Richard Howard
Senior AssociateAbout Richard
Richard is a skilled commercial lawyer with significant legal, corporate governance and leadership experience across manufacturing, medical, not for profit, hospitality and maritime and logistics sectors.
Richard brings an eye for commercial pragmatism to his provision of legal services and an enthusiasm for understanding his clients’ businesses and their risk profiles. These attributes assist him to ask the right questions and hone in on the legal and commercial issues where clients need assistance.
What he does
Richard’s expertise includes:
- Mergers and acquisitions—due diligence, structuring, negotiations, drafting transaction documents, completion management and integration services.
- Corporate advisory—company incorporation, corporate structuring, shareholders’ agreements and directors’ duties and company secretarial functions and employee share plans.
- Commercial contracting—drafting, reviewing and advising on supply and services agreements, franchise agreements and distribution agreements. Richard recently completed an eight-month legal secondment with a global beverage producer working within their in-house legal team.
- Shipping and transport—assisting ship owners, charterers, P&I clubs and cargo owners with shipping related issues, particularly in relation to vessels calling at the Port of Newcastle.
- Hospitality and gaming—advising hotels and clubs on a variety of liquor licencing, gaming and associated regulatory matters.
Who he works with
Richard works with medium-sized businesses including hotels, clubs, manufacturing companies, professional advisory firms and medical practices to assist them with transactions, structuring, contracting and compliance. Richard also works with larger FMCG businesses, particularly in the food sector, and shipping and logistics companies.
Qualifications
Richard holds a Bachelor of Business and Law from the University of Newcastle.
Life before Sparkes
Prior to returning to legal practice in 2021, Richard held senior management roles in the hospitality & tourism and health & medical research sectors. This has given Richard a direct operational understanding of the commercial requirements within these sectors, enabling him to draw upon real ‘lived’ experience.
Early in his career, Richard also worked with the Department of Treasury and Finance, Tasmania, specialising in state owned companies and government business enterprises.
Life outside of Sparkes
Beyond Sparkes, Richard enjoys spending time with his family, renovating properties, gardening, bushwalking and sailing. He regularly competes in domestic and international sailing events in a variety of classes and has competed in the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race fifteen times, with a best finish of second overall.