Paul Branston
Paul advises on a range of corporate transactions including public and private mergers and acquisitions and equity capital markets.
Paul has worked in the M&A team in Herbert Smith Freehills’ Perth and Melbourne offices and has been involved in a number of Takeovers Panel proceedings.
As part of his practice, he also regularly advises on general corporate advisory matters including head office and corporate governance, the ASX Listing Rules and Australia’s foreign investment laws. Paul has worked closely with clients in the mining and agricultural industries.
Background
Paul is admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Western Australia.
Paul holds the degrees of Bachelor of Laws (with Distinction) and Bachelor of Economics (First Class Honours) from the University of Western Australia. Herbert Smith Freehills awarded Paul the inaugural Brian Page Fellowship and he completed a Master of Laws (James Kent Scholar) at Columbia University in New York in 2006.
Paul has lectured on takeovers and he is the company secretary of the Committee for Perth.
Experience & expertise
Selected matters
- Independence Group NL on its $1.8 billion acquisition of Sirius Resources NL by way of scheme of arrangement, which also involved a simultaneous demerger of certain of Sirius’ assets
- Catalpa Resources on its $1.1 billion merger by way of scheme of arrangement with Conquest Mining and contemporaneous acquisition of Newcrest’s interests in the Cracow and Mt Rawdon gold mines (to form Evolution Mining)
- Territory Resources Limited on the competing takeover bids by Exxaro Resources and Noble Group
- OZ Minerals Limited’s proposed $2.6 billion scheme of arrangement with China Minmetals and its subsequent $1.71 billion asset sale to China Minmetals
- Olam International Limited’s acquisition of the almond assets of Timbercorp group (in liquidation) for $128 million and Timbercorp Primary Infrastructure Fund for $160 million
Sectors
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