DO NOT PUBLISH: Not yet approved - Adding value beyond the legal issues
As the largest agricultural research organisation in Victoria, Agriculture Victoria Services sits between the research developed by the Victoria Department of Primary Industries and the commercial organisations wishing to apply the research. We previously had an in-house team managing the intellectual property and legal aspects of the complex agreements and licenses we are involved with. However, for the last ten years, we’ve worked with FAL.
We’ve mainly asked them to assist us with technology commercialisation, although they have also provided general legal support; debt recovery matters; and we’ve sought their advice in relation to some plant variety infringement issues, among other things.
Peter Francis spends one day a week in our office, providing the senior advice and support we need to our paralegal team. We use him as a sounding board when he’s onsite and otherwise he and other staff help us develop commercial agreements.
As a smaller firm, they are at the right level for a small company like us. We get personal service from a partner whose experience and expertise are second to none and we get it all at reasonable fees.
The support we get from Peter goes beyond great legal advice. For example, we recently had a situation where we were taking over a 50% shareholding from a related entity. The added complexity was that we were working with an organisation that was being wound up and with a commercial partner whose relationship had broken down with the organisation winding up. It was also politically sensitive, in that the Department had significant interest in ensuring that a joint venture formed during the life of that organisation was able to continue.
Peter had to step in and deal with the legalities, as well as managing that fractured relationship and building confidence that we would be there for the partner going forward. While his legal advice was appreciated, Peter added significant additional value, helping us build credibility around our entity and what we had to offer to that joint venture. He provided positive leadership and practical solutions to difficult problems.
FAL are good at what they do. Based on my experience, I certainly recommend them.
Bruce Lang
Chief Executive Officer, Agriculture Victoria Services
