Being nominated as a finalist for these awards is both an honour and a reflection of the collective success of myself, as a young lawyer, and Griffin Group. I look forward to sharpening my skills in this unique and complex area of law whilst contributing to the growth of the business and the industry at large.

Q&A:

How did you start down this career path?

Initially, it was an interest in business law, whilst completing my Bachelor of Commerce, that propelled me to complete my law degree. I also possessed an entrepreneurial flair, creating a shoe-selling business as a side hustle during my studies. Consequently, private practice corporate law felt like a natural fit, given the financial and legal blend and being able to work with and advise other entrepreneurs.

But I ultimately found private practice to be rather antithetical to my entrepreneurial spirit and business imperatives, as although I could advise and act in the best interests of the clients, I never had a seat at the table. Working as corporate counsel at an investment banking firm provided a unique opportunity to fulfil all my professional desires: being able to work and grow with the business; advise on complex legal and financial matters; engage directly with stakeholders; and have skin in the game.

That, and my penchant for suits. After all, which other profession would require me to wear a suit each day of the week?

What inspires you in your role/industry? Why?

The art of the deal and helping to facilitate large and complex transactions. Having the opportunity to play a pivotal and persuasive role, as opposed to just an advisory one, in enabling the business to operate in a commercial and legally sound manner in order to complete these deals, is stimulating.

In my view, it is incredibly rewarding to help shape strategies that not only support the growth of the business but also mitigate risks in a highly regulated environment. It does not serve the business well for me as legal counsel to just say “we cannot” do something. Rather, I am inspired to come up with innovative solutions or alternative strategies so as not to be prohibitive, but facilitative. Also, being part of a team that collectively work towards the business’ success is motivating.

The fast-paced, high-stakes nature of our industry fosters an environment where collaboration and problem-solving are key. I am constantly inspired by the chance to work with brilliant colleagues and associates, each bringing a unique perspective, as we collectively navigate complexities and issues to support the business’ objectives.

What's your approach to customer service that separates you from the rest?

I have three main tenets when it comes to dealing with clients:

1. Do not be a policeman

I do not believe it is helpful or useful to simply tell clients what they cannot do. For example, I avoid using phrases like “must not” and “do not” because it is not constructive. Rather, it is our job to advise clients of the legal circumstances and potential consequences and then allow the client to make their own commercial determination balancing risk versus reward.

2. Being able to talk to the ringer and the Queen

A “ringer”, for those who may not know, is a slang title for a cattle station stock worker.

At Griffin, we raise capital from wholesale investors while providing our clients with unique financial investment opportunities. We connect with investors from a wide range of backgrounds and levels of understanding of the investment landscape. Operating in the wholesale investment space presents its complexities, so it's essential that we truly understand our audience and can clearly communicate our offerings to all. We take pride in engaging with a diverse range of individuals, ensuring that every interaction is both informative and meaningful. This requires careful consideration and thoughtful design in how we present and market our financial products. It's crucial to communicate the key commercial terms of our offers effectively, attracting wholesale investors while ensuring full regulatory compliance.

Ultimately, when it comes to giving legal advice to clients, one should be able to translate the most complex and legal issues into digestible and plain-English advice, and conversely, be able to deal with learned colleagues, regulatory bodies and the courts, in a formal and respectful manner.

3. Commercial empathy

A simple phrase I have coined which basically means that a good lawyer should be able to understand the commercial context in which your client operates to better advise them. For example, if there appears to be an impasse in negotiating an acquisition, sit down with the client and figure out what the client is really trying to get out of this deal and what the actual deal breakers are. Similarly, for in-house advisers, understanding the major imperatives of the business is vital when managing the negotiation of deals.

How do you innovate and stay ahead of industry trends?

We work in a dynamic and ever-evolving industry, with new macro and regulatory challenges each day. I find this dynamism and variety keeps me intellectually engaged and pushes me to stay ahead of trends.

I find various legal journals, CLEs and databases are very helpful for consolidating key industry changes and then presenting the information in a concise manner.

I also believe having a strong network of other professionals in the same commercial sphere as oneself is important to keep up with industry trends. In my spare moments, I make time to network with lawyers and other financial professionals, whether it be for coffees, symposiums or events. You can pick up a lot of tacit knowledge during these networking events. If you develop familiar enough relationships with other professionals, you can have candid discussions about complex problems or changes and bounce ideas off one another.

Finally, working closely with stakeholders and clients helps to give an unfiltered perspective and insight into market consensus and trends. In addition to our Australian investor base, Griffin has strong relations with investors in Singapore, Hong Kong and the UAE. I am fortunate to travel to these places through my role often and meet in person with investors and foreign counterparts. This allows me to obtain a diverse perspective and ultimately enables us to better tailor our legal structures and financial products to suit a diverse range of clients.

What is the toughest challenge you've faced in your role? How did you overcome it?

From a personal perspective, the greatest challenge was the enormous responsibility of being the sole corporate counsel to a rapidly growing multi-faceted business. There is great pressure to provide expeditious and accurate legal advice, with little resourcing and no other internal legal support.

I have successfully overcome this by being self-aware and acknowledging my own limitations with respect to legal capacity and knowledge. Sometimes, I do not know the answer. And so instead of being too egotistical or proud, it is important to say “I do not know” and recommend seeking external legal counsel and support.

From a technical perspective, we recently overcame a very complex multi-jurisdictional financial securities and banking and finance legal conundrum. The work has allowed us to partner with a Singaporean-based investment firm, which has led to the inception of Fraxtor Australia. A first-of-its-kind online investment platform that utilises proprietary blockchain technology to provide wholesale investors access to real property investments throughout the globe. It is an innovate solution to the outdated REIT model and incorporates modern technology to provide an easy investment and interface experience.

Fraxtor Australia’s recent investment offer was fully subscribed for within 15 minutes, which was a remarkable achievement. Despite the initial complexities and challenges, we overcame the obstacles and achieved a great commercial success. I encourage you all to read more about Fraxtor Australia and our recent offer here.

What are some of your goals for the next 5 years?

As a business, we are growing exponentially. With $600million net assets under management currently, we are anticipating this figure will grow to approximately $1billion over the next several years. Whilst much of this growth will likely come from Australian wholesale investors, we do intend to expand our already strong global presence into other jurisdictions, such as Europe, Saudi Arabia and Japan.

I would like to become more actively involved within investment banking and the financial services industry globally – as a thought leader and trusted industry expert.

I am also eager to expand my network, and welcome anyone reading this article to reach out for a coffee or chat – I do not charge by the hour anymore! You can find out more about Griffin and our associated investments here.