Client Reviews

 

Here is what our clients say about working with Clifton:

Rory Crawford, CEO, Strandbags Group – one of Australia’s largest and most successful specialty retailers:

“I have used Robbie Scheiner of Clifton Advisory for a range of legal services for over 10 years.  I have found Robbie’s unique strengths are his ability to clearly see the big picture, simplify complex issues, focus on core issues, and provide excellent strategic advice.  In negotiations Robbie is resolute on key points and doesn’t waste time and money trying to score points unnecessarily.  Robbie is easy to deal with and provides a level of professionalism, technical expertise and quality of advice that is hard to find in even the best practices.”

John Levin, Chairman of Quanis Group, Founder of Telecom Plus plc and active investor in private companies:

“I have worked with Robbie Scheiner at Clifton for many years relating to activities in the USA and the UK.  Robbie has a deep understanding of the intricacies of the commercial world and his advice and drafting is concise, precise, intelligent and extremely commercially savvy.”

Simon Roy, Management Consultant (ex McKinsey) and CEO of companies:

“I have worked with Robbie Scheiner on a number of personal and corporate contracts over the years. There are a number of reasons I find him a compelling attorney to work with. From the start, Robbie brings the discipline to first explore and clarify the business issues and the client positions on key points, as well as exploring any specific legal issues to ensure the appropriate goals and contract structure is established. His experience on three continents with a range of corporate transactions informs his approach to each new situation. While he brings a toughness to negotiations, he has an honest likability that brings an intangible benefit to any negotiation. In drafting agreements, Robbie has a rare ability to translate business and legal issues into plain English that can be understood by the layman while maintaining legal integrity. I have found Robbie to be an efficient partner in legal situations who ensures that negotiations remain on even keel by bringing an even demeanour and keeping his eye on the prize.”   

Gavin Williams, former director of EHN Oceania (now part of the Acciona Group in Spain):

“Robbie worked on various subjects for us, always with the same high level of competency, efficiency and enthusiasm.

Robbie assisted us in setting up our business in Australia including dealing with structuring, tax, foreign investment and employment issues, and advised us on a number of potential joint ventures.

Robbie also acted as our sole counsel on the Company’s first major deal in Australia which consisted of establishing a joint venture for a 100 million Euro energy plant with a major local utility company. This was a large and demanding project and throughout the process we received an unprecedented level of service and ‘blue chip’ level advice characteristic of the best firms we have worked with around the world. 

The combination of Robbie’s business insight and his legal and personal skills meant that we continually received well thought out, structured and pro-active advice/solutions on all the issues that were presented to us.  Deal negotiations were often difficult and the issues complex, and Robbie helped us navigate through all of this and ultimately establish a highly successful project.

In short, working with Clifton Advisory has been very enjoyable and rewarding for us.”

Chris Lavers, former CEO of Neville Ward Direct (now part of CommSec):

“I met Robbie in my capacity as a shareholder in and CEO of Australia’s largest discount broker of managed funds.  Over a three-year period Robbie provided me with a range of legal services and advice covering corporate governance, negotiations, contracts and shareholder affairs.  He also assisted me and another shareholder in selling our 50% stake in the company.

Robbie is extremely professional in what he does and the quality of his work is excellent.  He is also very amicable and a pleasure to deal with.

In stressful situations Robbie keeps his composure and helps others to stay calm, while at the same time keeping focus on the task at hand.  One of Robbie’s greatest strengths is his ability to provide strategic, big picture advice while at the same time being able to interpret and craft detailed legal documents and delve into the minutiae which is often required in legal situations.

Based on my experience in dealing with Robbie I have no hesitation in recommending him for your consideration.”

Chris Carroll, Founder, principal shareholder and CEO of The Eventful Group Pty Limited:

“As a business about to enter its 15^th year of operation, we’ve used several of the larger law firms for the execution of legal work and commercial advice. Being smaller than the majority of their clients, it became apparent that we needed a firm that was willing to understand the intricacies of a rapidly growing small business.  This led us to being introduced to Robbie Scheiner of Clifton Advisory. 

Robbie has been CRITICAL in the success of our company.  In addition to assisting us several shareholder agreements, executive share plans and commercial agreements, he was invaluable in working with us to set up a very successful joint venture in New York.  The commercial advice that we received from Robbie has been as important as the technical legal work performed.  Most importantly, Robbie has invested significant energy and time into understanding the mechanics of our business.  In summation, Robbie is a terrific commercial lawyer who cares deeply about this clients and the success of their businesses.  On behalf of The Eventful Group I am very happy to recommend Robbie Scheiner and Clifton Advisory.”

