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George Cotsaris

Senior Associate

[email protected]

George Cotsaris

LLB (Hons) B.Comm (Acc) GDLP

George practises in the corporate and commercial law team, and is admitted as a solicitor and barrister of the Supreme Court of South Australia and High Court of Australia.

George commenced his legal career in conveyancing, family law, and wills and estates at one of South Australia’s oldest law firms, and applies this knowledge to provide his clients with fulsome and comprehensive advice.

Prior to practising law, George worked at a property development firm where he was introduced to conveyancing and property law. George has also been involved in the management of a family business, providing him with the knowledge and experience required to understand and operate a business, and in turn provide his clients with realistic and practical legal advice. George is fluent in both English and Greek, and uses this skill to assist clients in all aspects of legal practice, particularly wills and estates in which clients are required to provide specific and detailed instructions regarding their personal estate.

George currently applies his conveyancing and property law expertise both in practice, and in academia. In particular, George teaches the Property Law & Practice course in the Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice at the Adelaide Law School, preparing young professionals for legal practice.

Areas of Practice

Property Law

George regularly assists clients with commercial and residential property transactions, and has acted for a range of clients including first-home buyers and large-scale property developers. In particular, George regularly provides his clients with advice relating to residential and commercial property contracts, Form 1 Vendor Statements, and attends to the preparation of mortgages, caveats, commercial leases and Community / Torrens Title land divisions.

Select examples of George’s property law experience include:

  1. high-value commercial property transactions within the Adelaide CBD and surrounding suburbs;
  2. large-scale land transactions requiring the transfer of mining licenses, water licenses, and other secondary considerations; and
  3. managing and effecting all aspects of large-scale residential property developments within South Australia, including both Torrens and Community Title divisions.

Commercial & Business Law

George has advised clients in relation to all aspects of commercial and business transactions, disputes and negotiations, including:

  1. the preparation and review of complex commercial agreements for clients operating in a broad range of industries, including telecommunications, building and construction, health and welfare, information technology, and education; and
  2. the preparation and review of terms and conditions for the provision of goods and/or services, personal guarantees, licensing agreements and asset management agreements.

Civil Law

George has been involved in both commencing and defending civil proceedings, and assists clients in all aspects of the same, including pre-trial negotiations, and presenting his clients’ case during trial. George has experience liaising with expert witnesses, working with counsel, engaging in commercial negotiations (such as settlement and conciliation conferences), appearing in Court on behalf of his clients, and other similar “hands-on” areas of legal practice.

George has achieved positive results for clients in relation to:

  1. mortgagee and debt recovery matters in the Magistrates, District and Supreme Courts of South Australia;
  2. leasing and licensing disputes involving intricate environmental and contractual considerations; and
  3. complex commercial disputes including intellectual property, leasing, shareholding, and business sale issues.

Estate Planning

George has advised clients in relation to their estate planning and administration needs, including the preparation of simple wills for small estates and complex testamentary trust wills which often involve succession planning for company and trust structures. George also assists clients in planning for their future financial and medical needs, by preparing advance care directives and powers of attorney specifically tailored to suit his clients’ specific circumstances.

George has experience in applications for probate, applications for letters of administration and assisting with the administration of estates.

Qualifications:

  • Bachelor of Laws (Honours) 
  •  Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) 
  • Graduate Diploma in Legal Practice

Memberships:

  • Law Society of South Australia
  • Hellenic Australian Lawyers