The new partners strengthen the firm's financial services and property offerings
Mills Oakley has brought in Tania Sibree and Randall Gerkens as its newest partners in Melbourne.
Sibree hails from EY, while Gerkens joins from K&L Gates.
“The appointments of Tania and Randall are strategic additions to the Mills Oakley partnership as the firm continues to grow and strengthen its national presence. Their complementary skill sets in financial services and property are part of the firm’s broader focus on delivering the best legal services to clients across Australia”, Mills Oakley CEO John Nerurker said.
Sibree has practised in financial services for more than 25 years. She has worked across the UK and the Asia Pacific region.
She concentrates on funds management, especially across asset classes, and prudential regulation and the implementation of prudential standards. She has a particular interest in ESG and climate reporting; she has advised clients on new and emerging regulations particularly around digital assets and AML/CTF requirements.
Gerkens has tackled commercial property transactions, commercial, industrial, residential and infrastructure development and construction projects. He is an expert in innovative structuring and titling for residential and mixed-use projects.
He spearheaded the legal team that handled the largest commercial office lease pre-commitment/redevelopment and the largest one-line corporate real estate transaction in Australia. He also headed up the legal team that tackled the development and divestment of one of Melbourne’s biggest industrial/logistics development sites.
A team from Mills Oakley also advised private equity and venture capital firm Five V on its investment in Sydney-based software and services company CriticalArc Pty Limited.
Five V’s investment marks the second in Five V Frontier Fund I.
“This investment typifies the type of businesses and founding teams that Five V will be partnering with via its newly launched strategy, Five V Frontier Fund I”, lead partner Brent Delaney said. “We look forward to continuing to support Five V as it invests in businesses that are driving innovation in Australia and accelerating growth into international markets”.
Delaney headed up a team that guided Five V on all legal aspects of the investment, including legal due diligence, ensuring senior management continuity, negotiating transaction documents, ongoing shareholding arrangements, obtaining FIRB approval, securing IP rights, and coordinating legal counsel across multiple jurisdictions. He received support from special counsels Bridget Edghill and Paul Wentworth; foreign legal advisor Olivia Bailhe; and lawyer Michael Zhang, as well as other Mills Oakley experts.
A team from Greenberg Traurig advised Mills Oakley on CriticalArc’s UK and US operations. PwC advised Five V on the finance and tax aspects of the transaction.
K&L Gates advised CriticalArc’s shareholders.