Jonathan Smuskowitz, former CFO of Committed Capital:

“I worked extensively with Robbie Scheiner while I was chief financial officer of an international private equity firm based in Sydney.  Our work together covered a wide range of matters including the set up and management of private equity funds, private equity investments, corporate governance and corporate restructuring.  At times Robbie brought in other leading law practices for specialist expertise or a broader resource and in these instances he was ‘hands on’ in ensuring that services were delivered effectively and efficiently.

Robbie is highly professional in his work and his first priority is always ensuring that his client’s interests are properly looked after.  Robbie quickly ‘gets’ the commercial proposition underpinning a deal and gravitates to the key issues which he negotiates in a manner that reflects their importance.

Robbie is very thorough in his work and I have found this advice to be clear, well considered and of a very high quality, evidencing his experience in working in many countries and with leading practices.  Robbie is personable and easy to get along with, and I have no hesitation in recommending him as a true professional.”

Carl Harwin, Founder of wowcow:

“I have had the pleasure of working with Robbie for a couple of years now, primarily utilizing his skills as a corporate advisor and in strategic deal structuring.  Robbie is extremely professional, yet cool, calm and collective at the same time.  He is very balanced in his overall approach and has a unique gift of sifting through the clutter and honing in on the key fundamentals. This combined with a sixth-sense of reading into the deals and the people behind them has proven invaluable for me time and time again. Robbie is as honourable as they come and I would recommend him to anyone who is seeking a true professional in their field.”

Lance Berks, co-founder of Holly Connects:

“I first came into contact with Robbie Scheiner when he acted for the Australian venture capital arm of the Dimension Data Group on its investment into Holly Connects, a company I co-founded and of which am chief executive officer. We were so impressed with Robbie’s work and style that we began to use Robbie as our legal adviser following Dimension Data’s investment. I have also used Robbie on personal matters from time to time.

Robbie is an excellent lawyer. He has a broad range of skills, wide experience and brings a calm demeanor to client interactions and negotiations where he is very effective. Robbie has a natural flair for business and as a relatively small high growth company with entrepreneurial spirit this has been invaluable to us. He brings clarity to complex matters, his drafting is clear and concise and his advice is intelligent and value enhancing particularly on strategic matters.

Robbie is a professional through and though and a pleasure to work with. He comes with my highest recommendation.”

Richard Lubner, Founder and CEO of Touch Galleries:

"I have used Clifton Advisory for almost 8 years now and can only express complete satisfaction as to this relationship.  Robbie Scheiner has a unique ability to blend strong commercial and legal skills together with an excellent insight and foresight into the nature of people. I found his suggestions and legal strategy to be very astute and obviously based on vast experience.  A major plus factor for me is the concise and easy to follow documentation that he produces and his utilisation of time is extremely efficient.  I highly recommend Robbie to those who seek top quality professional advice." 

Daniel Rodgers, CEO of Evolution Tankers:

“As CEO of an early stage company with high growth potential, I had struggled to find an option for legal advice with the necessary expertise at a cost structure which would be manageable for us. Knowing that good legal advice at the early stages of company foundation is critical I had assessed a number of options. Through Clifton Advisory, Robbie has provided us with thoughtful and measured advice across a diverse range of matters including company strategy, structure and IP ownership which have measurably improved the outcomes in the growth of our company. Robbie brings a strong commercial background together with a perceptive and balanced nature and I feel comfortable that our engagement of his services will be a rewarding decision through the growth of this venture and beyond.”

Steven Marks, Founder and CEO of Guzman Y Gomez:

“Guzman y Gomez was fortunate to develop its relationship with Clifton Advisory and Robbie Scheiner at a pivotal time for the business.  Over the past 18 months we’ve frequently called on Robbie’s expertise in an advisory role. He’s provided GyG with invaluable insights through our rounds of capital raising and has worked extensively formalizing our corporate governance and reworking our shareholders agreements.

Robbie’s depth of experience both overseas and Australia shows in his work.  Robbie is highly professional, but still maintains a very calm and relaxed approach to solving problems and addressing the tough issues. We look forward to having Robbie play an integral part in our expansion, and are so pleased that he is part of the GyG family.”