Lee Papadimitriou

Solicitor

Corporate & Commercial

I recently joined Wisewould Mahony following extensive legal, corporate / commercial and regulatory experience from a diverse range of professional employment. I hold the following qualifications - Bachelor of Engineering / Law (Monash University, March 1997) and Master of Law (International and Commercial Law - Monash University, October 1999).

My professional career so far has included private legal practice, over 7 years with the ACCC's Melbourne office and several years in the corporate / commercial sector in various roles. One of those corporate roles was in-house with Tattersall's Ltd for about 2 years in its retail lotteries division managing all aspects of its franchising system for a retail network of over 900 franchisees Australia wide.

I have significant industry experience with FMCG, franchising, retail petroleum, lotteries / gaming and elite football (FFA and FIFA issues) and my practice has developed expertise in the following areas:

Corporate & Commercial / Franchising

• general corporate and commercial law advice
• advice on establishment of JV enterprises in Indonesia with local corporations
• advice on dual-listing with the AIM secondary stock exchange in London
• advice on issuing Warrants (derivative securities) via a NOMAD in the UK
• business acquisitions / sales (including licensed premises - Liquor Licensing)
• sale / purchase of shares in land rich entities and stamp duty implications
• commercial and retail leasing / premises licences and dispute resolution
• negotiating and drafting commercial agreements for:
• joint ventures
• shareholder / unitholder agreements
• supply and distribution agreements
• put / call option agreements
• licensing, and
• service agreements
• advice in relation to business structures
• property development projects involving joint venture syndicates
• franchisee sale / purchase of businesses in a wide variety of franchise systems
• franchise dispute resolution acting for franchisor and franchisees
• advice and assistance to franchisor clients in developing and implementing management's strategic policy for retail recruitment, distribution and commercial criteria in establishing multi-site franchise businesses and compliance with the Franchising Code of Conduct

Competition / Trade Practices Law

I have extensive regulators enforcement action experience with various ACCC investigations and subsequent litigation matters, which enable me to provide practical advice for expeditious commercial resolutions to clients, in the areas of:

• alleged anti-competitive conduct in the marketplace or with competitors
• ACCC investigations, whistleblower / immunity policy claims and litigation defences
• advising and representing clients in relation to all aspects of Section 155 statutory Notices under the Trade Practices Act
• legal vetting of advertising, marketing and promotional material
• consumer protection, product liability and warranty matters
• alleged unconscionable conduct in small business transactions, and
• implementing trade practices corporate compliance programs

Through Wisewould Mahony, I hold the following professional memberships and associations:

• Franchise Council of Australia ("FCA");
• International Franchise Lawyers Association ("IFLA");
• Franchise Association of New Zealand ("FANZ")
• Commercial Law Section of the Law Institute of Victoria;
• Member of the US Commercial Service;