Advice that stands up to scrutiny and helps us succeed
Over the last 20 years, FAL Lawyers has worked closely with the Vision CRC and what is now the Brien Holden Vision Institute. They were instrumental in establishing the CRC and since then they’ve been involved in the contracts we’ve established with other companies as part of the CRC program.
FAL has a breadth of knowledge across science, technology and business and I’d recommend any organisation that had aspirations to enter into major contracts should seek their advice. In particular, they have provided us invaluable guidance on what to do with intellectual property and how to manage a portfolio and establish spin off companies and other companies.
When we spun off the International Centre for Eyecare Education, they were instrumental in gaining tax exempt status for us, as a charity. When we established Optometry Giving Sight, and began fundraising around the world, Jenni Lightowlers oversaw all governance and appropriate relationships to establish and obtain tax deductible status etc. Both of these organisations are now operating successfully, in part thanks to the foundation structures and governance Jenni put in place.
Over the years, they have guided us through a lot of issues around disputes, both major and minor, from the personal level to the mega-corporation - some arising when staff have changed and relationships have gone off track; others where communication has just broken down and legal measures have had to be taken. On each occasion, FAL has thoroughly evaluated the nature, expense and likely outcomes of the disputes, developed material and recommended a position to myself and the Board.
In one case, we had a major dispute with corporate partner over the development of a break-through product. There were questions raised about the intellectual property, which involved the close examination of 30,000 electronic records and hard copy documents. The structure and governance of the Vision CRC stood up to serious scrutiny, so much so that the issues were resolved without cost to us because their advice had been so well constructed and the governance arrangements and contracts so well put together and delivered.
We have worked most closely with Jenni Lightowlers and I have found her counsel on business and academic matters, as well as relationship matters, to be extremely good and valuable to our survival and prospering.
Based on our experience, I recommend FAL to any research organisation that was considering establishing a CRC, any NGO establishing themselves in Australia, any government organisation that wanted to work with private industry or public institutions, or any industry corporation looking for an extremely competent firm of contract and business lawyers.
Professor Brien Holden
CEO, Brien Holden Vision Institute and The Vision CRC
