MICHELA ALESSE

Hive Legal is a legal practice providing contemporary and innovative legal solutions. As part of the Financial Services team, my tasks include:

• Reviewing Product Disclosure Statements (PDSs) and Information Memorandums (IMs), ensuring accuracy and compliance with legal standards;
• Preparing and reviewing a variety of deeds, including trust deeds, constitutions, letters of agreement, subscription agreements, service agreements, and supplemental deeds;
• Performing legal research on regulatory and compliance issues relevant to financial services;
• Providing strategic advice and guidance to clients;
• Collaborating effectively with team members to ensure seamless coordination and support across various projects and initiatives.

King Irving provides specialist legal, compliance and consulting services to the financial services industries.

As a Financial Services Lawyer, I was responsible for:

• Assisting with the creation and structuring of Funds (including the preparation of Trust Deeds, Shareholders Agreements, Constitutions);
• Preparation of offering documents for both Retail and Wholesale Funds and other relevant documentation such as Target Market Determinations;
• Drafting applications for Australian Financial Services Licences and ongoing compliance (including delivering quarterly trainings to clients on relevant topics);
• Reviewing contracts (including Investment Management Agreements, Non-Disclosure Agreements, Distribution Agreements and Service Agreements);
• Preparing submissions in response to relevant Government consultations, including consultations on AML/CTF Regulations, Review of the Regulatory Framework for Managed Investment Schemes and Payment Systems modernisation.

Kerin Benson Lawyers is a boutique law firm specialised in strata and providing advice for strata managers, owners corporations, community associations and individual lot owners.

My duties included:

• Drafting/reviewing by-laws on behalf of owners corporations and individual lot owners;
• Providing advice on a wide range of legal issues including: compliance with the current strata legislation, creation/extinguishment of instruments affecting common property, registrations and consolidations of by-laws and strata disputes;
• Dispute resolution before the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal including: participating to initial meetings with clients, taking instructions from clients, actively working with clients to draft appropriate evidence, attending directions hearings, assisting instructed barristers at substantial hearings and negotiations with other side/s;
• Preparation of instruments affecting common property (including easements, positive covenants and restrictions on the use of land) and submission for registration with the NSW Land Registry Services (in person or via PEXA);
• Levy recovery before the Local Court (Small Claim Division and General Division) including: preparation of letters of demand, statements of claims and notices of motions; liaising with debtors in connection with proposed payment plans; attending hearings before Registrars/Magistrates of the Court;
• Assisting senior associates and partners with more complex matters including collective sales and building defect disputes.

As a Strata Paralegal assisting five fee earners within the team, my responsibilities included:

• Being the first point of contact for clients;
• Preparing costs agreements;
• Preparing and submitting documents for registration of new by-laws, replacements of certificates of title, change of owners corporation’s addresses and court orders;
• Consolidating existing by-laws;
• Liaising with individual lot owners as well a strata managers and third parties;
• Filing documents with the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal and the NSW Land Registry Services;
• Assisting barristers before the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal;
• Performing legal searches; Filing documents, ordering stationery, opening and closing files.

GK Strata is a successful strata company part of the larger PICA Group. Being responsible for the management of approximately 40 Strata buildings within the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, I was responsible for:

• Chairing Annual General Meetings and Strata Committee Meetings;
• Preparation of meetings’ agendas and minutes; Drafting financial budgets on behalf of the owners corporations;
• Ensuring legal compliance with strata legislation in connection with by-law amendments, pool compliance, fire and safety compliance, works affecting common property and renovations carried out by the individual lot owners;
• Management of clients expectations and requests; Actively working with the repairs and maintenance department to ensure that required maintenance and repairs to the buildings were carried out in a timely and efficient manner.

Law and Lawyers is a boutique law firm whose main areas of practice are Immigration and Conveyancing.

As the personal assistant of one of the firm’s partners within the Conveyancing team, my duties included:

• Drafting letters to clients and other parties;
• Providing regular updates to clients, estate agents and other solicitors;
• Preparing Law Society Forms (including TA6, TA10 and TA13);
• Investigating properties’ titles;
• Raising property enquiries prior to exchange of contracts;
• Dealing with lenders to ensure compliance with mortgage conditions prior to completion (including preparation of certificates of title and mortgage deeds);
• Ordering office copies and pre-contract searches;
• Replying to Land Registry requisitions;
• Carrying out priority, bankruptcy and anti money laundering searches;
• Contract exchanges and completions;
• Dealing with post-completion matters (SDLT submissions and registrations).

Pearlmans is a boutique practice specialised in Property, Family and Business law. I was responsible to assist four fee earners by:

• Answering clients’ calls;
• Opening files;
• Preparing invoices, financial statements and schedules of time on behalf of the fee earners;
• Book keeping in compliance with the solicitor accounts rules;
• Note taking during meetings and conference calls with clients;
• Sending and receiving correspondence by post and DX.

I was responsible for the management of a portfolio consisting of 25 residential properties and 5 commercial premises on behalf of a private property developer based in central London, including:

• Rent reconciliation; Drafting tenancy agreements;
• Management of contractors’ workload and diaries;
• Arranging repairs;
• Liaising with tenants and estate agents;
• Marketing, showing and renting the properties becoming vacant;
• Deposit refunds.

As a long established central London law firm, Child&Child provides a full range of legal services to local and international clients. Working within the Property Department of the Firm, I assisted the fee earners in their day to day duties, with a particular focus on the Italian clientele, including the following responsibilities:

• Drafting letters and other preliminary forms;
• Adverse parties’ forms and procedures;
• Due diligence;
• Assisting the Italian clients by explaining the relevant differences between the Italian Civil Law System and the English Common Law system.

Stirling Ackroyd is an independent firm of residential and commercial estate agents and surveyors, well known throughout Central London and the City fringes.

As a Short-Let Coordinator, I was responsible for:

• Valuation of new properties showing a consistent commercial awareness of the property market;
• Meeting new clients to introduce the company services;
• Drafting tenancy agreements;
• Finalising short lets terms and conditions;
• Actively working with the letting agents from all branches to ensure the rental process would run smoothly.

Casa Londra is a well established Italian firm assisting the Italian clients wishing to invest in London.

The company offers a wide range of services including: property finding, property management, and relocation services. My duties included:

• Acquisition of new clients;
• Property marketing;
• Negotiation between landlords and potential tenants;
• Preparation of tenancy agreements and property certificates;
• Tenants’ referencing;
• Actively working with the property management department to coordinate repairs and maintenance of the properties.

With its fifty offices across London, Foxtons is one of the largest estate agents in the UK dealing with both letting and sale of properties across the city.

As a Lettings Negotiator, I was responsible for:

• Meeting new potential tenants in order to understand their needs and expectations;
• Coordinating negotiations between the owners and the potential tenants;
• Assisting the administration department with the preparation of tenancy agreements and inventories;
• Working in a team, as well as independently, in order to achieve the company targets.