Meet the Team
Joanna
Managing Director
Joanna
Managing Director
Joanna is Aspect Legal’s ‘fearless leader’ with close to 2 decades of experience behind her. She has wide experience working with a large and diverse portfolio of organisations in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, contract law, procurement, commercial law, and branding. She is the proud host of two of the top business law podcasts in Australia: Talking Law (providing smart legal tips for business), and The Deal Room (Australia’s first mergers and acquisitions podcast).
Joanna spends her spare time dreaming about ways to create the perfect business, one that breaks the traditional lawyer mould, delivers deep value to its clients, and has a positive impact on the community and the world. When she isn’t protecting her clients from the unexpected storms of business, Joanna enjoys quality time with her 2 beautiful children and husband.
Mark
Special Counsel
Mark
Special Counsel
Mark has more than twenty years’ experience in Corporate and Commercial law developed in a variety of industries, together with extensive business management experience underpinned by an MBA.
Along with Commercial and corporate and Gaming Law, Mark has held General Counsel and Company Secretary roles within both listed and non-listed companies, assuming total responsibility for all aspects of their global commercial, and corporate legal services. He has well-developed legal skills and takes a commercial approach when providing strategic legal advice to executive management teams, business owners and company boards, and if he wasn’t practicing law he’d be a full-time triathlete.
Alan
Special Counsel
Alan
Special Counsel
With more than 20 years of experience at the helm of award-winning commercial law firms and practice groups, Alan Prasad brings incredible experience to businesses and deals of all shapes and sizes – from small businesses and SMEs through to mid-market companies with global operations.
He has worked with clients and businesses based in Australia, New Zealand, the UK and South Pacific Nations, and has advised on both public and private mergers and acquisitions, as well as cross-border transactions.
Alan seamlessly incorporates his expertise in business sales, mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property, commercial contracts and international business into his advice.
An entrepreneur at heart, Alan has also navigated several business sales, acquisitions and startups of his own. This first-hand experience as a business owner includes a diverse range of industries including FMCG, education and professional services sectors, and alongside his legal expertise, is key to ensuring his advice is always practical, well rounded and commercially sound.
Outside the office, Alan is passionate about supporting the environment both locally and abroad. He’s a keen supporter of Landcare Australia’s Coastcare Program and in his spare time, he can often be found adding to his “Countries to Visit Next” list (he’s made quite a dent in it already!).
Mike
Special Counsel
Mike
Special Counsel
Mike is our Special Counsel who heads up our mid-market M&A team. He has an impressive background having worked with top-tier international corporate practices in Mergers and Acquisitions, Regulatory, Capital Markets, and Major Projects. His experience spans large and small businesses from a wide range of industries, and also includes advising on Private Equity, Venture Capital, and Technology.
Nicole
Special Counsel
Nicole
Special Counsel
Nicole has more than 20 years of experience in providing commercial advice across a diverse range of businesses from startups, privately-owned companies and listed public companies. Nicole is your one-stop shop for commercial law issues. She handles her clients’ cases from inception to resolution, providing advice and applying her keen negotiation skills and legal and industry knowledge to ensure that clients achieve excellent commercial outcomes. Nicole’s areas of expertise include franchising, mergers and acquisitions, restructuring and drafting of commercial leases.
Robyn
Senior Associate
Robyn H
Senior Associate
Robyn brings more than 22 years of top-tier experience in negotiating and drafting a broad range of commercial agreements, with a focus on M&A and due diligence. Having acted on some of the biggest legal transactions in Australian corporate history, she brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in legal project management to our team, and the SMEs we work with.
Robyn is highly regarded by clients for her commercial judgement and outcome focus. They value her depth of experience and impressive pragmatic approach to identifying issues, effective project management and clear communication. Whether it’s resolving a $25 million contract dispute or advising on a sale of a $5 million veterinary practice, Robyn’s depth of experience provides valuable practical insights for small businesses across Australia.
Amy
Special Counsel
Amy
Special Counsel
Currently specialising in commercial litigation and insolvency, Amy has past experience spanning 20 years in the commercial field including extensive experience litigating matters for corporate, government, and individual clients in disputes, and advising on matters involving contracts, property and trusts, partnerships, directors, shareholders of companies, securities over real and personal property, guarantees, consumer law, insurance, debt recovery and enforcement, and wills and deceased estates.
