About Craig Milner
Craig is a highly regarded tax law specialist who began his career in 1998, with 10 years of experience as a partner shared between Allens and another firm. He is a lead taxation lawyer in transactions and projects for clients in the funds, real estate, finance and energy sectors. He advises on mergers and acquisitions, inbound and outbound investment and exit tax issues, fund creation and managed funds structures, property development structures, restructures and workouts, securitisation programmes and associated note issues, financing arrangements and general corporate tax issues.
Craig is consistently recognised in various client and peer surveys as a leading individual in Tax, including in Chambers Asia Pacific and Best Lawyers. The Chambers Asia Pacific 2016 guide described Craig as a "superb lawyer, very pragmatic and smart, who always seeks the best results for his clients".
His experience includes:
- M&A – advising buyers, bidders, sellers and targets on tax issues in the sale process for public and private transactions, including acting for the acquirers of Quadrant Energy, for Affinity Education in its takeover defence and for W&I insurers. Advising also in distressed M&A transactions, including GSO Capital's finance to Arrium and sales in the Allco and Timbercorp liquidations.
- Private equity – advising PE funds, upstream investors, portfolio companies, leveraged finance providers and management teams on tax issues in the life cycle of a PE fund and transactions, including in respect of Ventia Group (Apollo/CIMIC), a major investor in the PEP Funds and the financiers for Partners Group's acquisition of Guardian Early Learning.
- Real estate – advising developers and investors on tax issues for participation in ventures and projects, including work for Mirvac Group, Stockland, Macquarie Capital and various community housing bodies.
- Infrastructure – advising sponsors, government, financiers and equity investors on various tax issues for projects (PPPs and privatisations), including a member of a bidding consortium for Transgrid and sponsors and government in various toll road and desalination plant projects.
- Funds – advising investors, managers and trustees in fund structures, including in securitisation programmes, and work for sovereign wealth funds, professional trustees and originators. Craig has acted for Landmark Dividend in its origination and funding programmes in Australia.
- Corporate finance – advising lenders and borrowers in debt transactions (including syndicated finance) and companies in capital management activity, including acting for BP Australia and Ventia Group.
Craig is a member of the Tax Committee of the Law Council of Australia, a Fellow of the Tax Institute of Australia and a board member of Mannix College Council.