Meet Us

Michelle Gleeson

Founding Principal

Michelle is a technology, commercial and privacy lawyer with over 20 years’ experience helping organisations navigate the legal and regulatory landscape. She has supported clients in Australia, NZ, UK, Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle East in both private practice and in-house roles.

Much of Michelle’s career has been focused on the FinTech and payments sectors, having held senior roles with international and domestic payment schemes, a major Australian bank, and a high-growth FinTech scale-up. Her broad experience spans both global corporations and agile start-ups – giving her a clear understanding of the legal challenges businesses face at every stage of growth.

Michelle’s strength lies in her down-to-earth approach and calm, solutions-focused manner. She helps clients find the right solution – one that fits their needs and feels genuinely collaborative.

Michelle is admitted as a lawyer in the Supreme Court of New South Wales and High Court of Australia. She is a member of the International Association of Privacy Professionals (IAPP) and holds the Certified Information Privacy Professional / Europe (CIPP/E) and Artificial Intelligence Governance Professional (AIGP) certifications.

Testimonials

What Our Clients Say About Us

“Michelle supported us through a busy period marked by significant change within both our internal Legal team and the wider business. She brought a steady presence and a calming influence to complex enterprise deals and challenging customer contract negotiations. Her pragmatic “get from A to B in the easiest way possible” approach helped deliver client‑focused outcomes while preserving long‑term relationships with our customers.”
LawyerB2B SaaS company, Sydney
“Michelle provided us with expert advice on a material contract for our business with a software vendor. She was commercial, thorough and thoughtful in her advice and drafting. Michelle highlighted areas of risk for us and supported us through the whole negotiation process. Michelle is approachable and explained technical concepts in an easy to understand way.”
Chief Governance and Impact OfficerDisability housing provider sector
“As CEO and co-founder of a software company in the speak-up space, I work with large clients including government, handling sensitive data under complex access controls and across both GDPR and Australian legal frameworks. I engaged Michelle to assist with the negotiation and documentation of a large, complex transaction. She is exceptional. Clear on deadlines, level-headed, and she delivers exactly what she promises. Her attention to detail outperforms any AI tool I've used and I use them daily. Her charging is straightforward and easy to understand, which is rarer than it should be. The highest compliment I can give: one of my own clients engaged her after seeing the work she produced for me.”
CEO and co-founderSoftware company in the speak-up space
“Michelle provided invaluable support to our legal team during a period of change and resourcing pressure. She quickly became a trusted member of the team, delivering practical, high-quality advice across a broad range of matters. Michelle has a strong ability to understand new subject matter and identify what is important from both a legal and commercial perspective. She asks insightful questions, takes the time to understand stakeholder objectives and provides advice that is solutions focused. She is highly professional, adaptable and easy to work with and I would not hesitate to engage her again.”
Legal DirectorEducation Sector