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The corporate business lawyers bringing humanity to law.

Meet the Sierra Team.

Our people will be your greatest legal asset.

Our corporate business lawyers don't define their success in terms of expensive suits, billable hours, and opulent offices. Instead, they're driven to impress you with their vast legal knowledge and substantial experience. They're committed to achieving the best outcomes for you.

We have a strong team of senior lawyers (most of whom have at least 13 years of experience) and are committed to ensuring your critical legal matters will never be handed off to juniors while you're charged by the senior lawyer you thought was looking after you.

If you want to deal with real, decent human beings who deliver, you've just found the team you've been searching for.

Explore our incredible team below by clicking on each member to discover their unique story and expertise.

Craig Sanford

Founder & Director

LLB, BSC

Practising since :

1993

Middletons (now K&L Gates) - Partner

Specialties

Mergers and acquisitions

Private equity

General corporate and commercial legal advice

Craig's Story

Craig always believed he'd work with science or numbers. So much so that he signed up for a science degree, majoring in computer science as soon as he finished school. But this would-be computer genius was destined for a different career path. He decided to add a law degree to his studies "to keep his options open".

This was a pivotal moment.

As soon as he undertook commercial and corporate law subjects, he knew he'd found his true calling. He secured a clerkship with a top 10 law firm and has never looked back.

Craig quickly honed his skills with this large law firm and made partner before he reached 30 years of age. After 19 years working for the same blue-chip firm, Craig realised he was working so hard that he was missing out on valuable family and leisure time. He was consumed by the job he was doing.

He still loved the law but believed there was a better approach. And so, he founded Sierra Legal. He built the firm into an entrepreneurial, flexible environment that treated its staff like human beings and not as money-making machines.  

His degree in computer science has not been wasted. It has allowed him to work with the Sierra Legal team in building some genuinely innovative systems, including Arreis Automation.

An overachiever at heart, Craig enjoys time with his family, surfing, kayaking and winning some seriously impressive athletics medals (not to mention the records he's set). When you work with Craig, you can be sure that he'll be 100% committed to seeing you succeed.

Contact Craig

Phone:+61 3 9018 5665 EXT 1
Mobile: +61 416 052 115
Email: csanford@sierralegal.com.au

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Mike Jeffery

Director

LLB, BBUS (with more qualifications to come)

Practising since :

2008

McCullough Robertson

Middletons (now K&L Gates)

Specialties

Mergers and acquisitions

IPOs

Capital raising

Financing arrangements

Takeovers

Joint ventures

Restructuring

Due diligence

Supply agreements

General commercial matters 

Mike's Story

With visions of being a high-flying investment banker, Mike's career unfolded a little differently than he expected. Having gained a Bachelor of Business and a law degree, Mike was offered a job with a corporate law firm. From there, his fate was sealed.

He came to love the variety of work a corporate and commercial lawyer encounters. It means that life is never dull and that the novelty of assisting clients with their most important transactions has never worn off. As Mike says, "Why do boring stuff when you don't have to?"

Mike is not your average lawyer. He's an exceptional lawyer with remarkable technical skills. He taught himself to code and is now completing a degree in computer science to consolidate his skills.

Mike has largely been responsible for Sierra Legal's innovative approach to providing legal services. He developed the Arreis Automation business to streamline legal contract development for clients and save them money at the same time. He has plans to use his technology skills to deliver legal services in an even more unique and practical way. Mike aims to wipe out the inefficiencies of a traditional law practice.

This legal whizz spent his teenage years in Jakarta. This has given him a genuine appreciation for the international nature of large corporate and commercial legal transactions. Mike started his career in Melbourne but returned to his home town of Brisbane when his eldest son was born.

When he's not looking for ways to change the face of the legal industry, Mike enjoys spending time with his wife and kids camping and enjoying the gorgeous beaches around South-east Queensland and Northern NSW.

So, if you're looking for someone with a pioneering mindset to look after your legal matters in a decisive and timely manner, Mike is the man for the job.

