How to set up a shareholders agreement for an Australian private company
A step-by-step guide for founders and investors: objectives, share classes, reserved matters, transfer and exit mechanics, deadlock, vesting and how the agreement works with the constitution.
Read article →Director duties and liability after a cyber breach: what directors must do now
A board playbook from the first 48 hours onwards: duties under ss 180–184, ASX, OAIC, ASIC and SOCI notification triggers, forensics and privilege, insurance and governance reform.
Read article →Business Registries Stabilisation and Uplift Act 2026: Director ID, registry powers and beneficial ownership
New ASIC deregistration and correction powers are already in force, and Director IDs go onto the register from 1 July 2027. What boards and company secretaries need to do now.
Read article →How to run an ASX listing in 2026: a step-by-step guide for founders and CFOs
Pre-IPO housekeeping, advisers and due diligence, the prospectus, ASX admission checkpoints, realistic timelines and life as a listed company.
Read article →How to prepare and run a capital raising (seed to pre-IPO) for Australian tech and cybersecurity companies
Cap table clean-up, prospectus vs s 708 exemptions, investor documents and cyber diligence, ASX readiness and a sample 8–12 week execution plan.
Read article →FIRB approval delay in Australian M&A: causes, timing and practical fixes
Why foreign investment approvals stall, how the timelines really break down, and the long-stop, escrow and reverse break fee drafting that keeps a deal alive.
Read article →How ACCC merger review works in Australia (2026)
Mandatory notification, thresholds, waivers, Phase 1 and Phase 2 timelines, fees and the contract drafting deal teams need under the new merger control regime.
Read article →Convertible notes vs SAFEs vs priced rounds: an Australian legal and cap-table comparison
Each instrument carries a different legal character, different investor protections and very different dilution outcomes — with worked cap-table examples and a negotiation checklist.
Read article →Shareholder dispute over a diluted cap table: what Australian startups must do
Act fast, preserve evidence and understand the statutory remedies — including the oppression remedy under section 232 of the Corporations Act, injunctions and freezing orders.
Read article →Asset sale vs share sale in Australia: tax, liabilities and employee issues
The structure you choose shapes the tax you pay, the liabilities you keep and what happens to your staff. A practical guide with worked examples and a decision matrix.
Read article →Merger clearances — a change with a twist
Six months into Australia’s mandatory merger regime, the Government has quietly conceded the point everyone advising on deals has been making since January.
Read article →The deal terms that matter more than your valuation
Most founders focus on valuation first and legal terms second. Understandable — it is the number in the press release. But valuation is not what determines what you actually receive. The terms underneath it are.
Read article →Why I started 3D Corporate Law
Nearly 30 years as a corporate law partner at firms including Baker McKenzie, Holding Redlich and Allion Partners, and five years as special counsel at Atanaskovic Hartnell — and what came next.
Read article →Why I have been quiet
A period inside a world-leading cybersecurity company as General Counsel, Director and Company Secretary. Here is what changed, and what it taught me about advising founders and boards.
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