Frank Poeta

Frank works with a number of Australia’s largest property developers and real estate funds on some of the most significant and complex projects undertaken in Western Australia. He is also advising on the largest urban regeneration project in Australia, at Barangaroo in New South Wales.  

Clients value Frank’s solutions-focused approach, combined with extensive experience and knowledge in real estate. With his strong project management and co-ordination skills, Frank helps clients to deliver innovative and multifaceted projects.

Frank's experience includes:

• acting for Lendlease on the Barangaroo South development, Australia’s largest urban renewal project since Olympic Park and the Sydney Olympics in 2000, valued at more than A$5 billion. This includes advising on all legal aspects of this major property development, including the project agreements to forward sell the T1, T2 and T3 office towers to wholesale property trusts (with equity funding from major institutional on-shore and off-shore investors and Lendlease itself), subdivision of the site, ongoing precinct management, long-term titling of the site and multiple 99-year ground leases to facilitate the development and project agreements
• acting for the State of Western Australia on the redevelopment of the Old Treasury Buildings site. This has involved the appointment of a consortium for the refurbishment of the buildings into a high-class boutique hotel and the construction of a new 34-level office tower, and arrangements with multiple adjoining owners to create a public precinct
• acting for Golden Group in relation to the A$3.8 billion Belmont Park Racecourse development, the largest urban renewal project in Western Australia. This includes advising on development and funding structures, preparing development agreements and project management agreements and providing structuring advice and documentation for the off-the-plan sales of apartments
• acting for Charter Hall on the acquisition of the commercial office building and retail complex known as BankWest Tower and Raine Square for A$454 million and the subsequent redevelopment of the retail complex
• acting for Frasers Property Group on the Queens Riverside Project, a mixed-use development in East Perth, comprising approximately 350 residential apartments and townhouses, commercial space, retail outlets, serviced apartments and a Fraser Suites apartment hotel to be constructed over four stages
• acting for Mirvac in relation to The Peninsula at Burswood, the largest master planned community in Western Australia, including seven residential towers and over 1,200 living units. Frank provided titling and subdivision advice and documentation for the off-the-plan sales of apartments
• acting for Woodside Energy on the agreement for lease and lease for its new head office in Perth comprising a new 55,000 square metre office tower at Capital Square

Frank is named as a leading lawyer in the current editions of Chambers Asia Pacific Global (real estate) and Legal 500 – Asia Pacific (real estate); the "Perth Real Property Law, Lawyer of the Year" in the current edition of Best Lawyers in Australia (real estate) and Perth's "Market Leader" in the current edition of Doyle’s Guide to Australia Legal Profession (property).

Background

Frank graduated from the University of Western Australia in 1994 with a Bachelor of Laws (First Class Honours). He joined Herbert Smith Freehills in 1995 and has been in the firm’s Real Estate group since 1996. Frank is the convenor of the General Conditions Committee of the Law Society. He has provided advice to the Strata Tiles Act Reform committee on strata subdivision legislation reform and has written the Strata Titles paper for the College of Law. Frank has tutored final-year law students and gives guest lectures on commercial practice conveyancing and drafting at the University of Western Australia.