TRUST
Working closely with insolvency and bankruptcy practitioners, the private client team advises business entities and individuals in relation to structuring arrangements to assist in protecting the assets including:
The team offers a trust establishment and review service that can be provided as a stand-alone service or an integrated planning and structuring service with our estate planning, protection planning and tax planning services. Trusts commonly established, reviewed and advised on include:
- Establishment of specifically tailored trust structures
- Effective superannuation planning
- Operation and practical application of the bankruptcy and insolvency laws
- Review of existing asset holding and business structures
- Structuring and restructuring of asset holdings and business entities
The team offers a trust establishment and review service that can be provided as a stand-alone service or an integrated planning and structuring service with our estate planning, protection planning and tax planning services. Trusts commonly established, reviewed and advised on include:
- Discretionary trusts
- Unit trusts
- Hybrid trusts
- Split trusts
- Testamentary trusts
- Private Ancillary Fund and other charitable trusts
- Other specifically tailored trusts
COMMERCIAL
We have helped many people to invest in an existing business or start one from scratch by advising on the business model structure, creating appropriate business agreements and providing ongoing support for businesses. Our services include :
Advice on investment in real estate, retail, technology and project businesses Establishment of new companies Business and transaction structures (including mergers and acquisitions) Buying and selling businesses Business due diligence Ownership structures for asset protection Partnership agreements Joint venture agreements Tenancy in common agreements Purchase or lease of business premises Involvement of additional investors Consultancy agreements Employment of staff and contractors Capital gains tax advice Shareholder agreements Service agreements Strategic alliances General commercial advice Provision of structuring advice and design of optimum finance structure and taxation structure for inbound/ outbound investment in Australia
ESTATE PLANNING & ADMINISTRATION
We advise on all areas of estate planning and estate administration :-
Estate Planning
Estate Planning
- Simple and complex wills which includes advices to minimise tax and provide significant asset protection benefits for estate beneficiaries.
- Powers of attorney
- Appointment of enduring guardian
- Advance care directives (living wills)
- Testamentary trusts
- Capital protected trusts
- Superannuation advice including self-managed superannuation funds and insurance reviews
- Business succession plans
- Family constitutions
- Protecting the wealth of high net worth client
- Trusts and life estates including remaindermen entitlements
- Drafting and negotiating deeds of family arrangement
- Gifts and charitable foundations
- Sensitive matters like the unequal distribution of assets in blended families
- Joint asset ownership reviews and asset restructuring arrangements
- Administration of deceased estates
- Bankrupt estates
- International wills and estates
- Rectifying and contesting wills
- Applications for grants of probate, letters of administration and resealing of foreign grants
- Advising on applications for statutory wills
- Acting for plaintiffs and defendants in contested family provision claims
- Advising, initiating claims and appearing in cases of testamentary capacity and undue influence
- Informal wills
- Guardianship Tribunal work and protected estates, including claims for commission, assisting and advising on the filing of accounts
- Advising on the transition from executor to trustee and advising on long term trust estates
- Advising on matters relating to breach of fiduciary duty in relation to powers of attorney
- Representing estates of both significant and modest value
- Advising charitable institutions with regard to their legacies, balancing competing beneficial and family provision claims
MIGRATION LAW
We provide immigration advice to both corporate and private clients on various migration issues and has helped numerous families from all around the world settle in Australia successfully.
We can assist you in the following areas:
We can assist you in the following areas:
- Business skills visas, including:
- Standard Business sponsorship, nomination and 457 application;
- Subclass 189 visa
- Subclass 188/888 visas;
- Subclass 132 Business Talent Visa
- most family visas, including:
- De facto, spouse, fiancé and interdependency visas
- Child visas
- Parent visas
- many temporary visas, including bridging visas, visitor visas, electronic travel authorities and working holiday visas
- resident return visas
- Australian citizenship
- conditions attached to visas, including condition 8503 ("no further stay")
- criteria which must be met for visas, including health, character and provision of an assurance of support
PROPERTY
We provide transaction and advisory services to property owners, investors, landlords and tenants throughout Australia. We work with our clients to develop, negotiate and document deals. Our early involvement and understanding minimises unexpected complications which can delay transactions. Our expertise includes:
- Disposal and acquisition of commercial buildings, commercial offices, retail shops and residential properties. This includes due diligence, drafting and negotiating sale and acquisition contractual documentation, including put and call options and complex contractual arrangements to deal with delayed settlement, structured payment regimes and vendor finance mortgages
- Acting for both landlords and tenants in high volume and "bespoke" commercial, industrial, retail and residential leasing
- Providing leasing advice, including with respect to:
- rent reviews
- tenant breaches
- make good obligations
- incentive structures
- Project joint ventures and development agreements
- Advice on title structuring options in for land subdivisions and multi-use developments
- Drafting of, and advice with respect to easements and covenants and licences for supply of services and rights over property
- Advisory services for property owners, investors, landlords and tenants in Australia
- Tenders and Expressions of Interest
TAXATION AND SUPERANNUATION
Our team advises on a range of taxation issues including:
- Stamp duties for transactions as well as new structures, joint ventures, mergers and demergers
- Tax implications and tax planning to achieve the business succession objectives in the most effective way
- Income tax, capital gains tax, international tax, GST and payroll tax, superannuation
- Tax implications of structuring and restructuring arrangements and preparation of appropriate documentation
- Taxation objections and appeals, including tax litigation
- Taxation audits and administrative reviews
- Superannuation establishments, structuring, compliance and debt instalment warrants