Founder and Principal
Paul is the driving force behind Summer Lawyers’ recovery-led approach, with over 15 years' specialist experience in private credit, mortgage law and lender-side enforcement.
He has built the firm around a clear proposition: to protect non-bank lender capital through enforcement and recovery-informed structuring. His practice spans secured and unsecured lending, mortgage advances, recovery disputes, insolvency, construction finance and complex litigation across Australia and New Zealand.
Paul is known for his deep market knowledge, commercial instinct and ability to identify where lender positions may be tested before pressure is applied. He advises major private, commercial and non-bank lenders on transaction structure, enforcement strategy, security issues and distressed scenarios.
As Founder and Principal, he has shaped Summer Lawyers into a specialist private credit firm with a reputation for direct advice, disciplined execution and lender-first judgment. His leadership and commitment to innovating practice continue to guide the firm’s approach across recovery, insolvency and advances.
Key cases/experience – representative matters
Various clients: Creating numerous financial products, including shared equity mortgages and Islamic loans.
Various clients: Acting in contested secured mortgage recovery litigation Australia-wide, including Oak Capital, Australian Secure Capital Fund, Assetline Capital, GEMI, AltX, Titan, N1 and many other private finance clients.
Various clients: Acting on secured mortgage recovery in New Zealand including Homesec Business Finance and Bizcap NZ.
Various clients: Representing lenders in construction recovery matters including Assetline Capital, AltX and MA Financial.
Pacific 8: Representing the lender on a AU$12 million secured Islamic financing transaction.
Confidential lender: Acting in a New South Wales Court of Appeal matter in relation to unconscionable conduct.
Confidential borrower: Representing a borrower in the successful reduction of a lender’s payout figure.
Confidential borrower: Successfully removing lenders caveat without payment of fees.
Confidential borrower: Acting against a lender in successfully staying an auction and a mortgagee exercising its power of sale.
Admissions
Admitted, Supreme Court of NSW, 2010
Admitted, High Court of New Zealand, 2022
Memberships / Associations / Affiliations
Law Society of NSW
New Zealand Law Society, Barrister and Solicitor
Asia Pacific Loan Market Association (APLMA)
Paul Reese
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Case Notes
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