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about image

We are a law firm based in Perth, Western Australia.


We act for a range of businesses and professional service providers in industry sectors such as accounting, logistics, aviation, resources, tourism, financial services, real estate, construction and technology.


We provide legal services and support upon matters of corporate, commercial, banking & insolvency and property law and in order to avoid and resolve disputes.

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c+m partners, Idris Matthews and Robyn Chew work together to ensure that clients benefit from a high degree of partnership involvement and each partner's experience and knowledge in their specialised areas of practice.


The firms' partners are assisted by special counsel Robyn Kilmurray, associate Annabel Pizzata, office manager Yuhana Bharoocha and receptionist Olivia Menaglio.

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Robyn chewRobyn Chew
email_icon rchew@chewmatthews.com

After graduating from the University of Western Australia in 1992, Robyn trained with Phillips Fox in Perth, Western Australia, before she joined Baker & McKenzie.

Robyn worked with Baker & McKenzie's corporate mergers and acquisitions groups
in both Sydney and London until 1998. She subsequently moved to the London
office of New York firm White & Case before transferring to the firm's
Singapore office.

After working with White & Case for six years Robyn returned to Perth, where in
2007 she co-founded chew+matthews with Idris Matthews.

Robyn is qualified to practice law in Australia and in England and Wales and
specialises in corporate and corporate finance transactions, both domestic and
cross-border, including corporate private equity investments and financings,
acquisitions and disposals and joint ventures. Robyn's practice also includes
advising on franchising, general commercial law and leasing.

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Idris MatthewsIdris Matthews
email_icon imatthews@chewmatthews.com

Idris graduated from the University of Western Australia with degrees in
law and arts and completed his legal training with Mallesons in Perth.

He subsequently joined Clayton Utz in Sydney before moving to London where he
gained his LLM, specializing in International Financial Law, at the London School
of Economics. He then worked for White & Case in London and Singapore in the
areas of banking, project finance and insolvency.

After returning to Perth he co-founded chew+matthews with Robyn Chew. Idris is
qualified in Australia and England and Wales and has wide experience in advising
clients in these jurisdictions as well as in relation to Western & Eastern European
and Asian transactions.

He specializes in banking, project finance, joint ventures, contentious and
consensual insolvency and directors' and officers' liability.

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c+m is acutely attuned to its clients' needs.


Whether our clients are start-up ventures with limited budgets or established companies, we provide practical, timely and high quality advice with the aim of building a sound legal platform for our clients' commercial objectives.


We practise in all areas of corporate, commercial, banking and insolvency, property law and dispute resolution.

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Corporate


The range of corporate matters upon which we advise includes:

  • mergers & acquisitions
  • joint ventures
  • private equity and venture capital transactions
  • securities, capital raising and disclosure documents
  • director's & officer's duties and liabilities
  • regulatory compliance

View some of our and our partners' current and past corporate matters.

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  • Advising management vendor in relation to the sale of a marine services company to a Dutch buyer for an undisclosed price (Perth, Singapore)
  • Advising vendors on a sale of business and lease of premises to an ASX top 20 company (Perth)
  • Acting as Australian counsel in respect of a Singapore IPO with an Australian private placement (Singapore)
  • Providing FIRB advice to a prospective Indonesian purchaser of a local company holding offshore assets (Singapore, Perth)
  • Advising a medical technology start-up in relation to venture capital investment and other issues (Perth)
  • Advising purchasers in a management buyout of subsidiaries of an ASX listed company (Perth)
  • Providing banking and structuring advice to a manufacturer and supplier of structural timber products (Perth, Singapore)
  • Advising a Malaysian provider of geospatial services in respect of the disposal of assets to an Australian engineering company and ongoing structuring issues (Perth, Kuala Lumpur)
  • Representing Saudi Aramco during IPO of Motor Oil (Hellas) Corinth Refineries SA (London, Athens)
  • Advising the Greek government in relation to the privatisation of DEPA, the state gas company (London, Athens)
  • Advising Nestle SA in establishing a joint venture to build a jointly controlled packaged water business in Indonesia and to acquire a controlling interest in an Indonesian bottling company (Singapore, Jakarta)
  • Advising Deutsche Börse in establishing its joint venture with investment banks to establish real time bond indices and other fixed index information on Euro and Sterling - denominated bonds (London)
  • Advising SKF AB with respect to its purchase of several condition monitoring companies servicing the oil and gas sector (London)
  • Advising Capio AB with respect to its acquisition of certain health care clinics in London and Switzerland (London)
  • Advising Trenwick Group Inc with respect to its acquisition of certain insurance and reinsurance companies (London)
  • Advising an American defence company in respect of its consortium bid with British partners for the UK Ministry of Defence's Skynet satellite telecommunications programme (London)
  • Advising a major Russian energy company in establishing a joint venture to exploit crude hydrocarbon reserves in Kazakhstan (London, Paris)
  • Acting for UPC Corp Inc. in relation to the merger of its DTH and cable business with the DTH and premium channel business of Canal+ in Poland (London/Paris/Warsaw/Brussels)
  • Assisting in the establishment of an unincorporated joint venture to develop an oil shale deposit in Queensland (Sydney)
  • Acting for the vendors in the sale of a Formula 1 racing team (London)