Amy loves to travel and during her free time, she can be found pottering around in her beautiful garden or working out!
Alexandra
Senior Associate (M&A)
Alexandra
Senior Associate (M&A)
With more than a decade of experience in crafting clever legal solutions, Alex’s ability to tailor commercial contracts and legal structures is down to a fine art.
Alex is well-versed in the world of small business. She has incredible experience working across industries, and not only excels in ensuring our business sales and acquisitions process is on point, but she also on commercial leases and property sales, including subdivisions.
Understanding that a personal story lies behind every legal matter, Alex is known for her ability to provide advice that balances the ‘human’ side of business with legal objectives, and keep calm in a crisis, filling clients with confidence as they take their next steps.
A master of multi-tasking, when she is not busy crafting legal matters, Alex fills her time in nature with her four-legged family, immersing in art, reading or cooking – we’re yet to see her do all of the above at once, but every confidence she could.
Andrew
Consultant
Andrew
Consultant
In the bustling world of business law, Andrew Dwyer stands out as a beacon of skill and reliability. Andrew has successfully navigated the complex waters of M&A, commercial law and contracts for more than a decade. His journey has seen him craft all manner of agreements and advise on multi-jurisdiction acquisitions across Australia and internationally.
Andrew has an impressive mid-market portfolio, full of multi-million and billion-dollar deals. This specialisation has seen him climb the ranks in top-tier Australian law firms and then take on a prominent role at one of the most renowned firms in the USA. His ability to think big, seamlessly navigate the moving parts of any transaction and bring his A-game to even the most complex mergers and acquisition is incredible.
That said, Andrew’s expertise doesn’t just lie in the ‘legals’. Sure, he carves out quality agreements, but his communication style is equally impressive, fostering absolute trust and confidence in his clients and deal team alike.
His knack for negotiation not only ensures that clients always feel heard and respected, it is also an exceptional skill to have when trying to convince the youngest member of his family that porridge is a good idea!
Michael
Paralegal
Michael
Paralegal
Michael Mahi has studied at the University of London, and holds an MBA from the Australian Institute of Business. His extensive experience includes working in the legal process outsourcing industry and conveyancing in UK
In his free time, he loves reading historical fiction and spending time with his family, which includes his five cats.
Ishani
Senior Paralegal / Team Leader – Commercial
Ishani
Senior Paralegal/Team Leader – Commercial
Ishani has more than a decade of experience with commercial contracts, contract management and intellectual property. Her experience includes studying law in Canada and the United States and as well as working with both corporates and in-house at law firms. Ishani loves working with SMEs and is fascinated by the area of law and technology.
Outside of work she’s kept pretty busy by her two kids and large extended family. When she gets the chance she loves to read and always appreciates good book recommendations.
Kaushi
Associate Paralegal
Kaushi
Associate Paralegal
Kaushi has more than 5 years of legal experience working for both Australian and international London-based businesses. She holds a Masters Degree in law and also studied both Mergers and Acquisition Law and Artificial Intelligence Law. She has exceptional communication skills, and thrives in her Legal Project Manager role, setting the standard at the firm for keeping deals moving quickly. Her longstanding perfect client review score of 10/10 is definitely proof she excels in client service.
She has five dogs and enjoys spending time relaxing with friends on weekends. After work, Kaushi enjoys reformer pilates or watching Netflix when she’s in need of some downtime.
Pethmi
Paralegal (M&A)
Pethmi
Paralegal (M&A)
Pethmi’s skillset in the legal field is not just about crossing ‘t’s and dotting ‘i’s. She brings a harmonious blend of legal and administrative prowess. Her contract management acumen, combined with deep understanding of legal procedures and love of clear communications make her an incredible asset to any team.
Her journey to Aspect Legal includes collecting a Bachelor of Laws from the University of London, and also time teaching both English and Performing Arts. We count ourselves lucky that she not only brings a creative perspective to her legal practice but she shares some rather angelic tunes at firm social events too.
Beyond her love of law and all things legal, Pethmi can be found cheerfully volunteering at (aka managing) her local youth support group or juggling her ukulele while writing a song and maybe even reading a book or four while she’s at it – if that’s not project management we don’t know what is.
