Current PracticePamela is the lead partner of the firm's Superannuation practice.
Pamela's practice focuses extensively on superannuation and financial services law and compliance work, including:
advising clients about trust law, regulatory requirements, fund administration, investment arrangements, insurance arrangements, product design, fund raising and disputes; drafting and interpreting fund documentation; reviewing disclosure documents and advising on disclosure obligations; conducting legal due diligence on private equity and other investments; advising on breach reporting and remediation; assisting with regulator requirements and liaison; reviewing claims and assisting with investor complaints; reviewing and advising on insurance policies; advising employers about their superannuation arrangements, including defined benefit arrangements; advising on and implementing fund mergers and successor fund transfers; drafting, reviewing and negotiating investment management agreements and custodian agreements; advising about fund governance procedures and Corporations Act duties; providing staff training and board presentations; advising on financial services law and compliance; preparing applications for relief and advising on administrative law requirements; advising on privacy law and AML compliance; and advising and assisting with licensing applications, scheme registration applications and supporting documentation.
Pamela is a recommended lawyer by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2012. ExperiencePamela’s clients include a number of public offer superannuation funds and significant financial services organisations, such as banks, fund managers, financial planners and insurers.
Pamela’s recent matters include:
- acting in a number of recent superannuation fund mergers including structuring, legal due diligence, transactional documentation, disclosure to members, transfer of investments and analysis of pre-emptive rights, transmission of employment, governance and related advice;
- acting in a number of successor fund transfers from corporate plans into retail master trusts including trust deed and insurance comparison and analysis, documentation of sub-plan provisions and negotiation of successor fund transfer deeds;
- advising on a private equity sustainability investment, involving structuring, advice and review of shareholder agreements, investment fund documentation and working capital instruments;
- drafting and reviewing several simplified Product Disclosure Statements and incorporated material;
- a major re-branding exercise, involving the review, amendment and sign off of all disclosure documents, trust deeds and agreements for a significant financial institution;
- a major remediation exercise, involving advice to the trustee about its obligations and ongoing review of communications and remedial measures; and
- ongoing advice and assistance with the termination of service provider arrangements, including regulator liaison and relief applications.
QualificationsPamela has a Master of Laws from the University of Melbourne and a Bachelor of Laws from Monash University. Pamela joined Hall & Wilcox as a partner in 2010.
Prior to joining Hall & Wilcox, Pamela’s previous roles included Senior Principal at boutique financial services law firm Greenfields Financial Services Lawyers; General Counsel & Group Executive Governance at Australian Unity; Deputy Executive Director, Financial Services Regulation at the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, where she played a key role in the implementation of financial services reform; and Partner in the superannuation and funds management practice at law firm Freehills. Pamela was also a part-time member of the Superannuation Complaints Tribunal for many years, giving her insight in complaints handling and dispute resolution.
Pamela is an active member of numerous industry committees, currently being the deputy chair of the Law Council Superannuation Committee and a member of ASFA’s best practice committee. She chaired the sub-committee responsible for ASFA’s re-vamped Best Practice Paper on Superannuation Fund Governance.
Pamela has also lectured in trusts, superannuation law and practice and administrative law for Monash University, the former Securities Institute of Australia and the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) and has lectured and tutored for the Leo Cussen Institute. She has authored numerous articles for industry journals and is a frequent speaker at industry seminars and events. |