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Commercial


The range of commercial law matters upon which we assist clients includes:

  • franchising
  • trade practices/consumer law issues and compliance
  • credit and financial services issues and compliance
  • terms of trade
  • general commercial issues

View some of our and our partners' current and past commercial matters.

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  • Advising a developer of iPhone and iPad applications about licensing issues (Perth)
  • Advising clients with activities in the logistics, mining supply and oil & gas services sectors on their standard terms of trade (Perth)
  • Advising start-up and existing franchisors as to franchise documentation and trade practices/consumer law compliance (Perth)
  • Advising prospective franchisees as to franchise documentation and legal risk (Perth)
  • Advising clients in the financial services sector as to regulatory obligations and compliance issues (Perth)

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Banking & Insolvency


We provide advice to lenders, borrowers and other parties in relation to:

  • project and acquisition finance
  • corporate and commercial credit facilities

and we provide advice to insolvency practitioners, creditors, debtors and investors about:

  • company liquidation, receivership and administration
  • debt restructuring
  • winding up or restructuring of managed investment schemes, both registered and unregistered

View some of our and our partners' current and past banking & insolvency transactions.

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Banking & Finance | Insolvency & Restructuring

Banking & Finance | Insolvency & Restructuring

  • Advising the purchasers in a management buyout as to vendor finance, external finance, security and subordination & priority issues between finance providers (Perth)
  • Representing International Finance Corporation (IFC) in relation to project financing of the Julietta gold project in Magadan, Russia (London)
  • Representing Shell in relation to project financing of an oil exploration venture in the Caucasus (London)
  • Advising a Hong Kong investment bank in relation to a bid for a state-owned bank (Singapore)
  • Assisting Cendant Group's refinancing in the UK in connection with the acquisition by Avis Rent A Car Inc. of Cendant Corp's fleet management unit (London)
  • Advising Kazkommertsbank in respect of its letter of credit and term loan facility with Citibank and others (London)
  • Advising the State of Israel in relation to the Cross Israel Highway Project, its first BOT project (Tel Aviv)

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  • Advising the investors in Federal Court proceedings resulting in the court approving the restructuring of two unregistered managed investment schemes, and then implementing the restructuring including successfully making submissions to the Office of State Revenue regarding transfer of scheme assets (Perth)
  • Advising on the winding up of the responsible entity of a registered managed investment scheme with A$40m under management (Perth)
  • Acting for the liquidators, as solicitors and counsel, in 5 days of liquidator’s examinations of persons connected with a collapsed group of property development companies (Perth)
  • Advising the liquidator of a financial institution in relation to successful Supreme Court proceedings (Perth)
  • Acting for IFC and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in relation to rescheduling Russian development loans (London)
  • Representing EBRD during restructuring of debt and equity investments in sovereign-backed Eastern European borrowers (London)
  • Advising Saudi Aramco in relation to restructuring a joint venture investment in Motor Oil (Hellas) Corinth Refineries SA (London/Athens)
  • Advising the Asia Pulp and Paper Group (APP) as to the US$6 billion restructuring of its Indonesian operations, which was successfully concluded in April 2005. The restructuring involved banks, bondholders, export credit agencies, investment funds and other financial institutions around the globe, exchange offers and tender offers for over US$3 billion of international bonds, and coordinating insolvency and litigation proceedings in a number of jurisdictions (Singapore, Jakarta)
  • Advising APP in respect of a heavily contested, but ultimately successful, scheme of arrangement in Hong Kong (Hong Kong)
  • Advising the Italian export credit agency, SACE, in relation to defaulted sovereign-backed obligations (Singapore, London)
  • Advising Burns, Philp & Co in relation to a claim of approx A$1 billion against its trustee subsidiary arising from the collapse of the Estate Mortgage group (Sydney/Melbourne)

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Property


We provide advice to clients in relation to:

  • property acquisitions and disposals
  • property development
  • leasing
  • strata title issues

View some of our and our partners' current and past property transactions.