Naomi
Associate Paralegal (M&A)
Naomi
Associate Paralegal (M&A)
Naomi De Silva is a legal powerhouse with more than 12 years of experience working on matters including contracts and compliance, employment law, as well as a stint in human resource management. Having obtained her LL.B from the University of London, she has built out her expertise in contracts and corporate matters. She combines her extensive legal knowledge with a remarkable ability to communicate complex concepts in a way that is refreshingly clear and accessible.
Naomi’s expertise, combined with her warm-hearted nature, ensures that every client she works with can be confident they have a trusted advisor that they can relate to and that is wholeheartedly dedicated to their success.
In between chasing after her cats and dogs, Naomi finds solace in her ever-expanding library. When she’s not being an all-star pet parent, she’s dominating the board game scene with her husband and friends. She can do it all – furry friends and fun!
Heshi
Associate Paralegal (M&A)
Heshi
Associate Paralegal (M&A)
Heshi brings a wealth of knowledge to Aspect Legal team. She has demonstrated legal prowess not just in Company and Commercial law, but also in the labyrinthine dimensions of mergers and acquisitions, commercial, investment, labour, banking, and data protection law.
Like a legal swiss army knife, she holds a Law degree (LLB) with Honours from the University of London, Postgraduate Diploma in Company Law and a Diploma in Management Accounting from the prestigious CIMA, UK. She’s even currently pursuing her Advanced Diploma in the same field.
In her downtime, Heshi swaps mergers for merriment and briefs for banter with friends, family, and her feline sidekick, Max.
Thari
Associate Paralegal (M&A)
Thari
Associate Paralegal (M&A)
Thari is not your ordinary Legal Project Manager. With her sharp legal mind and impeccable attention to detail, she has fearlessly navigated the complex world of compliance, contracts and legal procedures for 5+ years.
Thari is a master at organising and coordinating projects, and can be extremely persuasive when need arises. She thrives as a key point of contact for her clients, and her extensive knowledge and quick thinking provides invaluable support during business sales and acquisitions.
With a Masters of Law sitting alongside her LL.B. (with Honours) from the University of London and years of experience as an in-house legal counsel, Thari is not just a legal officer – she’s a force to be reckoned with.
When Thari isn’t busy moving deals, she unleashes her inner detective by binge-watching true crime documentaries and is always on the lookout for the next delicious discovery. The only thing she can’t stand? A poorly drafted contract… and gardening.
Shav
Associate Paralegal (M&A)
Shav
Associate Paralegal (M&A)
Shav is a seasoned legal professional with 5+ years experience. With a trusty Bachelors of Law (LLB) degree and a Masters degree (LLM) in commercial law, Shav is your go-to guide through the wonderful world of business sales, acquisitions and commercial contracts.
With a deep understanding of the legal and complexities involved in commercial transactions, Shav is a true legal adventurer with a heart of gold. He is able to lighten even the heaviest of legal burdens, ensuring every client, colleague and stakeholder he works with is kept well informed, and any complex legal issues are broken down into an easily digestible to-do list.
When he’s not immersing himself in the legal side of life, Shav is either enjoying epic movie marathons, or embarking on daring expeditions with his loyal companion, Potato the Tibetan Terrier. Pet naming may not be his forte.
Charlie
Legal Executive Assistant
Charlie
Legal Executive Assistant
Charlie is a law graduate with a keen eye for intellectual property rights and also.. the law of the seas (watch out pirates!). With 5 years experience navigating #Corporate-life in education and renewable energy sectors, she joins Aspect Legal to supercharge our business sales and acquisitions team. Charlie’s dedication to clients is unwavering – always responsive, always hungry to provide exceptional service.
She occasionally fits in evening strolls on the beach (perhaps hunting for pirates.. we can’t be sure) between her community work or Charlie can be found in her kitchen torn between cooking and eating any and all types of food.
Jessica
Legal Executive Assistant
Jessica
Legal Executive Assistant
Jessica is the legal world’s answer to a DJ star in the making. With a Masters of Law from West London sitting alongside her Bachelor of Laws, she’s been bopping to the beat of civil and corporate law for over five years.
Jessica has the ability to transform the complexities of law and legal process into easy listening and streamlined solutions for our award-winning business sales and acquisitions team. She has an incredible ability to ensure colleagues hit the right note every time, keeping clients in tune without missing a beat.
