Michael Linehan | Partner | Melbourne

Michael specialises in mergers and acquisitions, and has had extensive experience in all areas of corporate and commercial law.  Michael was at national law firm Clayton Utz for 9 years before joining Holding Redlich as a partner.  He has been involved in a significant number of large-scale and complex transactions for both listed public companies and unlisted companies (including foreign companies) both in Australia and overseas.  Michael has acted for clients in both the manufacturing and services sectors.  Michael is highly regarded for his negotiation skills, and for his commercial judgment and advice, especially in relation to transaction structuring and management of the transaction process.

Michael’s expertise includes:

• mergers and acquisitions (including takeovers and negotiated sales and acquisitions of businesses and companies)

• private equity and venture capital transactions (including MBI’s, MBO’s and LBO’s)

• schemes of arrangement

• joint ventures and alliances

• corporate structuring and restructuring

• corporate governance and risk management (including corporate social responsibility)

• commercial agreements generally (including outsourcing, distribution and licensing agreements)

• regulatory compliance (including under the Corporations Act and ASX Listing Rules, and advising foreign companies of Australian regulatory requirements)

• trade practices compliance

Recent transactions Michael has been involved in as lead legal advisor include:

• the sale of the Bang & Olufsen retail chain in Australia and New Zealand

• the sale by the owners of the Auscap Closures business of a majority stake in that business to Hastings Funds Management Limited

• the acquisition by Epworth Hospital and ING Real Estate of the Freemasons Hospital and the Cedar Court Rehabilitation Hospital

• the sale of the Godfreys retail chain to a consortium comprised of Pacific Equity Partners and CCMP

• the acquisition of The Perfume Connection national retail chain

• the sale of the Adairs national retail chain to BB Retail Capital

Qualifications & Memberships

Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws (Hons) - University of Melbourne
Corporations and Business Organisations Committee, Commercial Law Section, Law Institute of Victoria