Laura Hartley Headshot

Laura Hartley

Partner

Call Laura +61 2 8915 1066
Call Laura +61 417 428 861

"I invest time understanding my clients’ business and their industry, their priorities, what’s keeping them awake at night. So when they need to move quickly, I make things happen – FAST!"

Leading global and Australian brands look to Laura to provide comprehensive advice on their most significant and strategically important transactions and legal challenges.

Laura’s longstanding clients consider her a real one-stop shop for advice, with her unique mix of expertise in both mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and competition and consumer law issues. As an auditor approved by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), she can assist clients with compliance issues or undertakings.

Laura has had the privilege to work with large, fast-moving consumer goods companies over many years. Her clients also span the agribusiness, dairy, food manufacturing and manufacturing industries.

Clients trust Laura as an integral part of their team and appreciate her willingness to immerse herself in their business. Her advice is tailored to their current business goals and priorities and grounded in her industry experience. She aims to ensure they can deliver their projects, grow their business, and minimise sleepless nights along the way.

Laura’s clients include The Coca-Cola Company and Coca-Cola Australia, The a2 Milk Company, Bega Cheese Limited, Colgate-Palmolive and Hill’s Pet Nutrition.

The a2 Milk Company — from 2010 to date, provided daily advertising and marketing clearance advice to The a2 Milk Company on its global and Australian advertising and marketing campaigns, and advising this client on food regulatory issues. In 2016 – 2017, representing The a2 Milk Company in its Federal Court challenge to certain advertising of Lion Dairy & Drinks.

Australian Association of National Advertisers — in 2022, undertook a comprehensive review of the procedures and processes of the competitor vs competitor alternative dispute resolution of the AANA’s AdStandards Industry Jury.

Bega Cheese Limited — represented Bega Cheese in 2017 in responding to a compulsory notice issued by the ACCC as part of the Federal Government’s then inquiry into the dairy industry in Australia. Advised Bega Cheese since then on its milk supply agreements and milk procurement practices to ensure compliance with the Dairy Code.

Bega Cheese Limited — obtained merger clearance from the ACCC on all its transactions including: in 2023, in its acquisition of the Betta Milk and Meander Valley Dairy brands from TasFoods Group Limited; in 2020, in relation to its $534 million acquisition of Lion Dairy & Drinks, owners of the Dairy Farmers, Yoplait, Big M, Masters and Dare and Farmers Union iced coffee brands; in 2018, in relation to its $250 million acquisition of Saputo’s Koroit processing facility; and in 2017, in relation to its $460 million acquisition of various assets from Mondelez Australia including the Vegemite and Kraft peanut butter brands.

Cartel Conduct and Resale Price Maintenance Audit for key client — from 2016 to date, conducting comprehensive and in-depth cartel conduct and resale price maintenance audits for a key client of the firm as part of the client’s compliance initiatives and to assist the client determine the level of competition law risk exposure within their sales team.

The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) — led the team acting for TCCC in both the M&A and merger clearance aspects of a variety of transactions in Australia including in the 2023 and 2022 acquisitions of various non-alcoholic drink brands in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, including Mount Franklin, Deep Springs, L&P and Kirks from its bottling partner, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners; in the 2021 sale of its 45% interest, together with its bottler, then known as Coca-Cola Amatil, in the Made Group of Companies (owners of the Cocobella, Rokeby Farms, Impressed Juice and Nutrient Water brands); in the 2018 acquisition of its 45% interest in the Made Group of Companies, together with Coca-Cola Amatil.

Competition and Consumer Law Compliance programs — designing, developing and then providing training to many different clients in many different industries on Competition and Consumer law.

Cotton Seed Distributors — in 2023, advised CSD and negotiated an enforceable undertaking between CSD and the ACCC in relation to CSD’s agency agreements given the ACCC’s view that these may have the effect of substantially lessening competition in relevant markets.

Dairy Farmers Milk Co-operative — in 2022, advised DFMC in relation to the re-authorisation of their back-to-back milk purchasing policies and pricing arrangements with DFMC farmer members and Bega, which involved liaising with and lodging a detailed submission with the ACCC’s Competitions Exemptions team. This led to a favourable outcome being achieved for DFMC, with the ACCC agreeing to grant a further authorisation of these arrangements for 10 years.

Decathlon — in 2019, represented Decathlon in relation to a section 155 notice issued to it by the ACCC, the subsequent ACCC investigation and then proceedings which were commenced by the ACCC in the Federal Court against Decathlon arising out of breaches of various mandatory safety standards.

Exclusive Dealing Review for FMCG client — completed an in-depth competition law review in each of 2022, 2021 and 2020 for a key client in relation to an exclusivity restraint and its rollover in a core commercial supply agreement with a retailer. This involved an assessment of the purpose and effect of the restraint on competition in various FMCG markets which amongst other things required an analysis of market scan data and consumer behaviour data.

KU Children’s Services — in 2023, advising KU Children’s Services on a compulsory notice issued to it by the ACCC as part of its pricing inquiry into childcare costs.

Subway Systems Australia — from 2016 to date advised Subway Systems on various of its advertising and marketing campaigns.

Unfair contract terms redrafts — from 2016 to date, reviewed multiple sets of terms and conditions of clients from a wide variety of industries for compliance with the unfair contracts terms provisions of the Australian Consumer Law.

Water Filters Australia — in 2022, advised WFA on various voluntary product recalls it implemented as a result of the introduction of various mandatory standards on button batteries.

Recognition

Best Lawyers in Australia™ — Commercial Law — 2025

Best Lawyers in Australia™ — Corporate Law — 2025

Lawyers Weekly — Partner of the Year Awards: Competition, Trade & Regulation: Finalist — 2022

Committees and memberships

Member (and from time-to-time, Chair) of the Advertising Standards Industry Jury,

KU Children’s Services, Chair of the Board 2016 - 2021

Director, KU Children’s Services 2012 - 2021

Managing Partner, Addisons 2011 - 2016

Member, Competition Law Discussion Group

Member, Law Society of NSW

Industries

FMCG

Agribusiness

Dairy

Food Manufacturing

Manufacturing

Qualifications

Bachelor of Arts (Honours)/Bachelor of Laws, University of Sydney