Contact Mike

Phone: +61 7 3102 9650 EXT 2
Mobile: +61 402 745 054
Email: mjeffery@sierralegal.com.au

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Kenneth Gitahi

Director

LLB (Hons), BComm (Management)

Practising since :

2007

Specialties

Mergers and Acquisitions

Equity Capital Markets

Corporate Governance

General corporate and commercial legal advice

Kenneth's Story

Kenneth had a burning ambition to practice law from a very young age. It simply never occurred to him to do anything else. He didn't feel suited to any other career. In fact, his only attempt to work in a different field - a two-week foray as a door-to-door salesman for a not-for-profit while at university in Fremantle, WA - was a bit of a disaster. This only cemented his belief that studying, qualifying for, and practising law was what he was destined to do.

He pursued his dream career with a singular focus. And that focus paid off in the form of a law degree awarded with 1st class honours in 2005 and being admitted as a barrister and solicitor of the Supreme Court of South Australia in 2007.

Since that day he still can't imagine doing anything else. He looks forward to working every day, no matter how complex the day's tasks might be.

This is evident in the quality of his work, for which, he has been richly rewarded, including by being promoted to Director within three years of joining Sierra Legal.

Throughout his career, Ken has practised law in South Australia, New South Wales, and Victoria. Armed with his law degree, he was able to satisfy his wanderlust and see a great deal of our beautiful country. He finally settled in Victoria with his wife, Susan, in 2014.

He continues to enjoy the practice of law and advising Sierra Legal’s clients in their most consequential transactions and commercial matters.    

With three highly boisterous children to wrangle, Ken is used to high-pressure situations where everything is at stake. He does not get flustered. Instead, he works through problems methodically and knowledgeably to achieve his clients' goals.

Contact Ken

Phone: +61 3 9018 5665 EXT 3
Mobile: +61 401 450 220
Email: kgitahi@sierralegal.com.au

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Stacey Noonan

Director

LLB (Hons) B.Sc

Practising since :

2003 (with a break)

Specialties

Mergers and acquisitions

Corporate governance

General corporate and commercial advice

Stacey's story

Stacey never thought she’d be a corporate lawyer.  With dreams of saving the planet from environmental disaster or, at least, ensuring the global population has access to safe drinking water, she thought a law degree could be a useful tool along the way.  

On completion of her studies Stacey needed some time to develop her plan of attack (and an income to support her travel bug).  She began working at a commercial law firm and soon realised that she loved the variety of work, getting to know how different businesses operate and identifying and analysing the best legal tools to find solutions to complex business issues.  And so, her life as a corporate lawyer began.  

After developing her skills for almost five years in private practice, Stacey decided to take her experience in-house and began a role as legal counsel and company secretary for a national mining services group. Her fast-paced life overseeing the group’s many acquisitions and managing its legal risk profile took a sharp turn in 2010 in the form of parenthood, and she stepped away from legal practice for several years.  However, Stacey learned that managing three children was far harder than managing a board of directors or multiple stakeholders in a transaction.  She still had the itch to work in the law, so returned to private practice in 2016.

Stacey has a calm, practical and no-nonsense approach to her work.  She can cut through the noise to find the solution needed for a business to achieve its goals. It’s this approach that made her a great fit when she joined the team at Sierra Legal in 2022.

Contact Stacey

Phone: +61 3 9018 5665 EXT 6
Mobile: +61 409 846 992
Email: snoonan@sierralegal.com.au

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Davide Cavalleri

Special Counsel

BEc, LLB

Practising since :

1993

Specialties

Mergers and acquisitions

Capital Raisings

Joint Ventures

Restructures

Commercial contracts

Davide's Story

Unlike many people who go into law with dreams of the thrill of courtroom battles and the kind of intrigue we've all seen on popular TV shows, Davide understood that most lawyers don't live that life. It was this understanding that drew him to practising law.

He knew that he'd have to read and write a lot and that he would need a laser focused eye for detail. It was the perfect career choice for this self-confessed bookworm.

His love of reading and writing means that he has amassed a vast amount of knowledge about commercial and corporate law. And he knows how to wield this knowledge to benefit his clients.

One of Sierra Legal's most experienced lawyers, Davide has a unique perspective of the law as he has been on both sides of the fence. He ran his own manufacturing business for some years, which has given him an appreciation of the day-to-day challenges his business clients face.

Davide, a keen recreational runner (when he puts his books down), particularly enjoys the challenge of finding solutions to everyday legal issues and problems clients encounter in the business world.

While taking a modern approach to delivering legal services, Davide still abides by the timeless principle that lawyers should put their clients’ interests first. You can rest assured that Davide will work in your best interests when you're undertaking important business transactions.

