Denise Wightman is a highly experienced commercial lawyer with over 20 years’ experience advising on complex corporate, commercial and property finance matters. She is a Law Institute of Victoria Accredited Specialist in Commercial Law and is recognised for her technical expertise, commercial insight and practical approach to transactions.
Denise’s practice focuses on corporate and commercial law and property finance, with particular depth in the property and property finance sectors. She advises a broad range of clients, including Australian and foreign corporations, high‑net‑worth individuals, property developers and non‑bank lenders, across a wide range of industries.
Denise has extensive experience advising on joint venture and shareholder agreements, business sales and acquisitions, complex corporate restructures and general commercial contracting. She also has particular expertise in all aspects of property financing and investment, including structuring both debt and equity transactions.
Her property finance experience includes acting for lenders and borrowers on construction and passive lending, mezzanine finance and preferred equity funding, drafting and reviewing facility and security documentation, and advising on intercreditor and subordination arrangements. Denise also regularly advises on due diligence (including pre‑sale contract reviews), tripartite agreements with builders, PPSA matters, the registration and discharge of securities, and the sale of distressed assets.
Denise is known for bringing a highly technical yet commercial mindset to each matter. As an Accredited Specialist, she delivers significant value to clients navigating complex commercial issues and has been instrumental in helping clients establish, grow, protect and successfully exit their businesses.
In addition to her legal practice, Denise is a respected thought leader. She has authored the Australian chapters of leading global reference guides, including Lexology Panoramic’s Acquisition Finance guide, the Lexology GTDT Corporate Governance guide, and the International Lawyers Network’s Establishing a Business Entity, International Guide. These publications reflect her standing as a recognised authority in acquisition finance and corporate governance law in Australia.
Denise joined Keypoint Law in 2026 and is based in Melbourne.
Expertise
Property Finance
- Preparing facility and security documents (both passive and construction loans) for lenders
- Reviewing loan and security documents for corporate borrowers
- Mezzanine finance
- Due diligence, including pre-sale contract reviews
- Tripartite agreements with builders
- Preferred equity funding
- Intercreditor and subordination agreements
- Registering and discharging securities
- Advising on the sale of distressed assets
- Personal Property Securities Act 2009 (Cth)
Commercial Law
- Unitholder and shareholder agreements
- Joint venture agreements
- Business sales and acquisitions
- Corporate restructures
- Consumer contracts
- Corporate governance
Experience
- Acting for a property developer on a $120 million syndicated construction facility from an overseas financier.
- Acting for a non-bank lender on a $25 million construction facility, including preparing the construction facility agreement and security documentation, undertaking due diligence, reviewing the construction contract, preparing the tripartite agreement with the builder and registering the securities.
- Acting for a non-bank lender on a $20 million passive loan facility for the acquisition of a major development site.
- Acting for a property developer:
- on the financing of the acquisition of a major development site where the financier obtained an equity stake in the property developer, including reviewing and negotiating the shareholders agreement, the development management agreement, the project management agreement and the shareholder loan agreements; and
- on a complex construction facility of $113 million for the development of the site into a large apartment complex.
- Acting for a food manufacturer on the sale of its business to a listed corporation for over $14 million, including managing the due diligence process and virtual data room, preparing and negotiating the business sale agreement and settling the sale
Recognition
- Bachelor’s Degree, LLB/BA, University of Canterbury
- Accredited Specialist – Commercial Law, Law Institute of Victoria
- Finalist, alongside her team(s) at prior firm (not Keypoint Law), in the Australian Law Awards’ Banking and Finance Team of the Year (2023, 2024 and 2025) and Commercial Team of the Year (2024) categories.
Career
| 2026 – present | Keypoint Law | Consulting Principal |
| 2010 – 2026 | Kalus Kenny Intelex | Partner |