Michael leads our growth activity, combining his product, market and client experience. He is an experienced corporate lawyer who has advised some of Australia’s biggest corporates and funds on their most complex and strategically critical transactions.

Michael’s practice includes advising on corporate mergers and acquisitions, capital raises, alternative asset fund establishment and deployment as well as foreign investment and financial services advice. Michael has a particular focus on transactions in real and alternative asset classes, including private equity, agribusiness, property and infrastructure.

Michael’s recent Transactions experience includes:

  • Advising ResourceCo on the investment by private equity group Mercury Capital at a valuation of $300m;
  • Advising ROC Partners on a number of transactions including the competitive takeover bid for Vital Harvest (ASX: VTH), the acquisition of Pace Farms, the acquisition of Murray River Land, the acquisition of Emerald Grain and the acquisition of Murphy Fresh;
  • Advising KeyInvest Ltd on its acquisition of a 50% stake in mortgage fund manager, Keystone Capital;
  • Advising Yes Group on their investment from APAC Sustainable Infrastructure Fund, a fund backed by German investment firm Patrizia and Japanese giant Mitsui;
  • Advising Singaporean group SC Capital on its RECAP Funds’ investment in the Aura Australia retirement village operator platform;
  • Advising on the sale of Horizontal Falls Seaplane Adventures (ranked Australia’s number 1 tourist activity) to Quadrant backed Experience Australia Group / Journey Beyond;
  • Advising on the sale of STEDI to GPC Asia Pacific (a subsidiary of US based Genuine Parts Company);
  • Advising London based ADM Capital and Cibus Funds on the acquisition of Withcott Seedlings; and
  • Advising Inheritance Capital Asset Management and the T-Ports group on the acquisition, development and financing of its transhipment export port facilities in South Australia.

Michael is regarded as one of Australia’s best Transactions lawyers, consistently named by AFR’s Best Lawyers as ‘Lawyer of the Year’ in the areas of Corporate Law and M&A. Michael is listed as a ‘Recommended Lawyer’ in the 2024 edition of The Legal 500 (Asia Pacific) and as a ‘Pre-eminent Lawyer’ in the areas of M&A/Corporate, Commercial and Agribusiness in Doyle’s Guide 2023 and 2024.

Transactions
ROC Partners
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Client: Roc Partners
Transaction Type: Private M&A
Advised ROC Partners on its acquisition of the Murray River Land portfolio. The acquisition was the foundation asset for the ROC Agri Plus Infrastructure Fund. Deal Value: $120M.
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Client: KeyInvest
Transaction Type: Private M&A
Led By: Michael Garry
Advised KeyInvest on its strategic acquisition of a 50% stake in Keystone Capital as well as KeyInvest’s associated Capital Notes raise (its inaugural capital markets issuance).
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Client: Premier Health Care
Advised on the sale of Premier Health Care (aged care business) to Estia Health (ASX:EHE). This is the second transaction between Estia Health and Premier Health Care, with Estia acquiring Premier's original portfolio in 2014.