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  • Advising the vendor of a commercial redevelopment site as to the terms of an option over, and sale of, the site and contaminated site due diligence issues (Perth)
  • Drafting and advising on leases for owners and tenants of commercial property (Perth)
  • Advising a joint venturer on development of a commercial office park involving equity contributions of approx A$30M (Perth)
  • Advising the developers of a subdivision in a dispute with the contractor (Perth)
  • Advising the owners of adjoining residential subdivision sites as to development management agreements and amalgamation and subdivision of lots to create strata lots for sale (Perth)
  • Advising the owners of a large CBD strata development, and the strata company of another, in relation to disputes with managers and developers (Perth)
  • Advising vendors and purchasers in relation to sale and purchase documentation and disputes arising thereunder (Perth)

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Dispute Resolution


We act for clients in relation to:

  • commercial litigation
  • mediation and other forms of alternative dispute resolution
  • compulsory examinations by regulatory agencies (e.g. ASIC, ACCC, CCC)
  • white collar criminal defence

View some of our and our partners' current and past dispute resolution work.

CLOSE

  • Acting for franchisees Australia-wide in a class action against Allphones (Federal Court - Sydney/Perth)
  • Acting for Allphones' franchisees in mediations with Allphones (Adelaide/Perth)
  • Acting for investors in a public company regarding misleading statements in a prospectus (Perth)
  • Acting for investors in connected property development schemes in claims under the Corporations Act and ASIC Act against promoters, legal advisers, agents and others, resulting in settlements of some claims and ongoing action in respect of others (Supreme Court – Perth)
  • Acting for former directors of a prominent company in relation to claims of breaches of fiduciary and statutory duties (Supreme Court – Perth)
  • Successfully obtaining summary judgment against a developer seeking to force a client to settle on a sale of property (District Court - Perth)
  • Acting for a former franchisee of a high-profile national franchisor in relation to a dispute over unlawful termination (Perth)
  • Advising on the prosecution of a charge of "insider trading" (Supreme Court - Perth)
  • Representing a witness in a public inquiry before ICAC (Sydney, Perth)

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c+m sets itself apart by the depth of its international experience and contacts. Partners in the firm are qualified to advise on both Australian and English law and have been involved in a wide range of transactions in Australia, Europe and Asia.


Some of our partners' current and past matters are listed below.

Corporate
Commercial
Banking
Insolvency
Property
Dispute Resolution

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  • Advising management vendor in relation to the sale of a marine services company to a Dutch buyer for an undisclosed price (Perth, Singapore)
  • Advising vendors on a sale of business and lease of premises to an ASX top 20 company (Perth)
  • Acting as Australian counsel in respect of a Singapore IPO with an Australian private placement (Singapore)
  • Providing FIRB advice to a prospective Indonesian purchaser of a local company holding offshore assets (Singapore, Perth)
  • Advising a medical technology start-up in relation to venture capital investment and other issues (Perth)
  • Advising purchasers in a management buyout of subsidiaries of an ASX listed company (Perth)
  • Providing banking and structuring advice to a manufacturer and supplier of structural timber products (Perth, Singapore)
  • Advising a Malaysian provider of geospatial services in respect of the disposal of assets to an Australian engineering company and ongoing structuring issues (Perth, Kuala Lumpur)
  • Representing Saudi Aramco during IPO of Motor Oil (Hellas) Corinth Refineries SA (London, Athens)
  • Advising the Greek government in relation to the privatisation of DEPA, the state gas company (London, Athens)
  • Advising Nestle SA in establishing a joint venture to build a jointly controlled packaged water business in Indonesia and to acquire a controlling interest in an Indonesian bottling company (Singapore, Jakarta)
  • Advising Deutsche Börse in establishing its joint venture with investment banks to establish real time bond indices and other fixed index information on Euro and Sterling - denominated bonds (London)
  • Advising SKF AB with respect to its purchase of several condition monitoring companies servicing the oil and gas sector (London)
  • Advising Capio AB with respect to its acquisition of certain health care clinics in London and Switzerland (London)
  • Advising Trenwick Group Inc with respect to its acquisition of certain insurance and reinsurance companies (London)
  • Advising an American defence company in respect of its consortium bid with British partners for the UK Ministry of Defence's Skynet satellite telecommunications programme (London)
  • Advising a major Russian energy company in establishing a joint venture to exploit crude hydrocarbon reserves in Kazakhstan (London, Paris)
  • Acting for UPC Corp Inc. in relation to the merger of its DTH and cable business with the DTH and premium channel business of Canal+ in Poland (London/Paris/Warsaw/Brussels)
  • Assisting in the establishment of an unincorporated joint venture to develop an oil shale deposit in Queensland (Sydney)
  • Acting for the vendors in the sale of a Formula 1 racing team (London)
  • Advising a developer of iPhone and iPad applications about licensing issues (Perth)
  • Advising clients with activities in the logistics, mining supply and oil & gas services sectors on their standard terms of trade (Perth)
  • Advising start-up and existing franchisors as to franchise documentation and trade practices/consumer law compliance (Perth)
  • Advising prospective franchisees as to franchise documentation and legal risk (Perth)
  • Advising clients in the financial services sector as to regulatory obligations and compliance issues (Perth)
  • Advising the purchasers in a management buyout as to vendor finance, external finance, security and subordination & priority issues between finance providers (Perth)
  • Representing International Finance Corporation (IFC) in relation to project financing of the Julietta gold project in Magadan, Russia (London)
  • Representing Shell in relation to project financing of an oil exploration venture in the Caucasus (London)
  • Advising a Hong Kong investment bank in relation to a bid for a state-owned bank (Singapore)
  • Assisting Cendant Group's refinancing in the UK in connection with the acquisition by Avis Rent A Car Inc. of Cendant Corp's fleet management unit (London)
  • Advising Kazkommertsbank in respect of its letter of credit and term loan facility with Citibank and others (London)
  • Advising the State of Israel in relation to the Cross Israel Highway Project, its first BOT project (Tel Aviv)

