareholder actions and managed investment scheme proceedings. She has contributed as an author to several Supreme Court Practice Notes and has specialist procedural expertise in the conduct of Class Action proceedings and Electronic Civil Proceedings (RedCrest). Jennika has lectured at Melbourne Law School in the areas of Contracts, Remedies and Public Law, has lectured in Construction Law at Monash University, and is an instructor at the Leo Cussen Institute in the subjects of Evidence and Commercial Litigation. She has published articles in the areas of Security of Payment, the statutory regulation of building pratitioners, and contracts for domestic building works, and has contributed as co-author or editor to publications in the areas of unfair contract terms, proprietary remedies, and contractual misleading and deceptive conduct.

Nunzio Lucarelli KC, Greens List
Nunzio has practised as a barrister in large, complex commercial litigation for 40 years. He has been a King’s Counsel for 25 years. He focuses on commercial law, corporations law, international commercial arbitration, property law, equity, trusts, international law, torts, insolvency and administrative law. Nunzio has been briefed in several matters concerning unconscionable conduct, including in the context of large construction contract litigation. Nunzio is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and is a nationally-accredited mediator. In addition to being a member of the Victorian Bar, Nunzio is also a member of the Western Australian Bar and is a member of Francis Burt Chambers in Perth. Nunzio is experienced in all facets of trial and appellate advocacy in the Supreme Court of Victoria, the Supreme Court of Western Australia, the Supreme Courts of other States, the Federal Court of Australia, the High Court of Australia and in international commercial arbitrations.

Andrew Beckwith, Barrister, Greens List
Andrew is a commercial barrister with a practice focusing on insolvency, corporations, equity and trusts, consumer protection, property and building and construction law. He is regularly briefed to appear in State and Federal jurisdictions, both led and as a junior, and provides practical and considered advice to clients involved in complex disputes. Andrew's recent matters include: - Osten & Chrome Pty Ltd v Hale Corp Pty Ltd & Anor [2025] VSC 320. Andrew’s experience also extends to VCAT, where he is regularly briefed in matters across the Civil Claims, Building and Property, Residential Tenancies, Owners Corporation Lists. Andrew commenced his legal career as Associate to Her Honour Judge Marks who sits in the Commercial Division at the County Court of Victoria where he gained a strong foundation in commercial law, civil trials, practice and procedure and interlocutory applications. He holds a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from Monash University and is also a sessional tutor at Deakin University in evidence law and equity and trusts law. Andrew read with Ben Gibson SC and his senior mentors are Jeremy Twigg KC and Simon Marks KC.

Max Cameron, Legal Consultant and In‑House Solicitor
Max Cameron is recognised as one of Australia’s preeminent property law lawyers with over 44 years acting for many of Australia's leading landlords and tenants, 38 as a partner of a top tier law firm. His formidable commercial property and property management knowledge and experience includes recognised expertise in tenancy law, commercial contracts, mediation and litigation, and property development, particularly high-profile retail development. Known for his management and co-ordination of national, cross-jurisdiction teams, Max has a strong track-record acting for large corporate and public sector clients on a wide range of property matters including the leasing, acquisition, development, management and disposal of prime office, retail and industrial portfolios. Max's expertise is widely recognised as leading in independent legal directories including Chambers, Best Lawyers and Doyle's Guide and has been recognised as one of Australia's preeminent Real Estate lawyers. Max is the co-author of the MinterEllison publication 'Retail Tenancy Legislation Compendium’ now in it’s 8th Edition.

Tiarna Porcaro, Associate, Baker McKenzie

Eli Fryar, Barrister, Owen Dixon Chambers West
Eli practises primarily in commercial law and proceeds of crime. Before coming to the Bar, Eli was an Associate at MinterEllison in the Real Estate, Environment & Planning department where he predominately practised in retail and commercial leasing. He was previously a Principal Solicitor at the Office of Public Prosecutions where he had carriage of complex proceeds of crime litigation and quasi-criminal matters. Eli has co-authored a number of articles on one of the Victorian Bar’s leading retail and commercial leasing barrister’s blogs (which can be found here). Eli is a reporter for the Victorian Reports and a member of the Bar Library Committee. Eli read with Sam Hopper SC and his senior mentors are Paul Vout KC and Diana Piekusis KC.

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.

Emilie Fary, Special Counsel, Baker McKenzie
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.

Gia Cari, Partner, Arnold Bloch Leibler
Gia Cari is a partner in Arnold Bloch Leibler’s property & development group. She provides a broad range of advice to private, corporate and institutional clients. Gia advises on acquisitions, disposals, developments, real estate finance and leasing transactions. Gia is a strong property generalist and regularly acts for private and institutional investors in relation to various property types, including commercial, retail, industrial and mixed-use property and has specialist experience in advising on complex title issues and land subdivisions. She joined Arnold Bloch Leibler in 2008 and was appointed as a partner effective July 2019. She graduated with a Bachelor of Creative Arts and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Melbourne. She is ranked by Chambers Asia Pacific, Legal 500 Asia Pacific and Doyle’s Guide Australia in the area of property and real estate law, and Best Lawyers® International in the area of leasing law.