Contact Davide:    

Phone: +61 3 9018 5665 EXT 4
Mobile: +61 473 430 146
Email: dcavalleri@sierralegal.com.au

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Katie Johnston

Special Counsel

LLB, Grad Cert in Applied Finance

Practising since :

2007

McCullough Robertson

King & Wood Mallesons – Senior Associate

The Fold Legal – Senior Associate

Specialties

Capital raising

IPOs

Mergers and acquisitions

Private equity

Due diligence

Corporate governance

General corporate and commercial legal advice

Katie's Story

Katie has had a long and diverse legal career, experiencing it all from private practice at a top-tier national law firm to the dynamic, fast-paced role of Chief Counsel for a fintech start-up. This versatility means she’s just as comfortable advising senior leaders in large ASX-listed companies as she is helping a founder build their startup from scratch and all that lies in between in the world of corporate/commercial legal advice.

A self-described corporate law purist at heart with a laser focus on the detail, Katie’s experience spans hostile takeovers, capital raisings, continuous disclosures, business succession planning and corporate governance. Katie’s sweet spot is managing people, transactions and drafting bespoke agreements. Regardless of deal size or timeline, what she enjoys best about her job is helping her clients achieve their goals and seeing (good) deals complete.

Her ability to intuitively read situations has given Katie ample insights into the intricacies of running businesses and negotiating deals, from understanding foreign regulators while working on cross border transactions from Botswana to Turkey, to guiding Boards through the stressful time of safe harbour, and simply calling out when a deal stinks, you can count on Katie to have her client’s position top of mind whilst providing exemplary client service and cut-through pragmatic advice.

Wanting to give back to the community, Katie also enjoys acting in a volunteer capacity as Company Secretary for R U Ok? A charity very close to her heart.

Outside of work Katie loves spending time with her husband and two daughters, forever chasing the sun on caravaning and boating adventures (mostly to hot, beach locations). Her most favourite thing to do is snorkel with green turtles up and down the beautiful Queensland coastline.

Contact Katie

Phone:+61 3 9018 5665 EXT 7
Mobile: +61 432 390 536
Email: kjohnston@sierralegal.com.au

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Ellie Sanford

Lawyer

LLB (Hons), BComm (Finance)

Practising since :

2023

Specialties

Ellie had always envisioned starting her legal career at a large commercial law firm immediately after graduating from university.  Following the completion of multiple clerkships at large commercial law firms and rotating through M&A and Equity Capital Market teams, she was certain that this area of law was her calling.  But the COVID-19 pandemic steered Ellie in a different career direction.

When the COVID-19 pandemic engulfed the world in early 2020, Ellie was able to work and study from home.  She had considerable extra time to dedicate to training for one of her long-term passions, athletics (specifically the 800m event).  This quickly led to some very impressive results and by mid-2021, she signed a sponsorship deal with PUMA and became a full-time athlete.  

Since embarking on her athletics career, Ellie has competed all around the world. She represented Australia at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, won the silver medal in the 800m at the 2023 Australian Athletics Championships, and is now number 15 on the Australian all-time list for the 800m.  

While Ellie thoroughly enjoys her role as a professional athlete, she has always been itching to do some work in the law.  Sierra Legal’s flexible and innovative approach to working meant that it was a great fit for Ellie, allowing her to balance her athletic career with her passion for the law.  

Ellie prides herself on her strong work ethic and commitment to achieving high-quality results.   These attributes, combined with her previous role as a part-time employee for over 4 years in the Corporate Finance team of a large international accounting firm, makes Ellie a valuable member of the Sierra Legal team.

Phone: +61 3 9018 5665 EXT 5
Mobile: +61 428 131 197
Email: esanford@sierralegal.com.au

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A team approach.

Is there anything worse than being passed from one department to another while everyone scrambles to figure out who should deal with your enquiry?

That won't happen when you work with Sierra Legal. At Sierra Legal, we take a team approach. Anyone in the team can advise on a wide range of corporate and commercial legal matters. And we'll work together to meet your needs.

After all, why shouldn't you have the benefit of our collective wisdom?

Contact us today

Join Us.

Want to be a part of the Sierra Legal Team? We’re always on the look out for new innovative minds to join our diverse team.

Send us an email by clicking the button bellow, with a short summary of yourself, your CV, and we'll be in contact to chat further!

Join Our Team

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