Current Practice

Adrian’s practice involves advising public and multinational companies on all aspects of domestic and international tax planning, with a focus on corporate issues such as capital raisings and structured finance, mergers & acquisitions and corporate restructures, and employee share and dividend reinvestment plans.

Key areas of practice include:

• domestic and offshore and debt capital raising;
• dividend and capital return strategies;
• capital gains tax and other reorganisation issues associated with mergers and acquisitions and corporate restructures;
• the taxation of public and private trusts and alternative structures such as stapled vehicles, partnerships and unincorporated joint ventures;
• employee share and option plans;
• structuring for inbound investment into Australia, particularly from the United States, and structuring for outbound investment; and
• tax litigation.
  

Industry Experience

Adrian has had significant taxation roles over an extended period with ANZ Bank, Centro, Coles Myer, GE Capital, Santos and Transurban.

Adrian has implemented employee share and option plans for many leading companies in Australia including ANZ Bank, AXA, Aventis, BHP Billiton, Coles Myer, Maynes, Newcrest, Orica, Pacifica, Santos and Shell.

Major transactions in which Adrian carried tax responsibility include:

• Centro acquisition of MCS Properties, merger with Prime Group & float of Centro Retail; 
• Coles acquisition by Wesfarmers;
• GE Capital acquisition of AGC Finance & Wizard; 
• Orica-Incitec restructure; and
• Adrian was instructing solicitor in recent taxpayer wins in the GE Capital Finance decision of the Federal Court and the Melbourne City Link decision of the High Court.

Professional Background

Adrian joined Greenwoods and Freehills in 2005 after 9 years as a partner with Freehills in Melbourne (when Greenwoods and Freehills and the Freehills Melbourne tax practice merged), and has a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Melbourne and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Taxation from RMIT University.

Adrian is known in industry through various conference speaking engagements, lecturing taxation in the Melbourne University Master of Laws, contributions to various tax journals and a monthly tax column in The Australian newspaper. He is an employer representative member of Taxation Institute of Australia’s Education Board and a member of the Property Council of Australia’s Taxation Committee.