Paula is a financial services lawyer with specialist expertise in managed funds. She has over 20 years’ experience in the Australian funds industry advising responsible entities, investment managers, investment banks, custodians, administrators, financial advisors and other key stakeholders in the funds industry. Being married to a successful investment management professional, she has a real insight into the practicalities of managing money, the daily challenges fund managers face and what it takes to run a successful funds management business.
Paula advises on a full range of matters including funds establishment and offerings (both Australian and offshore and wholesale and retail offerings), investment management, outsourcing arrangements, operations, custody, distribution, fund rationalisation and closures, Australian financial services licensing matters, regulatory and compliance issues, interactions with the ASIC and general corporate and commercial law matters. She regularly advises compliance, risk and audit committees of her clients.
Paula has helped establish and launch funds specialising in equities, fixed interest, property, infrastructure, carbon and alternative assets (including hedge funds and private equity) as well as capital protected and highly structured funds using a range of synthetic instruments (such as swaps, deferred purchase agreements and note programs). Her funds experience extends to establishing funds in Australia, Cayman Islands, Singapore, Ireland, Luxembourg and the United States. She has been named in the Asia Top 500 lawyers.
In 2011, Paula established her own incorporated legal practice, PMC Legal. With a young family, Paula enjoys the challenge of running a successful business and providing personal and professional services on mutually agreeable terms with her clients. Paula was previously a partner in the Sydney offices of global law firm Baker McKenzie where she was the firm’s managed funds expert.
Paula currently sits on the Regulatory Committee of the Alternative Investment Management Association (AIMA) and is a member of the Independent Compliance Committee Members’ Forum (ICCMF). Paula has previously served as an independent member and chair of the compliance committee for Morningstar Investment Management Australia Limited (a member of the Morningstar group of companies) and Spaceship Capital Ltd, and was previously an independent member of the Governance, Regulatory and Compliance Committee for Implemented Portfolios Ltd (part of the Lonsec group of companies).