As Aspect Legal’s official playlist connoisseur, Jessica switches off from legal by dropping earbud bass on the weekends or may turn the occasional page of a good book while hear earbuds (or eardrums) are recharging.
Tiana
Associate Paralegal
Tiana
Associate Paralegal
With more than 6 years in the legal domain, Tiana is like a seasoned chess grandmaster in the realm of business and contract law.
Honing her skills at the distinguished University of London has equipped her with both a Bachelor of Laws and unbeatable strategies needed to navigate the world of Australian business contracts. She skillfully moves across the board of business sales, conveyancing and property law, keeping clients across her next move along the way.
She ensures our clients are always one step ahead, and ready with responsive and pragmatic solutions when their turn arrives. Her commitment to service excellence is not merely a strategy, but a standard she upholds with every move.
When she’s not strategically navigating the legal chessboard, Tiana exchanges her queen’s crown for a good murder mystery with a side of pizza – a taste for suspense with a side of pepperoni if you will.
Jess
Marketing Manager
Jessica
Marketing Manager
There’s a rare type of marketer that understands communications, business development and marketing – that’s Jess. She works with our marketing team to plan and generate our SME focused thought leadership, build out client resources and ensure we’re providing value to our partners and referrers.
Jess has been involved with digital marketing since 2010, working with lawyers and professional services.She has a BA/BCOM and continues to evolve her approach to adapt to best practices.
When she’s not deep diving into the latest LinkedIn algorithms, Jess spends time with her busy five and six year olds, enjoys tapping out with art and yoga – and attempts to keep up with her active Border Collie, Pope.
JB
Marketing Operations Manager
JB
Marketing Operations Manager
Meet JB, a dynamic individual with a passion for technology and innovation. As a Marketing Ops, JB brings a unique blend of analytical prowess and creative flair to every endeavor. With a keen eye for innovation, JB is dedicated to making ideas into a reality. Beyond the professional sphere, JB finds joy in hanging out and taking care of her 3 kids and home improvements, showcasing a well-rounded personality. Whether delving into systems automation or exploring new horizons, JB’s enthusiasm and commitment shine through, making a positive mark in both personal and professional realms.
Devni
Marketing Coordinator
Devni
Marketing Coordinator
Devni is a law graduate and holds a degree in IT from the British Computer Society. She has a passion for marketing and given this skillset, we’re very excited to have her coordinating our marketing team.
When she is not working or busy studying she loves to watch movies / listen to music with her husband, go out with friends, or if all else fails can usually be found in her book-nook which is filled with fantasy and sci-fi novels.
Lia
Marketing Project Executive
Lia
Marketing Project Executive
Lia has a strong background in digital marketing, specially performance marketing and executing paid ads. She has worked in cross functional teams to strategise and implement campaigns that help clients achieve their end goal. She is quite an organised individual and also likes planning and getting involved in project management.
Outside of work, she is quite passionate about gymming and strives to compete as a powerlifter in the future. She also enjoys cooking, baking and experimenting with new recipes. She is a huuge dog lover, as well as an adjective volunteer at an organisation called Tails of Freedom that rescues and rehomes dogs.
Alexandra
Operations & Finance Manager
Alexandra
Operations & Finance Manager
Alex is our resident numbers expert! Alex manages our Accounts and Finances and helps Aspect Legal to keep its ducks in a row. Given she is in charge of paying the staff at Aspect Legal, Alex is not surprisingly one of the most popular team members!
She loves to take on diverse and challenging roles – being a project assistant, legal researcher/writer, book-keeper, and finance manager. If that’s not enough to keep her busy, she’s a single mum of three adorable kids. Alex knows how to chill in front of the TV watching sports leagues and dancing competitions.
Eric
Client Success Manager
Eric
Client Success Manager
Eric is the Client Success Manager at Aspect Legal. He ensures that clients are taken care of from their initial enquiry through to the end of each matter. He also actively manages client feedback to make sure the team is living up to the promise that “We are obsessed with service” and improving our systems wherever possible.
During the weekends, he likes to take it slow, wake up without an alarm on and listen to jazz or lofi. He’s fond of collecting old coins and is a fantastic judge of fine whisky when the opportunity presents itself.
