As a property lawyer you are being asked to do more, move faster and carry more risk. Deals are more complex. Planning, leasing, easements, compulsory acquisition, deposits, contract risk, AI and professional responsibility are all creating pressure points in your day-to-day property practice. Gain practical guidance on the recent cases you need to know, the disputes you are most likely to see, the transaction risks that can derail a matter and the professional obligations that now sit around technology and client advice. Identify the red flags earlier, protect your practice and give clients clearer, more commercial guidance. Walk away with practical strategies, current legal updates and the full 7 CPD units across substantive law, ethics, professional skills and practice management, all in one focused property law day.

Presenters

Catherine Hallgath, Partner, Mills Oakley
Catherine Hallgath is a Partner with Mills Oakley Lawyers and is a Law Society accredited specialist in property law. Catherine has acted for a range of leading Australian and Asian property owners and has extensive experience in acquisition, development and disposal of major property assets, especially commercial office blocks, retail shopping centres and industrial parks. She has acted for landlords throughout Australia in relation to ownership and management of property assets and for tenants in Australia, New Zealand and Asia, negotiating and advising on commercial, industrial and retail leases. Catherine is the author of the Lexis-Nexis Practical Legal Guidance Leasing Service and a member of the Property Law Advisory Committee for the Accredited Specialist program.


Sian Jones, Partner, Colin Biggers & Paisley
Sian has over 20 years’ experience in commercial litigation, focusing primarily on property litigation and advisory since joining Colin Biggers and Paisley in 2017. As an experienced litigator, Sian has been involved in numerous disputes concerning breaches of contract including option agreements, development management agreements, property class actions, negligence, Australian Consumer Law claims, shareholder and partnership disputes. Sian enjoys working closely with a diverse range of clients from property developers to landowners, option holders, faith-based organisations and community housing providers. Sian has been a committee member of the Urban Development Institute of Australia Seniors Living and Alternative Housing since 2021. Sian holds a Master of Law and Legal Practice from the University of Technology Sydney. Sian was admitted to practice in the Supreme Court of New South Wales in April 2006, the Federal Court and High Court of Australia.


Sydney Jacobs, Barrister, 13 Wentworth Chambers
Sydney Jacobs is a barrister, accredited mediator and a Bar ADR Expert Determiner, with a longstanding specialist practice in easement, covenant and real property disputes. He is widely briefed in matters involving the creation (e.g. by long user), interpretation and validity of easements, their enforcement and imposition by applications under s 88K of the Conveyancing Act 1919 (NSW). Such disputes might concern rights of carriageway, stormwater, other utilities, crane swing and rock anchors. These matters involve both Torrens and Old System land. An LL.M graduate of the University of Cambridge, Sydney practices broadly in commercial equity and property law, with experience across partnership and corporate disputes, building and construction matters, strata disputes, leasing, and contracts for the sale of land, including off-the-plan sales, rescission and termination, specific performance, relief against forfeiture, recovery of deposits, and notices to perform or complete. He is also briefed in disputes involving options, rights of first refusal, and restraint of trade. For 20 years, Sydney was the sole author of Commercial Damages and Injunctions: Law and Practice, and a contributor to Commercial & International Arbitration (Thomson Reuters). His practice is characterised by doctrinal depth and practical, outcome-focused advice, informed by extensive experience in complex property and easement disputes

Michael Osborne, Principal Lawyer, Osbornes Lawyers; Accredited Specialist in Property Law
Michael Osborne is the principal of Osbornes Lawyers and has been in private practice for nearly 30 years. Osbornes Lawyers is a speciality legal practice focusing on commercial and business law, with particular expertise in real property. Michael is an accredited property specialist, chair of the Advisory Committee for the Law Society of New South Wales for the specialist accreditation scheme in property, a member of the Property Committee of the Law Society. Michael has extensive practical experience in most aspects of property law, including options, sales, acquisitions, strata and community title, and commercial and retail leasing. He particularly specialises in property development - structuring and documenting the acquisition and sale of the site and the associated work: joint venture or shareholder agreements, building contracts, development management agreements, financing and security, leasing, advice on stamp duty and GST, and off the plan sales. In the period 2011 to 2013, Michael served as a member and alternate chair of the Minister for Fair Trading's Experts' Committee on retirement village contracts to draft the standard retirement village contract. That document is now comprised in schedule 2 of the Retirement Villages Regulation 2009.


Carmel Lee, Barrister, 6 St James Hall Chambers
Carmel Lee is a leading commercial and equity barrister based in Sydney specialising in wills and estates, general commercial matters, private international law (conflict of laws) and property law. Prior to being called to the bar in 2012, Carmel was a Deputy Registrar of the NSW Supreme Court and Court of Criminal Appeal and Tipstaff to a number of judges in the NSW Supreme Court and Court of Appeal, including the Hon M J Slattery in the Equity Division of the Supreme Court of New South Wales, the Hons D L Davies, L McCallum and G J Bellew in the Common Law Division of the Supreme Court of New South Wales and the Hon R D Giles in the Court of Appeal New South Wales. Previous to this she was a solicitor in private practice and worked at the NSW Crown Solicitor’s Office. Carmel has lectured in Conflict of Laws, Advocacy, Strategic Litigation, Evidence Law and Legal Ethics at Sydney University, University of New South Wales, and University of Technology Sydney. Carmel was awarded the Lawyers Weekly “Barrister of the Year” award in the Women in Law Awards in 2022 and “Barrister of the Year” in the Australian Law Awards in 2023. She is a member of the NSW Bar Association Succession and Protective Law Committee and the NSW Bar Association Human Rights Committee.


Andrew Grima, Partner, Bartier Perry
Andrew Grima is a Partner at Bartier Perry. Andrew has significant experience and expertise in all facets of retail and commercial leasing, including: assisting and advising both landlords and tenants in their negotiations; drafting leases and other related transactions; assignments, surrenders and enforcement of obligations. Andrew also has extensive experience in major leasing and construction projects. Andrew approaches his legal matters in a practical way -getting to the real issues at hand by bringing clients together to communicate with each other about their concerns. By getting the parties to the table quickly, Andrew finds that they are able to move past the legal fog to identify the real issues.

Paul Brazier, Special Counsel, Holding Redlich
Paul Brazier is a specialist planning and environmental lawyer with extensive experience advising developers, government agencies and local councils on complex planning, infrastructure and land acquisition matters. As Special Counsel at Holding Redlich, he practises across environmental and planning law, compulsory acquisition, infrastructure projects and regulatory disputes, with a particular focus on the legal and commercial issues arising from major transport and development projects. Paul is recognised for his expertise in compulsory acquisition law and is regularly engaged on significant and high-profile land acquisition matters, including complex proceedings in the Land and Environment Court. He also advises on contamination risk, land acquisition agreements, environmental liabilities, roads legislation and strategic planning issues affecting both public and private sector clients. Before joining Holding Redlich, Paul held senior legal roles with Transport for NSW and Roads and Maritime Services, providing him with valuable insight into government decision-making, infrastructure delivery and regulatory processes. His experience on both the government and developer sides enables him to deliver commercially focused and practical advice on complex planning and environmental challenges.