Cathy Drake

Commercial and Property Law

B.A, LL.B (Deakin University)
Accredited Specialist in Commercial Tenancy Law

Cathy is a Director and a member of the firm’s Property and Corporate & Business Law Practice Groups. She is an Accredited Specialist in Commercial Tenancy Law with expertise in advising clients in the preparation of leases of retail, industrial and commercial premises and also advising clients with respect to lease disputes and the complexities of the Retail Leases Act.

Cathy is a committee member of the Law Institute of Victoria Specialist Accreditation Property & Commercial Tenancy Law Advisory Committee. She has also been involved with other organisations in the community including as a past Board member and Secretary of the Fiona Elsey Cancer Research Institute, past committee member of the Ballarat & District Law Association and past deputy chair of BRACE. Cathy also volunteered for almost 10 years at the Central Highlands Community Legal Centre and previously lectured at the TAFE Division of the University of Ballarat.

In her spare time Cathy loves a good book and cultivating Thornton’s Black Krim tomatoes.

• Commercial Law
• Property Law
• Leasing, including agreements to lease, retail leases, commercial and industrial leases, farm leases, sub lease, assignment of lease, variation of lease, surrender of lease, termination of lease, mortgage of lease, rent reviews.
• Lease disputes, including forfeiture and relief from forfeiture
• Mediations, dispute resolution and dealings with the Small Business Commission
• Wind Farm Options and Leases
• Contracts, including contract disputes, estoppel, part performance
• Plans of Subdivisions and Consolidation
• Lost Title and Adverse Possession Claims
• Business Sale and Purchases, including licensed post offices, hotels and motels, child care centres and service stations
• Property Developments
• Residential and Commercial Conveyancing
• GST and going concern
• Owners Corporations
• Retirement Village contracts
• Planning and S173 Agreements
• Confidentiality agreements
• Privacy advice
• Restraints of trade
• Personal Property Securities Act and Register