Australian Property Law Summit 2024
Speakers 30 October 2024 | Sydney
Alexander Rowe
Principal, Construction & Infrastructure Law
Rowe Legal
Alex is a highly experienced construction & infrastructure lawyer who has worked for top tier law firms, government agencies and international contractors in Australia, England, Europe and Dubai. He provides legal support throughout the life cycle of major infrastructure, energy and commercial projects - including for some of Australia's largest construction projects. He also assists non-profit organisations and "mum and dad" property owners, as well as regularly guest lecturing on the topic of dispute avoidance and resolution on construction projects.
Alex has recently been recognised for his work through being listed in the 2024 edition of Australasian Lawyer's Most Influential Lawyers in Australia, being named as a finalist for Construction and Real Estate Lawyer of the Year at the 2024 Corporate Counsel Awards and being included in The GC Powerlist: Australia 2023.
Suzie Leask
Partner
Hall & Wilcox
Suzie Leask is a Partner in the Corporate & Commercial team at Hall & Wilcox. She specialises in commercial transactions, corporate governance & regulatory compliance with particular expertise in commercial contracts and procurement, competition & consumer law, technology & digital, privacy, corporate governance, M&A and IP. She has been recognised in 2024 as a finalist for both Corporate Partner of the Year and Commercial Partner of the Year, and winner of Private Practice Lawyer of the Year 2019. Suzie is Co-Lead of Hall & Wilcox’s Beyond Compliance board and executive training program including her popular Business Contracts, Competition & Consumer Law training and Director Masterclass. She also is co-host of the Building Better Boards and Leaders Podcast.
Sydney Jacobs
Barrister
Thirteen Wentworth Chambers
Sydney specialises in commercial equity, including real property, conveyancing, easements, covenants, strata, building and construction law, partnership disputes, insolvency, and leasing.
He is also an NMAS accredited mediator, and a BarADR accredited arbitrator and expert determiner.
Complementing his practice as a barrister and mediator, Sydney authors two major loose-leaf services published by Thomson Reuters – Commercial Damages and Injunctions: Law & Practice – and part-authors two leading loose-leaf services, Commercial Arbitration: Law & Practice, and International Commercial Arbitration. Sydney is a frequent presenter of CPD Seminars, a sample of which can be found under the “CPD” tab.
Prior to being called to the Bar, Sydney was a solicitor in the Construction Divisions of Minter Ellison Morris Fletcher (now MinterEllison) and Deacon Graham & James (now Norton Rose Fulbright).
Sydney appears before the Supreme and Federal Courts, NCAT, and has represented clients in the Industrial Relations Commission, Crime Commission and the Independent Commission Against Corruption as well as at technical references, arbitrations and mediations.
Neil Jeans
Partner
Risk Consulting, Grant Thornton
Neil has a unique background in financial crime compliance and risk management, spanning over 30 years.
Neil began his career as a stockbroker trading equities, bonds, and derivatives before joining Law Enforcement. He worked in agencies tasked with investigating financial crime, including domestic and international fraud and money laundering relating to the international securities markets.
Neil subsequently joined the UK’s Financial Services Regulator to support the establishment of AML/CTF regulation and the development of AML supervision techniques.
Neil has worked at senior levels within financial institutions, managing AML/CTF compliance across Europe, the US, Latin America, Asia, and Australia.
Since 2012, Neil has worked as a specialist AML/CFT consultant providing advice and support to businesses subject to AML/CTF regulation, including providing advice on AUSTRAC registration, developing AML/CTF programs, undertaking independent reviews for major international and Australian digital currency exchanges as they have evolved their financial crime responses.
Neil spent a significant amount of 2018 supporting lawyers, accountants and real estate agents to achieve compliance with AML/CFT when they were brought into New Zealand’s regime. So has direct and relevant experience of what AML/CTF compliance means for “gatekeepers”.
In September 2022 Neil’s business was acquired by Grant Thornton Australia and Neil became a Partner of GT.
Neil has been appointed by AUSTRAC as an ‘expert witness’ in several civil claims, including CBA and Westpac.
Neil has also been authorised by AUSTRAC to be the External Auditor for Afterpay, PayPal, and Bank of Queensland.