About Veena

Veena is a highly experienced property and procurement lawyer with almost 20 years’ experience advising clients on defensible, strategic and commercially sound decisions. She advises across the full lifecycle of complex property transactions, with a strong focus on how property arrangements can drive energy efficiency, sustainability outcomes and improved operational performance. Veena has deep expertise in advising tenants on long‑term leases for large and specialised premises, including facilities with significant energy demands or heightened security requirements. She also regularly advises on property management issues, grant‑funded capital works, designated‑use obligations and securities, and Commonwealth property‑related procurements, construction and infrastructure projects, often involving evolving project parameters and complex, multi‑stakeholder negotiations.

Her experience acting for property owners, private healthcare operators and financiers provides her with a balanced and pragmatic understanding of the commercial drivers that underpin negotiations. Veena is also well recognised for her probity and process advisory work, assisting clients with large, operationally significant procurements and projects involving bespoke or novel commercial structures. Her advice supports transparent, risk‑informed decision‑making and helps agencies withstand external scrutiny.

For more than three years, Veena has presented “Lease and its Language” for the Property Council of Australia’s Leasing Fundamentals Program, equipping property professionals with practical skills to interpret and negotiate complex lease terms. She is an active contributor to the profession, currently serving on the Law Council of Australia’s Business and Human Rights Committee and the firm’s health and safety committee and CALD network. Veena is a strong advocate for inclusion and diversity and was named the 2025 Women Lawyer of the Year – Culturally and Linguistically Diverse by the Women Lawyers’ Association of the ACT.

Experience

• Department of Defence

  Advising on large scale leasing procurements for office spaces in Melbourne, Canberra, Brisbane and Perth. These matters have had complex fitout requirements with security overlays and green leasing requirements.

• National Capital Authority

  Advising on agreements relating to the construction and maintenance of roads located on National Land, including liaising with stakeholder entities such as the Department of Defence.

• Leasing and licensing
  • Advising a number of corporate and non-corporate Commonwealth entities on portfolio leasing/licensing needs nationally, including establishing new office accommodation, renewals, variations, advising on issues arising under existing leases (such as rights to abatement for damage/destruction and the scope of make good obligations), advising on licences for communications equipment, storage areas, agistment and unique operational needs.  This experience includes acting for the Commonwealth as lessor/licensor in leases and licences on Commonwealth owned estate.
     
  • Advising corporate and non-corporate Commonwealth entities on establishing new purpose built or modified premises nationally (including at airports) to exercise statutory functions.  
• Property finance
  • Providing property related advice and assistance to financiers in relation to financing or re-financing various projects in the ACT, including residential apartment complexes, mixed use facilities and hotels. Her work has included leading due diligence, coordinating attendance at settlements and advising on options for enforcing mortgages.
• Probity advice
  • Advising on programs of works for construction and property related procurements nationally (including those in remote and regional areas) and sales of property.
     
  • Business transformation programmes: Advising non-corporate Commonwealth entities on numerous ICT-led business transformation programs.
     
  • Trials of innovative service delivery models: Advising a non-corporate Commonwealth entity on the procurement of providers for a trail of innovative and flexible service delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Construction and infrastructure
  • Advising Commonwealth entities on construction and infrastructure projects, including a contract to construct a water supply pipeline, procurements of head contractors, architectural services and design contractors.