Rue
HR Manager & Executive Assistant (to MD)
Rue
HR Manager & Executive Assistant (to MD)
Rue comes with 19 years of diverse work experience. She has worked as an Instructor in a small IT school, as a PR officer in an Engineering firm and then for 17 years at an international, cultural and educational organisation working in Customer Services, HR, as an Executive Assistant and as an Administrative Manager performing various HR, Admin and operational duties.
Rue has a 6-year-old daughter who keeps her on her toes most of the time. When she is not working she spends time with her family and friends. When time permits Rue likes to have a little ‘me’ time by watching a movie or ‘doing nothing’ and travelling to new places and gaining new experiences.
Kat
Operations & Administrative Coordinator
Katrina
Operations & Administrative Coordinator
Katrina Tago, “Kat” as we call her, is our Admin Support guru. She loves to take on any challenge to acquire new skills as an assistant.
In her off-time, she and her family would go on food adventures, skimboarding at the beach, and watch motocross events. She’s into kickboxing or any cardio exercise and never misses a day without working out to stay fit and healthy.
Archie
HR & Administrative Coordinator
Archie
HR & Administrative Coordinator
Archie is one half of the dynamic duo that is Aspect Legal’s HR team. She’s an outgoing individual and is on a mission to help unleash the potential of our Legal Eagles and help us be the best version of ourselves.
Armed with almost 10 years of experience as a corporate administration manager and a B.A from the University of Bedfordshire (UK) Archie effortlessly handles administrative matters and HR-related tasks across the firm.
When she’s not taking charge in the office, she’s fearlessly experimenting with new recipes or thinking of how to convince her husband of the need for another family adventure.
Chloe
Security Officer
Chloe
Security Officer
Chloe is our in-house security officer (aka furbaby, company mascot). She does a stellar job promptly greeting clients and delivery people as they enter the office. Chloe is a real people person – always greeting our visitors with enormous excitement. She loves the great outdoors but also quite enjoys sitting on the comfy lounge in the office when there is noone to welcome. When not at work, Chloe loves playing with her human siblings and running on the beach each morning with Aspect Legals Managing Director.
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Our Happy Clients
Everything we have asked for has been delivered promptly and in a professional manner. Very easy to brief and get responses.
David Tresidder (Final Sway Pty Ltd)
Aspect Legal are an extension of the Supply Clusters businesses. Your commercial and practical approach to the law is refreshing and we just want you to know that your work has supported our 30%+ growth year on year!
Oliver Lazarevic (Supply Clusters)
AMAZING! The team are impressively professional, equally caring and always seek to understand our orientation and concerns. As a small business owner who sometimes does the crazy 80 hours per week, I sense that Aspect are there for me and understand this – always delivering on time and understanding when I need a day or two to turn things around. I would recommend Aspect to all of my clients and friends!
Paula Drayton (Resource Advisory)
Caring and dedicated team. Great communication skills and nothing is too much bother
Carl Burroughs (IDM Australia)
Having known Joanna for years, my experience with Aspect has been personal , efficient and timely.
Andrew Cassin (Acquisiti)
Attentive to our project and aligning resources quickly given the short time-frames of completion dates.
Mark Evans
Excellent personal & well coordinated service, pro active advice & on time delivery. A pleasure to deal with.
Andrew Toumazis
Amazing and Attentive and supportive pretty much sum the experience up. …everything is professionally handled and in a friendly manner.
Just an amazing team of people lead by an amazing CEO in Joanna
Les Stock (Stock Enterprises Pty Ltd)
We were recommended Aspect Legal as a good fit for us through Peter George at Xcllusive Business Brokers & we have had a very positive experience during the Sale of our Business & would not hesitate in using them on our next projects or passing their details on to our friends & family. A very big thanks to the Team at Aspect Legal. Joanna’s Podcasts reaffirmed their professionalism.
John & Roger Durst
The team are excellent! Easy to deal with, knowledgeable and so efficient!
Belinda Grundy (BG Property Services)
Joanna and her team were extremely professional in all their dealings with us on the sale of our business. We would strongly recommend Aspect Legal for their promptness, attention to detail and understanding commercial realities is outstanding. We could not have had any better legal advice in all aspects of the process, we were delighted to have been associated with Joanna and her team.
Steve & Dianne Berg