Our Team
Our people are some of the brightest legal minds and most commercially-savvy individuals in Australia. They are known for their innovation and their commitment to excellence.
Marcus Denning
Associate
Marcus Denning holds a Juris Doctor, a Masters degree in Entrepreneurship & Innovation as well as a Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice. Marcus is a legal practitioner admitted to the Supreme Court of Victoria and the High Court of Australia. Marcus has appeared in the County and Magistrates’ Courts as well as VCAT. During his legal studies, Marcus was awarded the RMIT Graduate School of Business and Law Certificate of Recognition for the highest overall grade in the 2018 Legal Research Project.
In the last 21 years, Marcus has had a diverse commercial background including a tenure as CEO for a National company. This real-world experience provides Marcus with a clear advantage where he represents clients not only as a lawyer but with business acumen and insights that only comes from true commercial experience and qualifications.
Marcus has practiced in areas of commercial law, advocacy, real property, civil litigation, consumer and criminal law.
Raj Malhotra
Senior Associate
Raj Malhotra brings to his clients a wealth of regulatory, litigation, commercial and business acumen. In his career spanning more than 20 years in the law, Raj has held senior positions in government such as
- Magistrate;
- Full Time Member, Victorian Adult Parole Board;
- General Counsel and Director of Regulatory Services, Victorian Commission for Gambling and Liquor Regulation;
- Special Counsel, Victorian Government Solicitors Office;
- Manager, Prosecutions and Investigations, Department of Transport Victoria;
- Senior Legal Counsel, Environment Agency, United Kingdom;
- Crown Prosecutor, Western Australia
- Private and government practice.
...Raj acts as Special Counsel to a number of firms dealing in all aspects of law and business and commercial advice. Litigation and commercial legal strategy is amongst Raj’s forte and he is well regarded for advising his clients through complex legal and commercial challenges.
Hailing from Western Australia, Raj received his Bachelor of Laws at the University of Australia. He has a Master’s in Public Administration received through the University of Melbourne. Raj has taught law at RMIT University and has lead special training operations overseas.
Most recently, Raj has gained insight and experience in the private education industry at both a vocational and higher education, being the Chief Executive Officer of an applicant seeking Higher Education Registration. He is able to advise and guide clients in all aspects education related.
Raj has appeared as counsel in the Supreme Court in various states of Australia, County and District Courts and various Magistrate’s Court both in Australia and overseas. He is experienced in Tribunal appearance work also.
Ben Cohen
Special Counsel
Ben Cohen – Transactions, Contracts, Civil Litigation and Commercial Dispute Resolution
Ben routinely assists clients with high value business, asset and share sales. Ben’s value and reputation is built on exceptional customer service, and he regularly wins transactions work as a cost effective and invested alternative to top tier firms.
Ben acts for high-net-worth clients with diverse commercial investments and has amassed experience in real property, construction, property development, entertainment, technology, retail, manufacturing and has a strong emphasis on transactions involving education assets including Registered Training Organisations and Higher Education Providers.
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Ben’s experience draws on his engagement as a company director for start-up’s in the UK, Hong Kong, New Zealand and Australia and ranges from the end-to-end management of complex transactions to civil litigation and dispute resolution, always to protect his clients interests.
Recent Experience
2021
• Successful defence of a developer in a Victorian Security of Payments Act Claim.
• Advised on 3 separate Victorian Supreme Court litigations, delivering favourable settlement outcomes for his clients.
• Advised on World Intellectual Property Organisation IP claims.
• Defended technology clients from international judgment debt claims.
• Has advised on over 15 transactions of Registered Training Organisations.
• Advised multiple technology company start-ups on general commercial issues.
• Assisted clients with over $20M in business and asset sales across Australia.
• Provided commercial advice to prospective franchisees.
• Defended clients against Fair Work complaints and advised on employment issues.
• Advised on fundraising for technology and property development clients.
• Advised on finance for property development clients.
2020
• Advised on disposal of Higher Education Assets.
• Advised on complex Victorian Supreme Court litigation.
• Assisted clients with COVID rental relief assistance.
• Advised on multiple Registered Training Organisation transactions.
• Advised multiple technology company start-ups on general commercial issues.
• Acted for a defendant in the Supreme Court of Victoria and delivered a favourable mediated settlement.
• Advised on fundraising for technology and property development clients.
• Advised on finance for property development clients and advised on over $100M in loans (2019-2020) for property development projects.
Gareth Benson
Senior Associate
Gareth is a qualified intellectual property and commercial lawyer and has worked with some of Australia’s most innovative organisations including CSIRO, SBS commissioned content and online and the Australian centre of the moving image.
A member of the Victorian and Northern Territory last societies Gareth was admitted in 2002 after completing his articles at Herbert Geer and Rundle (now Thomson Geers) under managing partner Steven Smith, former Melbourne Australian Rules champion.
With 20 years experience in IP and commercial law Gareth helps innovative business owners protect and leverage their intellectual property and performs regular Trademark, Patent, Designs lodgements with IP Australia.
He specialise in protecting the copyright of his clients through robust commercial contract agreements and licensing agreements.
This year he launches a book named “Ideaology: the five steps to business success in an ideas economy” to assist business owners protect their most important assets : their ideas.