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page 1 | 2

  • Advising the investors in Federal Court proceedings resulting in the court approving the restructuring of two unregistered managed investment schemes, and then implementing the restructuring including successfully making submissions to the Office of State Revenue regarding transfer of scheme assets (Perth)
  • Advising on the winding up of the responsible entity of a registered managed investment scheme with A$40m under management (Perth)
  • Acting for the liquidators, as solicitors and counsel, in 5 days of liquidator’s examinations of persons connected with a collapsed group of property development companies (Perth)
  • Advising the liquidator of a financial institution in relation to successful Supreme Court proceedings (Perth)
  • Acting for IFC and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in relation to rescheduling Russian development loans (London)
  • Representing EBRD during restructuring of debt and equity investments in sovereign-backed Eastern European borrowers (London)
  • Advising Saudi Aramco in relation to restructuring a joint venture investment in Motor Oil (Hellas) Corinth Refineries SA (London/Athens)
  • Advising the Asia Pulp and Paper Group (APP) as to the US$6 billion restructuring of its Indonesian operations, which was successfully concluded in April 2005. The restructuring involved banks, bondholders, export credit agencies, investment funds and other financial institutions around the globe, exchange offers and tender offers for over US$3 billion of international bonds, and coordinating insolvency and litigation proceedings in a number of jurisdictions (Singapore, Jakarta)
  • Advising APP in respect of a heavily contested, but ultimately successful, scheme of arrangement in Hong Kong (Hong Kong)
  • Advising the Italian export credit agency, SACE, in relation to defaulted sovereign-backed obligations (Singapore, London)
  • Advising Burns, Philp & Co in relation to a claim of approx A$1 billion against its trustee subsidiary arising from the collapse of the Estate Mortgage group (Sydney/Melbourne)
  • Advising the vendor of a commercial redevelopment site as to the terms of an option over, and sale of, the site and contaminated site due diligence issues (Perth)
  • Drafting and advising on leases for owners and tenants of commercial property (Perth)
  • Advising a joint venturer on development of a commercial office park involving equity contributions of approx A$30M (Perth)
  • Advising the developers of a subdivision in a dispute with the contractor (Perth)
  • Advising the owners of adjoining residential subdivision sites as to development management agreements and amalgamation and subdivision of lots to create strata lots for sale (Perth)
  • Advising the owners of a large CBD strata development, and the strata company of another, in relation to disputes with managers and developers (Perth)
  • Advising vendors and purchasers in relation to sale and purchase documentation and disputes arising thereunder (Perth)
  • Acting for franchisees Australia-wide in a class action against Allphones (Federal Court - Sydney/Perth)
  • Acting for Allphones' franchisees in mediations with Allphones (Adelaide/Perth)
  • Acting for investors in a public company regarding misleading statements in a prospectus (Perth)
  • Acting for investors in connected property development schemes in claims under the Corporations Act and ASIC Act against promoters, legal advisers, agents and others, resulting in settlements of some claims and ongoing action in respect of others (Supreme Court – Perth)
  • Acting for former directors of a prominent company in relation to claims of breaches of fiduciary and statutory duties (Supreme Court – Perth)
  • Successfully obtaining summary judgment against a developer seeking to force a client to settle on a sale of property (District Court - Perth)
  • Acting for a former franchisee of a high-profile national franchisor in relation to a dispute over unlawful termination (Perth)
  • Advising on the prosecution of a charge of "insider trading" (Supreme Court - Perth)
  • Representing a witness in a public inquiry before ICAC (Sydney, Perth)

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Contact


Level 7 Exchange House
68 St Georges Terrace
Perth, Western Australia 6000


tel: +618 9481-5068
fax: +618 9481-5482

info@chewmatthews.com

Chew + Matthews location map
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Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation