True oversight

Your matter, always
in full view.

Twenty years of experience, built into the firm's own machinery and protocols and supported by the most advanced, bespoke systems available. The principal always knows what is happening on your file. Your file is maintained, acted on proactively, and leveraged to identify new ideas and perspectives to assist you. Information goes in at one level and comes out at a higher one: catalogued, checked.

Sydney · Established 2010 · Principal: Gaurav de Fontgalland
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Law areas

Multiple law areas, one standard.

Hover or tap any item for a plain-English note on what it covers. If your matter sits outside these, ask: the firm takes it on or briefs a specialist where one adds value.

Corporate advisory, M&A and ECM

  • Mergers and acquisitionsi
  • Equity capital marketsi
  • Private equity and investmenti
  • Corporate structures and governancei
  • Succession and estate planningi
  • Family officei
  • Not-for-profiti
  • Regulatory: ASX, ASIC and governmenti

Commercial

  • Commercial contractsi
  • Intellectual property and brandi
  • Privacy and datai
  • Leasingi
  • Franchising and distributioni
  • Commercial advisoryi

Commercial disputes and litigation

  • Commercial litigationi
  • Negotiated resolution and settlementsi
  • Property disputesi
  • Debt recoveryi
  • Costs disputes and assessmentsi
  • Regulatory responsesi

Migration

  • Student visas and education pathwaysi
  • Family and partner visasi
  • Employer sponsorship and permanent residencyi
  • Business and investor visasi
  • Refusals, cancellations and appealsi
  • Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Thai clientsi
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Industry focus

Industry-agnostic, with particular expertise in six.

Clients think in industries, not law areas. These are the ones where the firm's experience runs deepest; the law follows.

Health

Clinics, practitioners, health groups and the investors behind them: acquisitions and roll-ups, regulatory and commercial work.

Technology

Founders and scale-ups: structures, capital, contracts, IP and data, and the deals that follow.

Financial and professional services

Insurers, advisers, funds and firms: transactions, regulatory dealings and governance.

Real estate and construction

Developers, builders, owners and tenants: transactions, leasing, contracts and disputes.

Retail

Operators and franchisors: leasing, supply, franchising, brand and the disputes that come with trade.

AI across all industries

Where AI enters a business, in any sector: contracts, data and privacy, governance and risk.

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About
Gaurav de Fontgalland, principal of Fontgalland Lawyers
Gaurav de Fontgalland
Principal
About

A lifetime of wanting to help people.

What this firm sells is simple: someone who has spent a lifetime wanting to help people, and who stands firm next to them through the toughest periods of their life.

Everything the firm has built rests on twenty years of work. The reason it keeps building is his son.

Gaurav de Fontgalland has practised for more than twenty years, including as an equity partner at two BigLaw firms, reached in record time, where he built one of the largest practices in the firm. He founded Fontgalland Lawyers in 2010. Born in Singapore, he lived in the United States and Europe until he was nine, then grew up in Australia, keeping in touch with his Sri Lankan roots. He acts for clients across Australia, Asia, Europe and the United States.

$2bn
Reinsurance of an asset book between two Australian insurers
~$850m
Sale of a listed health group to private equity
~$600m
Sale of a national clinic network to private equity
100+
Health business acquisitions for one client over four years
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How we work

Three things you can hold us to.

Nothing happens unseen

Every document, date and message on your file is catalogued and checked as it arrives. The principal always knows where your matter stands, and so do you.

Fees to fit the matteri

We are open to a range of fee models: fixed, capped, staged, hourly or a blend. We settle the right one with you, in writing, before work starts.

Plain English, every step

Where you stand, what the options are, what happens next, in words you can repeat to someone else. No one is left guessing about their own matter.

Global reach

Sydney office. Clients on four continents.

Sydney-based, with roots in Singapore and Sri Lanka and a childhood in the United States and Europe, acting for clients across Australia, Asia, Europe and the United States. Cross-border deals, disputes and personal matters are the ordinary run of work here. Wherever you are, the file is awake when you are.

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Sydney
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Hong Kong
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Singapore
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Colombo
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London
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New York
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Enquiry

Three questions, then we talk.

Tell us the area of law, or that you are not sure; your industry; and who is involved. The names let us run a conflict check before the first conversation, so the conversation can be about your matter.

Nothing you send here is confidential until we have confirmed we can act. Keep it to names and the broad nature of the matter.

1 Area of law
2 Industry i
3 Party details i
We reply within one business day with the conflict check done and a time to talk.
Thank you.

We will run the conflict check and come back to you within one business day with a time to talk. If it is urgent, call +61 416 866 284.