Insights & news

Ari Bendet is a newly appointed partner in our Corporate and M&A team, specialising in private equity. He acts for local and international private equity firms, as well as a diverse range of public and private clients in Australia and overseas, across sectors including technology, retail, hospitality, healthcare, infrastructure and financial services. Before joining Arnold Bloch Leibler in 2021, Ari was a senior associate in the M&A and Private Equity team at a leading Australian law firm. He also spent time on secondment in BGH Capital's legal team.

We spoke to Ari about his work building Arnold Bloch Leibler’s market-leading Private Equity practice.

In an article published by the Australian Institute of Company Directors magazine, corporate and M&A partner Jeremy Lanzer explains that while activism used to be an occasional challenge, arising from a hedge fund value play, an unpopular takeover, or where executive pay was not viewed as being aligned with performance, today it’s a continuous and systemic feature reshaping how Australian boards operate.

In last week's edition of TaxVine, published by The Tax Institute, partner Jonathan Ortner and lawyer Danielle Ou examined the Federal Government's proposed capital gains tax reforms, including the removal of the CGT discount, the reintroduction of indexation and the introduction of a new minimum tax on capital gains.

The article, Blast from the past, or an uncertain future?, explores the practical implications of these significant changes and the complexity they may create for taxpayers and their advisers. Read the full article below.

 

Julia Heyward, a senior associate in Arnold Bloch Leibler’s employment and workplace advisory practice, advises a diverse range of clients across the gamut of ever-changing workplace issues. Having started with ABL as a graduate, Julia recently returned to the firm following a year working with Victoria Legal Aid, where she advised clients navigating complex and often very personal experiences in the workplace.

For almost 80 years, Prison Network has stood alongside Victorian women in and beyond prison, providing the support and courage they need to navigate positive pathways and create change. We spoke to CEO Amelia Pickering about the improvements and persistent problems in the Victorian corrections system, the network’s priorities, and how its volunteers and partners are challenging stereotypes. 

Special Counsel Briely Trollope advises families on complex, high-value residential property transactions, where legal strategy must often sit alongside legacy planning and sensitive intergenerational dynamics. In this piece, she reflects on the past year of high-profile deals and considers what they reveal about evolving attitudes to home, wealth and ageing.

In a feature article for Trust Quarterly Review, partner Peter Seidel and special counsel Bridgid Cowling examine how native title benefits in Australia are structured and taxed, and what that means for long-term Indigenous economic empowerment.

Partner Jeremy Leibler features in a new publication from Monash Law, featuring 50 alumni of its half-century-old clinical legal education program.

Meet Sydney litigation lawyer Samuel Orchard. We invited Sam to reflect on his practice, his experience at ABL, and the aspects of our culture he finds unique. Here’s what he shared with us.

Meet Genevieve Aldridge, a lawyer in our Litigation team in Melbourne. We asked Genevieve to share more about her work, her experience at ABL, and what makes our culture unique. Here’s what she had to say.

Meet Jeremy Brown, a lawyer in our Litigation team in Melbourne. We asked him to tell us more about his practice, ABL and our culture. See what he said below.

In an article commissioned by Bloomberg Law, tax partner Shaun Cartoon explores the decision by the Full Federal court to hand Oracle a “big win” against the Australian Tax Office.

Arnold Bloch Leibler has advised River Capital on its strategic investment in founder-led quick service restaurant business Yo My Goodness (YOMG).

The Federal Court has dismissed proceedings brought by pianist Jayson Gillham against our clients, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO), and its former Chief Operating Officer, Guy Ross, arising from the cancellation of an MSO presented performance in August 2024. The Court found that although the MSO cancelled Gillham’s performance after he made remarks from the stage accusing Israel of committing war crimes targeting journalists in Gaza, the cancellation did not breach the Fair Work Act.

Commissioned by Bloomberg to provide commentary for its international insights bulletin, tax partner Shaun Cartoon explains the implications of the Australian Government’s proposed changes to capital gains tax rules for foreign investors.

Arnold Bloch Leibler has advised Brancourts Dairy on its sale to the Arla Foods’ joint venture with Australian Mayers Fine Food, Arla Foods Mayer Australia, in a transaction that positions one of Australia’s best-known cottage cheese brands for its next phase of growth.

On 30 June 2026, Justice Black rejected the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC)’s case against the former non-executive director and deputy chairman of Regional Express Holdings Limited (Rex), the Hon. John Sharp AM, finding that ASIC had failed to establish that he had breached his statutory duty of care and diligence.  ASIC’s claims against the other two non-executive directors were likewise not established.  

The Australian Financial Review has recognised ABL’s expanding private equity practice, led by partner Jeremy Leibler and partner elect Ari Bendet.

Arnold Bloch Leibler partner Paul Sokolowski is quoted in the Australian Financial Review and The Australian on the landmark decision this week in the High Court in favour of his client, Steven Bendel. The suburban accountant won his long-run tax avoidance case over the Australian Taxation Office, with judges ruling on Wednesday that Bendel and his company did not owe more than $1 million in additional taxes, penalties and interest.

In an opinion article published in today’s AFR, corporate and M&A partner Jeremy Lanzer explains how the conviction of prominent American short seller Andrew Left exposes serious gaps in Australia’s response to occurrences of “short-and-distort” activism.

On behalf of the partnership, Senior Partner Mark Leibler and Managing Partner Henry Lanzer are pleased to announce Arnold Bloch Leibler’s Partner, Special Counsel and Senior Associate appointments for 2026.

Arnold Bloch Leibler has been recognised by Best Lawyers as the 2027 ‘Law Firm of the Year’ for tax law.

Arnold Bloch Leibler was proud to once again support the Deakin Law School Academic Excellence Prize event, recognising outstanding student achievement in the 2025 academic year.

Arnold Bloch Leibler has advised Stamford Capital and Citius Group in connection with the financing of their acquisition of a major industrial and logistics development site at 725 Boundary Road, Truganina.