Brent Van Staden
Partner
Practice Areas
Brand Protection and Intellectual Property
Industry Expertise
Experience
With a strong background in Intellectual Property Law, Brent has practised since 2001 in South Africa, the United Kingdom and Australia. He has also gained considerable experience in all aspects of commercial and corporate law, having not only been in professional practice, but also having acted as in-house counsel for one of South Africa's largest companies.
Brent believes in strong and close relationships with clients based on trust and partnership. He takes an incisive approach to legal issues and is skilled at grasping complex legal issues and distilling them into language easy for clients to understand. He focuses on achieving commercial outcomes for his clients, being strong when necessary but without losing sight of clients' objectives.
Recent Matters
- Advised on all aspects of Intellectual Property from conception through to protection, commercialisation and enforcement. Brent has particular strength in trade marks, having managed the international trade mark portfolios of blue chip listed companies in South Africa and the United Kingdom;
- International trade mark applications, licences and disputes;
- IPO's including due diligence, disclosure document drafting and project management;
- Financial Services compliance advice;
- FIRB advice;
- ASX compliance and regulation;
- Mergers and Acquisitions, including the recent acquisition of green energy technology by a major Australian energy supplier;
- Private equity, including an investment in an aggregation by a major Australian fund manager; and
- Commercial contracts, including shareholders agreements, standard services and procurement terms, IT related terms and conditions and agreements for an online education provider.
Professional Background and Education
Qualifications
- Securities Law and Ethics, FINSIA (Australia)
- Introduction to Financial Markets and Economics, FINSIA (Australia)
- Diploma in Legal Practice, College of Law, Sydney
- Qualified Lawyers Transfer Test, College of Law, London
- Master of Laws (Commercial Law), University of South Africa
- Master of Laws (Taxation), University of Port Elizabeth (South Africa)
- Bachelor of Laws (LLB (Hons)), University of South Africa
- Bachelor of Law, University of Port Elizabeth (South Africa)
Admissions
- Queensland
- New South Wales
- England and Wales
- Johannesburg
Professional Memberships
- Resources and Energy Law Association (AMPLA)
- Queensland Law Society
- Law Society of NSW
- Law Society of England and Wales
- Johannesburg Law Society