Commercial & Advisory Group


Tim Fynes-Clinton Executive Partner	John Woods Partner	James Neilson Partner	Mark Freudenberg Senior Associate

Karyn Wernham Senior Associate	Sonia Smith Senior Associate	Kirsty Ling Associate	Lesley Devine Paralegal

Tim Fynes-Clinton (Executive Partner)

Tim is the firm's executive partner.

He joined the firm an articled clerk in 1989, was admitted to practise in 1991 and became a partner in 1998. Tim's principal areas of expertise lie in advising local governments upon:

rating and revenue strategies;
councillors' roles and responsibilities;
contract and tendering strategies; and
governance issues for Councils, generally.

As the firm's executive partner, Tim is the first point of contact for new matters (in the absence of a client having an existing connection with other members of the firm), and is always available to discuss the status of any continuing matters that the firm is conducting on a client's behalf.

John Woods (Partner)

John is a senior partner in the firm's Commercial & Advisory Group.

He joined the firm in 1990 and practises principally in:

providing advice, particularly administrative, constitutional, commercial, local government and planning, property, and tort liability advice;
contract negotiation and drafting, particularly planning and works/infrastructure-related contracts;
community titles developments;
major acquisitions and disposals;
wills and estates; and
disputes arising in the course of those activities.

James Neilson (Partner)

James is a partner in the firm's Commercial & Advisory Group.

Admitted to practise in 1984, he joined the firm in 1999.

James' focuses are:

contract and tender preparation and advice;
the preparation and enforcement of local laws;
compulsory acquisitions;
major acquisitions and disposals;
intellectual property;
providing advice to local government and institutional clients on commercial, compliance, and administrative matters.

Mark Freudenberg (Senior Associate)

Mark is a senior associate in the firm's Commercial & Advisory Group.

He has brought to the firm over 30 years experience as a commercial and property lawyer at national and local firm levels.

Mark has undertaken multiple complex property transactions including the acquisitions and disposals of regional shopping centres and commercial buildings, and commercial and retail leasing. He also practises in wills and estates.

Mark is responsible for the day to day conduct and supervision of property matters, including the documentation of mining compensation, road use, and other commercial agreements.

Karyn Wernham (Senior Associate)

Karyn is a senior associate in the firm's Commercial & Advisory Group.

Admitted to practise in 1992, she worked for 12 years in the Brisbane City Legal Practice's commercial team before joining the firm.

Karyn's experience includes:

providing advice on local government-related matters generally;
personal property security agreements;
leases and related agreements;
defending public liability and professional indemnity claims;
property, service, and supply agreements; and
information technology contracts and associated agreements.

Sonia Smith (Senior Associate)

Sonia is a senior associate in the firm's Commercial & Advisory Group.

Sonia commenced her legal career at King & Company as an articled clerk in 1999. She worked with the firm for a further eight years before leaving to travel and work in national and international law firms, including spending over four years working as a property lawyer in the United Arab Emirates.

Sonia returned to King & Company with a wealth of experience in property, government and commercial law spanning multiple jurisdictions. Her expertise includes:

advising governments on regulatory, commercial and property matters;
drafting and negotiating agreements;
high-value commercial property acquisitions and disposals;
complex property titling, easements and resumptions;
infrastructure projects;
community titles developments; and
commercial and retail leasing.

Kirsty Ling (Associate)

Kirsty is an associate in the firm's Commercial & Advisory Group.

Admitted to practise in December 2002, she joined the firm in 2005. Kirsty's experience spans multiple disciplines, including liability, asbestos claims, intellectual property, media, environment and planning, in which she has provided advice to, and conducted litigation for, private and public sector clients.

Lesley Devine (Paralegal)

Lesley is a paralegal in the firm's Commercial & Advisory Group.

With more than 30 years experience in property and commercial matters across three states, Lesley conducts conveyancing and estate administration for the firm's local government and private clients.