Bill Spain

Partner
Sydney

Biography

Bill is a partner in our Corporate Advisory group.

He has been a partner of the firm since 1991, is a member of the firm’s board and the chairman of the firm’s partner remuneration committee.

He has a particular focus in the telecommunications, technology and media sectors. He has also acted for government on a range of brownfields infrastructure transactions, particularly in the Infratech space.

Bill holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of New South Wales and  completed a Masters of Laws at the University of Sydney.

Experience

Bill’s experience includes advising:

  • Telstra on its acquisition, in partnership with the Australian Government, of Digicel Pacific, the biggest mobile operator in the South Pacific region.

  • Telstra on its data analytics joint venture with Qantium (owned by Woolworths).

  • Telstra on its acquisition of a ~51% stake in Fetch TV.

  • Telstra in relation to the merger of Foxtel and Fox Sports to create Australia’s largest media and entertainment business.

  • Telstra in relation to its $1 billion acquisition of Asian cable system operator Pacnet.

  • Telstra on the NZ$840 million sale of TelstraClear to Vodafone.

  • Telstra in relation to FOXTEL’s $2 billion acquisition of AUSTAR.

  • Telstra in relation to various media rights and related agreements.

  • Telstra on a range of issues in connection to the NBN project including access models to apply to Telstra’s networks during the roll out of the NBN.

  • The State of NSW in relation to the $2.6 billion concession of the NSW land titles system – the first transaction of its type in the world.

  • The State of NSW on the sale of its interest in PEXA (Australia largest electronic conveyancing operator).

  • The State of NSW on the Network Electricity Reform Project (NERP), in particular structure and related issues for both the single ESC model and the interim Networks New South Wales model.

Awards and Recognition

  • Best Lawyers Australia 2022

    Corporate Law, Commercial Law, Entertainment Law, and Telecommunications Law

  • The Legal 500 Asia Pacific

    Corporate and M&A, and IT and telecoms