Neil S.

Group General Counsel @ Sell & Parker

About

Experienced Australian qualified Lawyer (BCom-Accg/LLB (Hons)) specialising in commercial, retail, e-commerce, brand management, and property matters working across private practice, government, and in-house environments in Australia. Most recently, Neil was appointed General Counsel of JD Sports Australia and New Zealand in 2018. Neil is part of the Senior Leadership Team and works closely with the CFO, Chairman and Heads of Departments to help drive business growth through strategic legal advice, regulatory compliance, and special projects. Neil has been responsible for establishing the in-house legal function at JD Sports and Next Athleisure’s Glue Store and Trend Imports businesses. Currently, Neil advises a highly successful support office charged with delivering the full scope of JD Sports’ retail operations (online and in-store) spanning all areas of the business including Legal, Compliance, Finance, Marketing, Multi-Channel, Buying, and People (HR). Outside of work, Neil also provides external advisory and consulting support to startups and a later stage technology company. Neil is passionate about helping companies grow by providing commercial strategic advice and working with executive teams and heads of department to kick goals. Recent Awards The Legal 500 GC Powerlist Australia 2022 The Legal 500 GC Powerlist Australia 2023

Country

Australia

City

Greater Sydney Area

Industry

Environmental Services

Skill

Real Estate, Acquisitions and Sales, Retail and Commercial Leasing, Agreements for Lease, Commercial Litigation, Legal Research, Litigation, Legal Writing, Courts, Legal Advice, Restructuring, Dispute Resolution, Corporate Governance, Corporate Law, Civil Litigation, Alternative Dispute Resolution, Strata Title

Experience

Group General Counsel

Sell & Parker

2023-7 - Present · 3 yrs 3 mos

Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

General Counsel

JD Sports Australia & New Zealand

2018-7 - 2023-7 · 5 yrs 1 mo

Sydney, Australia

Supporting retail and online expansion across AU and NZ from 9 stores to 50+. As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, I work directly with our C-Suite and Heads of Departments providing strategic advice and support on all matters affecting their roles, including: - Customer Service teams managing consumer matters - People (HR) teams dealing with employment issues - Retail teams on matters affecting operations and trade - Marketing and Multichannel teams on advertising and promotional activities - Buying and Merchandise teams on their arrangements with suppliers - Finance teams with terms of trade/credit applications, contract administration, and reporting - Property teams with lease/licence dealings and fit out matters. Advising on: Supplier contracts (including logistics and SaaS arrangements), corporate governance and compliance, reporting to the Board on ESG, including Modern Slavery. Competition and consumer laws, privacy and data protection. Customer disputes (including managing claims and proceedings). Ensuring regulatory and legislative compliance (including developing and implementing training programs). Providing CoSec support. Advising on the sale of JD Sports shareholding in Next Athleisure to a UK based private equity firm.

Group Legal Counsel

Glue Store

2018-7 - 2020-6 · 2 yrs

Sydney, Australia

Next Athleisure Pty Ltd Trend Imports Pty Ltd Advising C-Suite and the Senior Management Team on retail (30+ stores and online) and wholesale legal matters including property transactions, commercial contracts, CoSec support, credit applications, terms of trade, competitions and trade promotions, Modern Slavery compliance, brand management including intellectual property transactions and disputes.

Senior Lawyer (Real Estate)

Clayton Utz

2017-7 - 2018-7 · 1 yr 1 mo

Sydney, Australia

Lawyer (Real Estate)

Clayton Utz

2014-10 - 2017-7 · 2 yrs 10 mos

Sydney, Australia

Acting for: Eli Lilly Pty Ltd (vendor) of a large industrial parcel of land at Melrose Park for $41 million. Far East Organization (landlord) in numerous commercial/retail leasing/licensing and fitout deals. Roxy-Pacific Holdings Ltd (purchaser) in the $81 million acquisition of 117 Clarence Street, Sydney.

Lawyer (Insolvency and Restructuring Litigation)

Clayton Utz

2014-4 - 2014-10 · 7 mos

Sydney, Australia

Acting for clients in relation to statutory demands for payment of debt.

Lawyer (Banking and Finance - Property Finance)

Clayton Utz

2013-10 - 2014-4 · 7 mos

Sydney, Australia

Acting for: Mirae Asset Global Investments during its acquisition of the Four Seasons Hotel, Sydney for $340 million. Financier of prime retail and commercial hub, Thirty8 Albert Avenue, Chatswood.

Acting Legal Counsel (Sydney Metro)

Transport for NSW

2017-3 - 2018-6 · 1 yr 4 mos

Sydney, Australia

Advising on the Sydney Metro State Significant Infrastructure (Northwest Rail Link and City Southwest) Projects in relation to planning and environment, property and construction matters, including compulsory acquisitions, railway corridor adjoining owner arrangements and interface agreements with major asset owners.