Sydney 18 October 2006: LAWFUEL – Australian Law News – Blake Dawson Waldron (BDW) is acting for Publishing and Broadcasting Limited (PBL) and Melco Development International Limited on a joint venture bid with Eighth Wonder to develop and operate a US$3.5 billion integrated resort and casino complex on Sentosa Island, Singapore.
The consortia bid is for the casino operating licence and also for the development and construction of an integrated resort, which includes a commitment from Alain Decasse, Pele and George Lucas (Eighth Wonder).
PBL and Melco entered the bid process only 10 days before the close date for final submissions. This meant that the BDW team led by John Stawyskyj were required to work within an extremely tight time frame to ensure the success of the bid.
“Initial bids for the casino resort complex were lodged some 12 months ago, but the PBL Melco involvement in the bid with Eighth Wonder was only ratified and submitted at the eleventh hour. This meant we had to work within an incredibly tight time frame to advise and negotiate complex contractual agreements, which involved negotiations across a number of countries and time zones, including Singapore, Hong Kong and theUSA (Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Chicago).
“It meant that our team had to work closely with the PBL in-house team and Singapore counsel over several weekends to finalise transaction documentation. This was completed only 24 hours before the bid submission deadline. It was a Herculean effort by a tight and dedicated team of people from across the firm’s practice groups. We were fortunate to have the input and assistance of both Crown Casino’s General Counsel Michael Neilson and PBL’s counsel Andy Carr throughout the process. Both provided valuable insight and assistance getting the deal done in such a short time frame.
“It is an honour to have been involved in a transaction of such regional significance for a client of PBL’s calibre.”
The Singapore Government is expected to announce the winning bidder for the casino complex later this year.
BDW’s team acting for PBL Melco was led by John Stawyskyj, National Head of Practice Hotels, Tourism and Gaming, and included Rhonda Hare, Lindy Randall and Pauline Tan from the Hotels, Tourism and Gaming Group acted on the transaction, advice was provided by James Marshall and Suzanne Aguis on structuring matters and advice also provided by Lisa Ritson and Arthur Artinian on intellectual property issues.
BDW’s team worked closely with both Crown and PBL in-house legal team, Michael Neilson and Andy Carr, and with PBL Melco’s Singaporean Counsel, Susan de Silva, of Alban, Tay Mahtani and de Silva on the bid submission.
For further information contact:
Tim Graves – National Media & Public Relations Manager
w: 02 9258 6237 m: 0414 413 553 e-mail: tim.graves@bdw.com
