Mills Oakley boosts Sydney office with new partners

Mills Oakley has boosted its Sydney office with the appointment of new partners

Bhavini Sundarjee joined the firm on 2 August from Gilbert + Tobin. She is the newest partner addition to Mills Oakley’s property practice.

“Bhavini not only brings well-established client relationships with key property funds – she also brings the opportunity to expand our relationship with existing clients into workstreams which we have not previously explored,” CEO John Nerurker said.

Sundarjee has handled a variety of real estate capital matters, such as acquisitions and disposals in the office, industrial and retail sectors, and real estate joint ventures and capital

partnerships. She has worked with local and global property trusts, fund managers and private equity groups. Moreover, she has in-house experience gleaned from her time as senior legal counsel for a leading real estate fund manager.

Sundarjee further supplements Mills Oakley’s property offering in Sydney following the recent promotion of special counsel Emma De Leon to the partnership.

Last month, the firm also beefed up its commercial dispute resolution practice when it welcomed Eakin McCaffery Cox’s Deren Hassan. Associate Clementine Fryer and paralegal Ruby Lynch were part of the team Hassan brought with him.

Hassan is a renowned expert in retail, commercial and industrial leasing disputes and property disputes, having worked on a number of complex and high-profile matters. In the past year, he has concentrated especially on COVID-19-related leasing disputes.

“Mills Oakley not only enjoys an excellent reputation in the commercial dispute resolution space, it also has a strong front-end leasing capability which is an ideal complement for my back-end specialisation,” Hassan said. “I feel fortunate to be joining a dynamic firm offering such strong practice synergies.”

Nerurker said that Hassan’s inclusion in the firm’s roster is in line with Mills Oakley’s strategy to meet the needs of sectors seeking expert dispute resolution advice.

“Deren’s outstanding reputation and expertise in property disputes is a timely addition to our offering. Other areas, such as insolvency and restructuring, are also experiencing increased client demand and will be another area for strategic expansion at Mills Oakley,” Nerurker said.

Recently, the firm also elevated 9 special counsel, 15 senior associates and 19 associates in several practice areas across its offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.