About Michelle
Michelle is a banking and finance lawyer who specialises in commercial property and development, agribusiness finance, mergers and acquisitions and corporate restructuring.
Michelle has extensive experience acting for financial institutions, private lenders and borrowers in both domestic and cross border transactions.
Her expertise extends to negotiation of contractual arrangements and advice as to lending and security structures, as well as due diligence and compliance with legislative and regulatory requirements.
Having completed secondments to two Australian banks, she has a detailed understanding of commercial considerations and the risk appetite of lenders and a result has a sound understanding of internal mechanics and policy requirements for financial institutions when undertaking lending transactions.
Specialisations
Experience
Agribusiness
Acting for a Big 4 Bank on a $120 million acquisition of cattle stations located in the Northern Territory and Western Australia by a Vietnamese owned agricultural company, including advising on tripartite arrangements with the Northern Land Council and local indigenous group.
Agribusiness
Acting for a major bank in relation to the provision of facilities to assist with the refinance of the customer’s existing facilities and construction of a Queensland abattoir. The funding was provided in conjunction with Commonwealth and State Grants and so involved consideration of side deeds with the government departments and negotiation of priority arrangements.
Commercial Property and Development
Acting for a borrowing entity in respect of their project facilities in relation to a commercial marketplace development. This involved negotiation of the facility agreement and associated security to ensure project milestones were achievable and financial and reporting covenants could be complied with.
Commercial Property and Development
Assisting a Big 4 Bank in the provision of construction funding to assist a managed investment scheme to develop NDIS housing, including ensuring compliance with the legislative and regulatory framework, completion of due diligence regarding the management agreements and building contract and negotiation of associated side deeds.
Commercial Property and Development
Acting for an Australian bank in respect of corporate facilities to fund the acquisition of a shopping centre in central Queensland, including advice regarding the managed investment scheme structure of the borrowing entity and due diligence as to the various leasing arrangements.
Corporate Finance
Acting for a major bank in relation to corporate facilities provided to a large automotive group. The funding was utilised to assist with a corporate restructure and refinance as well as ongoing working capital. Given the nature of the underlying business and associated finance arrangements with the various dealerships, this transaction required negotiation of complex priority arrangements with the various floorplan financiers and private investors.