Denise Wightman
Denise Wightman is a highly experienced commercial lawyer with over 20 years’ experience in commercial law. Denise is a Law Institute of Victoria Accredited Specialist in Commercial Law and leads KKI’s cross-disciplinary property finance team.
Denise’s practice focuses on corporate and commercial matters and property finance. Her practice covers a wide range of industries, with a particular focus on the property and property finance sectors.
Denise advises extensively on joint venture and shareholder agreements, business sale agreements, complex corporate restructures and general commercial contracts. Denise also has a particular expertise in all aspects of property financing and investment – structuring both debt and equity transactions.
Denise has represented a diverse range of clients, including Australian and foreign corporations, high net worth individuals, property developers and non-bank lenders.
Denise brings a highly technical and commercial approach to each matter and, as a Law Institute of Victoria Accredited Specialist in Commercial Law, provides clients with enormous value and insight into complex commercial matters. As a result, she, has been instrumental in helping clients to establish, grow, protect and sell their businesses.
Areas of expertise
Property Finance
- Preparing facility and security documents (both passive and construction loans) for lenders
- Reviewing loan and security documents for corporate borrowers
- Mezzanine finance
- Due diligence, including pre-sale contract reviews
- Tripartite agreements with builders
- Preferred equity funding
- Intercreditor and subordination agreements
- Registering and discharging securities
- Advising on the sale of distressed assets
- Personal Property Securities Act 2009 (Cth)
Commercial Law
- Unitholder and shareholder agreements
- Joint venture agreements
- Business sales and acquisitions
- Corporate restructures
- Consumer contracts
- Corporate governance
Denise authored the Australian chapter of the Lexology Panoramic Acquisition Finance global reference guide to acquisition finance. This guide considers the typical elements, issues and trends in Australian acquisition finance and includes sections on cross border financing, the compliance regime for financiers, the types of loan and security documents, syndicated finance and current trends.
Denise Wightman and Heather Richardson authored the Australian chapter of the Lexology GTDT and Law Business Research global reference guide to Corporate Governance, contributing to Kalus Kenny Intelex being recognised as leaders in Corporate Governance Law in Australia. This guide considers the latest updates and trends, in addition to vital information around corporate governance rules and practice, rights of shareholders and employees, corporate control, board responsibilities, remuneration, disclosure and transparency.
Corporate Governance in Australia
Denise authored the Australian chapter in the International Lawyers Network ‘Establishing a Business Entity International Guide’. This chapter provides an overview of Australia’s business rules, from foreign investment guidelines to taxation, capital raising, consumer protection and corporate governance.