Wesley Houston

I am a Senior Associate in the Real Estate Group in Sydney, providing advice on a range of real estate law matters, including commercial, infrastructure and retail leasing, and the acquisition and disposal of commercial property.

I have developed extensive experience in complex property leasing and development transactions, including drafting and negotiating heads of agreement, agreements for lease, leases, licences, easements and covenants. Much of my advice in this area is to international clients establishing a presence in Australia, including in the aviation and technology & communications sectors.

I recently worked on the sale of the Australian leg of a worldwide real estate portfolio with a transaction value at US$300m, where we ran the local work for a client based abroad.

Much of my real estate work is in the energy and utilities sector, specifically in relation to leases, easements and other access and use rights and tenure required for renewable energy projects. I advise both landowners and those looking to establish renewable projects in Australia. I am genuinely excited to advise on issues in this industry as it is dynamic, live and presents a number of exciting challenges for property lawyers.

In addition to my real estate practice work, I also give corporate and commercial advice in the technology and communications, and automotive sectors. I recently undertook a three month, full-time secondment at a major international software development business, where I was embedded in its legal team and worked closely with key business stakeholders. This gave me an excellent insight into the commercial drivers and issues which face technology businesses in a sector where players are constantly faced with new regulatory challenges and competitive pressures.