Michael studied Law Commerce at Melbourne University graduating with Honours degrees in both and joined Pointon Partners immediately upon graduation in 1997. He was appointed a partner in 2005.

Michael leads the Employment Law practice at Pointon Partners and is the co-leader of the firm’s M&A practice.

Michael has developed a reputation for the efficient and practical way in which he represents and advises his clients.

In his spare time Michael is a keen runner competing for the Mornington Peninsula Athletics Club. He is a current committee member and past president of the Club. Other interests include golf, horseracing and reading. Michael has been a committee member of the Eyes for Africa Charitable Foundation for over a decade and is the current Secretary of the Foundation.

• Employment Law;
• Mergers and acquisitions;
• Initial Public Offerings;
• Commercial Law;
• Capital raisings;
• Corporations Law advice;
• Preparation and review of commercial agreements;
• Preparation and review of Shareholder Agreements
• Sports Law
• Commercial Leasing;
• Establishment of not for profit entities;
• Estate Planning.

• Sale of GTA Consultants to New York Stock Exchange listed Stantec Ltd  (2021)
• Acted for Tesserent Ltd (ASX: TNT) on its acquisition of the pure security business from Future First Technology Ltd (ASX: FFT) (2021)
• Acted for Tesserent Ltd (ASX: TNT) on its acquisition of the Nth Consulting business from Future First Technology Ltd (ASX: FFT) (2020)
• Sale of First Click Consulting Pty Ltd to listed French Multinational Publicis Groupe (2016)
• Sale of software company Blue Reef Pty Ltd to ASX listed Tesserent Ltd (2016)
• Sale of Petrospection Pty Ltd, a provider of terminal and marine services, to Amspec LLC which is a USA based testing and inspection company (2016)
• Sale of major subsidiaries of Flinders Trustees Ltd, which operated across three States (2013)
• Sale of Resolutions RTK , an employee well being consulting firm (2013)
• Fortis Mining IPO/ASX listing (2010)
• Bell IXL Investments Ltd takeover bid for ASX listed India Equities Ltd (2010)
• Acted for Bell IXL Investments Ltd in Takeovers Panel proceedings in connection with Goldlink Income Plus Ltd (2009)

Qualifications:

• Honours degrees in both Law and Commerce from the University of Melbourne

Memberships:

• Law Institute of Victoria
• Employment and Industrial Relations Committee of the Law Institute of Victoria.
• Industrial Relations Society of Victoria.
• Australian & New Zealand Sports Law Association

“Michael Bishop has acted for myself and my associated entities on around ten M&A transactions over the past two decades with transaction values ranging from $1 million to $50 million. Recently he acted for Tesserent Ltd on its acquisition of various business units from another ASX listed entity.

 The longevity of my relationship with Michael Bishop and the team at Pointon Partners is testimony to the consistently exceptional service I have received. I trust them to look after my interests and to get the deal done. I have no hesitation in recommending Michael Bishop and his firm for any M&A requirements.”

Robert Smyth

“By way of background, GTA Consultants is a 150-person Australian-based transport engineering and planning consultancy.

For over a decade, Pointon Partners provided ongoing legal counsel on a wide range of corporate matters, including shareholder agreements, employment law, project contract negotiations, (internal) share transactions and broad general legal input.

In more recent times, Pointon Partners played a critical role in assisting the firm in its full sale to a publicly-listed entity, and provided all necessary legal services including Share Purchase Deed preparation and negotiation, disclosure documentation, pre-acquisition corporate restructure and all associated Board and Executive Management support.”

During this time, Pointon Partners always acted with exceptional professionalism, providing immediate, clear and concise advice ensuring that the interest of the Board and its Shareholders were always protected.

I thank Pointon Partners for their service and I have no hesitation in recommending them to provide legal advice and support in M&A transactions.

Michael Durkin, Managing Director, GTA Consultants