Mark practices mainly in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, corporate advisory and private equity. He also regularly advises listed companies on a range of Corporations Act, securities and ASX Listing Rule issues.

Mark was Head of Freehills’ national Corporate group for four years from 2002-2006. Under Mark’s leadership, the group consolidated its position as Australia’s leading Corporate team, consistently ranking first in the Thomson M&A and other league tables.

From July 2006 until January 2007, Mark was seconded to Lend Lease Corporation as Group General Counsel. Mark returned fulltime to Freehills in January 2007.

Mark’s clients include National Australia Bank, Lend Lease Corporation, Warburg Pincus, Australian Capital Equity Group/Seven Network, Babcock & Brown, Austar, Macquarie Bank, CHAMP and the Australian Government.

Some of the recent transactions in which Mark has been involved include:

• National Australia Bank on its $385 million acquisition of Challenger’s mortgage management business and associated acquisition of a portfolio of $4 billion of residential mortgages
• Lend Lease Corporation on the establishment of Capella Capital, a partnership with the former infrastructure team of Babcock & Brown, focussed on PPP projects
• Warburg Pincus on its complex and innovative cornerstone investment in Transpacific Industries and Transpacific’s associated $800 million accelerated entitlement offer, partially underwritten by Warburg Pincus, resulting in Warburg Pincus holding 30.7 per cent of Transpacific
• Babcock & Brown on its joint venture with GPT including its reorganisation and spin-off into a separate entity from GPT
• National Australia Bank on its $825 million acquisition of Aviva Australia’s wealth management business
• CHAMP on its acquisitions of Lindores Group and Golding Contractors
• Castle Harlan Inc on the sale of its 83 per cent interest in Americast to Bradken and Bradken’s associated institutional placement
• National Australia Bank on its investment in Pengana Capital
• Archer Capital on its acquisition of Australian Helicopters
• Advising ABC Learning Centres in relation to its recent solvency issues including its suspension from ASX
• National Hire Group on its joint $2.2 billion acquisition with Carlyle Group of Coates Hire and the creation of a 50/50 joint venture with Carlyle (The Banker’s Australian Deal of the Year – 2008)
• Babcock & Brown on its joint venture with GPT
• MFS Group (now Octaviar) on the corporate restructure and refinancing of Stella Group, and sale of 65 per cent of Stella to CVC
• Seven Network in relation to its media joint venture with Kravis Kohlberg Roberts, in particular ensuring compliance with media and foreign investment laws
• The Federal Government on ‘T3’ – the sale of its remaining 51 per cent shareholding in Telstra (Australian Deal of the Year 2007, and Equity Market Deal of the Year, Australian Legal Business)
• Austar on the sale by CHAMP and senior management of approximately 44 per cent of Austar by way of sale to LibertyGlobal and also a block sale through the market (CFO’s Deal of the Year, and Australian Venture Capital Association’s Buyout of the Year,  2006)
• Seven Network on the establishment of Yahoo!/7, its 50/50 joint venture with Yahoo! Inc. for internet, mobile and IPTV, and
• Cashcard on its sale, by scheme of arrangement, to First Data Resources.

Prior to joining Freehills, Mark was in-house counsel with Channel Four Television in London, which he joined after practising as a barrister in London.

Mark is recognised in Best Lawyers International as a leading lawyer in mergers & acquisitions, private equity and media. He is also listed in the top tier for telecommunications and media in Chambers Global and PLC Which Lawyer?.

Mark is a member of Freehills Board.

He is also a member of the Corporations Committee of the Law Council of Australia.