Petar is a Banking & Finance, Capital Markets and Commercial lawyer and acts for Australian and global clients on Australian domestic and cross-border transactions and advisory work.

​

Petar has extensive experience with Securitisation, Debt Capital Markets and Derivatives Products and has represented the full range of participants in many of these transactions in the Australian, US, Asian and European markets.  Petar has lectured in these areas for courses organised by the University of Sydney, the University of New South Wales and the Australian Financial Markets Association and has participated in a number of industry forums and committees in these areas over many years.  Petar has also worked with a number of Mezzanine Finance providers and Mezzanine Note subscribers in Securitisation and Property Finance transactions.  Petar has also acted for numerous parties in relation to Corporate Finance, Property Finance, Acquisition Finance and Project Finance transactions. 

 

In recent years, Petar has also worked with a range of Property Development firms, financiers and investment funds from Australia, PRC, Hong Kong SAR, Singapore and Vietnam in relation to the acquisition and financing of Australian real property assets for investment or redevelopment purposes, including commercial office buildings, agricultural properties and residential redevelopment sites. 

 

Petar has worked in both Sydney and London, having previously worked at leading international law firms Norton Rose Fulbright, King & Wood Mallesons and Clayton Utz (in Sydney) and 4.5 years at leading international law firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer (in London).  Petar also has experience working inside the legal team of a major global financial institution, while on a secondment to National Australia Bank Limited.  Prior to founding Kuessner Arthur, Petar was the National Head of Banking & Finance at Australian national law firm Mills Oakley.

​

Petar has worked on some of the largest, most complex and first transactions of their type in the Australian, Asian and European markets and a number of those transactions have won “Deal of the Year” Awards as a result, including:

​

• Structured Finance and Securitisation Deal of the Year – IFLR Asia Awards.  Acted for Santander UK plc and Fosse Master Issuer plc (a UK securitisation vehicle used by Santander) on the first Kangaroo RMBS transaction in the Australian market.  I was the partner who led the team, structured the transaction and led the drafting of the transaction documents in this innovative first of its type transaction.

​

• Structured Finance Transaction of the Year –- CFO Magazine Awards - Reliance Rail:  Arranged A$3.6 billion financing of 626 double-deck passenger train carriages for CityRail’s Sydney Rail Network.  Senior debt wrapped by XLCA.  PPP between NSW Railcorp and Reliance Rail (private consortium). 

  • Australia’s largest PPP.

  • Largest rolling stock ever ordered by an Australian railway.

​

• Best Asia Pacific Infrastructure Deal of the Year – Project Finance International Awards and Best Project Finance Deal – FinanceAsia Achievement Awards – Australia and New Zealand - RiverCity Motorway:  Arranged A$2.5 billion financing of North-South Bypass Project, which is a dual twin lane tunnel link under the Brisbane River in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.  Structure was A$1.8 billion of debt finance and A$724 million of IPO stapled units in two trusts.

​

• Debt Market Deal of the Year – Australian Legal Business Australasian Law Awards - Allco Max Securities and Mortgage Trust:  Acted for Allco Finance Group on establishing Allco Max Securities and Mortgage Trust, which was an ASX-listed credit arbitrage vehicle.  We structured an innovative S&P AAA-rated debt finance facility which relied on a securitisation-based rating methodology for this vehicle.

​

• Transport Securitisation of the Year - Structured Finance International Awards - AAE Group (now VTG AG):  Arranged a term securitisation and warehouse facility for the Swiss-based AAE Group to finance a fleet of leased railway freight wagons across 27 European jurisdictions.  Allowed 3 years of future acquisition and financing of railway freight wagons.