Douglas has 22 years’ experience advising businesses on a broad range of commercial matters and transactions, with a particular focus on Australian companies looking to export or expand into the UK, and in supporting UK government export initiatives into the Australasian market. Douglas is dual qualified in both jurisdictions.
Prior to joining Keypoint, Douglas was a Consultant with Kemp Strang (now Thomson Geer) and before that, was a Co-Principal of a boutique corporate and commercial law firm. Douglas originally trained in London with commercial and banking practice Wilde & Partners.
Expertise
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Commercial property
- Workplace relations
- General corporate and commercial agreements
- Intellectual property
- Business visas
- Dispute resolution
Experience
- Lead lawyer on ‘entry into market’ acquisition of Australian travel businesses by the UK’s leading cruise travel agency.
- Lead lawyer on the sale of the National Australian Testing Authority’s Australian and US subsidiary businesses to the British Standards Institute.
- Lead lawyer in the acquisition of two aviation training schools and associated aircraft, including CASA regulatory compliance.
- Senior member of SAE’s legal team in its disposal of 56 businesses across 24 countries, at a transaction value in excess of $300m.
- Senior team member and lead in the sale and acquisition of a wide range of leading Australian magazine titles, media and custom publishing businesses.
- Advised a major UK banking group in relation to an Australian corporation entering into a forbearance agreement as part of an international debt restructuring involving finance, corporate and tax law advice
- Senior member of the corporate team advising international UK-based architects on their agreements with a major Australian construction company for the redevelopment and upgrade of the Waterloo train station in Sydney.
- Lead lawyer advising on sale of a landmark waterfront commercial property transacted through a complex Put and Call Option involving multiple parties, drawing on expertise from our Property and Commercial teams, with a transaction value in excess of $30m
- Lead lawyer in the successful merger of the Asia Pacific Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (APLAC) and the Pacific Accreditation Cooperation (PAC) to form APAC – a leading regional cooperation body for the mutual recognition of accreditation, testing and calibration standards within sectors including medical laboratories, food safety, product certification and greenhouse gas verification.
- Australian counsel assisting UK legal team with the sale of Asia Pacific Swedish cider distribution rights to Coca-Cola Amatil
Recognition
Douglas is a member of the British Australian Chamber of Commerce.
Career
| 2018 | Keypoint Law | Consulting Principal |
| 2016 – 2018 | Kemp Strang Lawyers | Consultant |
| 2011 – 2016 | Peters Linnette Lawyers | Managing Principal, Co-Principal and Consultant |
| 2000 – 2011 | Rodd Peters Lawyers | Employed Partner |
| 1996 – 2000 | Flynet Software UK| In-house Legal Director |