Courtney J.Dixon

Of Counsel

Melbourne + 61.3.9101.6823

Courtney Dixon focuses his practice on public company takeovers and schemes of arrangement. He is adept at advising on complex and significant transactions and combines technical legal capability with a commercial approach to structuring and executing transactions. Courtney has led deals across the energy and resources, financial services, gambling, media, real estate, technology, and general industrials sectors.

Recent public M&A experience includes advising A-Cap Energy on its merger with Lotus Resources, Eildon Capital Group on its defense of an unsolicited takeover, and Centuria Capital on its merger with Primewest.

Courtney frequently advises Australia-inbound investors, including pension and other investment funds, and accordingly has deep experience with Australia's foreign investment laws.

Courtney is experienced in private M&A, with recent deals including advising IBM on its acquisitions of SXiQ and Envizi, Journey Beyond Group on its sale to Crestview Advisors LLC (having advised Hornblower Group on its acquisition of Journey Beyond from Quadrant Private Equity), and Horizon Global on the divestment of its Australian and Asia-Pacific division to Pacific Equity Partners.

Courtney often advises on minority investments and associated shareholding arrangements, capital markets, and general corporate advisory matters. He has assisted companies, boards, and investors on restructuring and recapitalization transactions and in other distressed situations.

Prior to joining Jones Day, Courtney practiced at a leading international law firm, where he was involved in high-profile transactions including Tabcorp's combination with Tatts Group, the takeover of David Jones by Woolworths Holdings, and BHP Billiton's demerger of South32.

Courtney is a member of the Corporations Committee and the Foreign Investment Committee of the Law Council of Australia.

Experience

  • Ilwella sells interest in Metallica Minerals to Diatreme ResourcesJones Day advised Ilwella Pty Ltd, major stockholder in Metallica Minerals Limited, the A$28 million acquisition of Metallica Minerals Limited by Diatreme Resources Limited.
  • Altium Limited sells company to Renesas Electronics CorporationJones Day provided strategic advice to Altium Limited, a global leader in electronics design systems, in its sale of the company to Renesas Electronics Corporation, a supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, for a total equity value of A$9.1 billion.
  • Journey Beyond acquired by Crestview AdvisorsJones Day advised Journey Beyond Group in relation to the acquisition of the Journey Beyond Group by Crestview Advisors, LLC. and its affiliated funds (Crestview) from the Hornblower Group as a component of the financial restructuring of Hornblower Group and certain of its subsidiaries via a Chapter 11 process.
  • A-Cap Energy merges with Lotus ResourcesJones Day advised A-Cap Energy Limited in its merger with ASX-listed Lotus Resources Limited via schemes of arrangement.
  • Consilio acquires Lawyers on Demand and SYKEJones Day advised Consilio, Inc. in the acquisition of Lawyers On Demand (LOD), a provider of legal resourcing and SYKE, a legal technology consultancy from Bowmark Capital.
  • Eildon Capital Group subject of unsolicited takeover offerJones Day advised ASX-listed Eildon Capital Group on its defense of an unsolicited takeover bid from Samuel Terry Asset Management.
  • Riverside sells Modern Hire to HireVueJones Day represented The Riverside Company in connection with the sale of portfolio company Modern Hire, the all-in-one enterprise hiring platform that enables organizations to continuously improve hiring experiences and outcomes with trusted science and technology, to HireVue, a global leader in video interviewing, assessments, and text-enabled recruiting tools.
  • Mirae Asset and Global X ETFs acquire ETF Securities AustraliaJones Day advised Mirae Asset Global Investments Co., Ltd. and Global X ETFs in the acquisition of ETF Securities, Australia’s pioneering independent ETF provider.
  • Riverside sells Bohemia Interactive Simulations to BAE SystemsJones Day advised The Riverside Company in the sale of Bohemia Interactive Simulations (Bohemia) to BAE Systems, one of the world’s largest defense contractors.
  • Hornblower Group acquires Journey BeyondJones Day advised Hornblower Group, Inc. in its acquisition of Australia's leading experiential travel group, Journey Beyond.
  • IBM acquires EnviziJones Day advised IBM in the acquisition of Envizi, a leading data and analytics software provider for environmental performance management.
  • IBM acquires SXiQJones Day advised IBM in the acquisition of SXiQ, an Australian digital transformation services company specializing in cloud applications, cloud platforms and cloud cybersecurity.
  • Centuria merges with Primewest combining two leading real estate platformsJones Day advised Centuria Capital Group (Centuria), a leading multi-sector real estate funds management business, on its merger-of-equals with the Primewest Group (Primewest), an ASX-listed real estate funds management businesses, with assets across a range of listed, unlisted, and private funds.
  • OMERS completes US$490 million acquisition of shares in ESR Cayman LimitedJones Day advised OMERS Administration Corporation, the pension plan for Ontario's municipal employees, in connection with its US$490 million acquisition of Equity Shares in Hong Kong listed ESR Cayman Limited ("ESR"), a leading pan-Asia logistics real estate platform, from an affiliate of Warburg Pincus.
  • Horizon Global sells Asia-Pacific Business segment to Pacific Equity Partners for AU$340 million (US$233 million)Jones Day advised Horizon Global Corporation (NYSE: HZN), one of the world's leading manufacturers of branded towing, trailering, cargo management, and related accessories, on the AU$340 million (US$233 million) sale of its Australian and Asia-Pacific division to Pacific Equity Partners.
  • Centuria Industrial REIT (CIP) unsuccessful takeover proposal from PropertylinkJones Day advised Centuria Industrial REIT (CIP) in the attempted A$755 million ($548.3 million) unsolicited indicative and non-binding proposal from Propertylink Group to acquire all of the units in Centuria Industrial REIT by way of an agreed off-market takeover offer.
  • The following represents selected transactional experience acquired prior to joining Jones Day.

    Advised Tabcorp Holdings on its recommended combination with Tatts Group by scheme of arrangement.

    Advised Seven West Media on its acquisition of The Sunday Times from News Corp.

    Advised McAleese Group on its strategic process and proposed recapitalization.

    Advised ASX Limited (as secondee) on its investment into and strategic partnership with block chain developer Digital Asset Holdings.

    Advised IVE Group on its initial public offering on the ASX.

    Advised Veda Group on aspects of its acquisition by Equifax Inc. by scheme of arrangement.

    Advised BHP Billiton on aspects of its demerger of South32.

    Advised David Jones on its acquisition by Woolworths Holdings by scheme of arrangement.

    Advised Fairfax Media: on its merger of its radio network business with Macquarie Radio Network and on the sale of its 96FM radio station to APN News & Media.

    Advised Wesfarmers on the sale of its Australian and New Zealand insurance underwriting business to IAG.