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Tourism, Hospitality & Licensing

Our team keeps abreast of the key issues affecting the industry so that we stay fully committed to our service offering of personalised and practical advice in order for our clients to succeed

Our team combines skill sets across legal and industry areas to provide an integrated, experienced team able to advise on and provide solutions for all aspects of the hospitality industry.

How we can help

For a dynamic industry with facets exposed to a breadth of opportunities as well as a range of operational and regulatory risks and constraints, we deliver commercially focussed advice and assistance to clients to avoid risk, step through “red tape” (“and green tape”) where necessary, and take opportunities to expand, diversify and “future proof  their business.

We assist clients on issues large and small – from major acquisitions and divestments, property development, and major consumer or product related matters, to essential “day to day” compliance and advice matters, with staff, customer and regulatory compliance issues.

The range of commercial and legal areas in which we assist the hospitality industry include:

  • Business and property sale and purchase, leasing, planning law matters and development and environmental approvals;
  • Finance, cross-border issues and competition law issues;
  • Business structuring and succession planning;
  • Workplace law and work health and safety matters;
  • Consumer law, liability and advertising;
  • Liquor licensing, approvals, disciplinary matters and disputes;
  • B2B supplier, sub-contracting and sub-licensing issues;
  • Taxation and revenue issues; and
  • general commercial matters

Key services

  • Acquisitions and disposals of restaurants, cafés, pubs, clubs and hotels
  • Club Licences and Limited Club Licences
  • Codes of Practice and Late Night Codes of Practice
  • Competition and consumer law issues
  • Corporate and tax-advantaged structures
  • Disciplinary actions in relation to licence breaches
  • Dispute resolution
  • Distribution, agency and marketing arrangements
  • E-commerce activities
  • Employee and contractor
  • Exporting and international transactions
  • Financing and capital raising
  • General commercial issues, including corporate governance
  • Industrial relations and employment advice
  • Intellectual property and confidential information
  • Joint ventures
  • Liquor licencing assistance and advice including compliance issues, negotiations with police, council and other relevant authorities
  • Personal Property Securities (PPS) advice and registrations
  • Restaurant, café, pub, club and hotel leases and management agreements
  • Sale and commercial documents
  • Specialised brand labeling, trade mark negotiations and advice
  • Taxation advice
  • Workers compensation advice including companies that are exempt employers

Experience

    • Advising an ASX listed wine company in relation to the acquisition of a number of substantial assets throughout Australia.
    • Advising an ASX listed wine company in relation to a range of high value, long-term procurement contracts of critical importance to the group’s operations.
    • Acting for numerous administrators and receivers & managers in relation to the administration and receivership of ASX-listed and non-ASX listed companies. This has included the sale of various substantial businesses and assets throughout Australia and New Zealand across hospitality, wine and wholesale food distribution.
    • Acting for major wine companies in litigation relating to lease terms and misleading and deceptive conduct claims, and in relation to employee theft and counterfeiting activity, including in relation to asset recovery, brand and reputation protection, and tracing of funds.
    • Liquor licensing advice and representation on applications for SME and large business clients across a variety of jurisdictions in Australia
    • Advising major listed and private wine companies on cellar door and function centre operations, including novel and contested liquor licensing applications
    • Acting for an Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL) holder in relation to the establishment and operation of a specialist unlisted wholesale fund investing in hotel properties across Australia.
    • Advising a resort and town operator on its power infrastructure requirements, its infrastructure services in relation to water and sewerage, and procurement requirements including drafting contracts relating to these requirements. The project involved advising on generation mix / solutions for the current electricity generation facilities and their redevelopment and expansion and on power purchase contracts and tendering processes.

    Secondments and in-house roles in the large and industrially complex workforces of Qantas Airways and Rail Corporation NSW

Our Tourism, Hospitality & Licensing Experts

Practice Head
Andrew Williams
Andrew Williams

Partner

Gavin Cragg

Partner

will taylor wine lawyer
Will Taylor

Partner

Michael Rydon, Finlaysons Lawyer
Michael Rydon

Senior Associate