asset protection planning cyber and data law defence industry legal services estate planning services family office legal services finance law for families property law for families

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 Family offices exist to simplify complexity for the families they serve. That only works if the professionals around the table actually talk to each other — and actually know what they're doing. At Nitre Law, we work directly with multi-family offices and single-family offices as a trusted legal panel member, and with the families they introduce to us. We handle the legal side so everyone else can stay focused on what they do best.

1. Corporate Structuring and Asset Protection

Most wealthy families have more legal exposure than they realise. We build and review the structures that sit beneath the wealth:

• Holding Companies and Group Structures: Getting the corporate architecture right — who owns what, how assets are held, and where the risk sits.
• Trust Establishment and Variation: Family discretionary trusts, unit trusts, hybrid trusts — drafted properly and kept current as circumstances change.
• Asset Protection Planning: Separating personal assets from business risk before a problem arises, not after.
• Shareholder and Unitholders Agreements: Locking in the rules between family members and co-investors so disputes don't become disasters.

2. Succession and Estate Planning

This is where the work that financial advisers do either holds together or falls apart. We make sure it holds:

• Wills and Testamentary Trusts: Drafted to reflect the family's actual intentions — not a generic template.
• Binding Death Benefit Nominations: Correctly executed and kept current so superannuation goes where it's supposed to.
• Enduring Powers of Attorney and Advance Health Directives: Essential documents that too many families delay until it's too late.
• Business Succession: Buy-sell agreements, succession triggers, and leadership transition — documented before it becomes urgent.
• Multi-Jurisdictional Estates: Where families hold assets across states or internationally, we coordinate the legal picture so nothing falls through the gaps.

3. Finance Law

When families borrow, invest, or lend — particularly in private credit markets — the documentation needs to be right:

• Loan and Facility Agreements: Acting for borrowers and lenders, making sure the deal is properly documented from day one.
• Security Documentation: Mortgages, GSAs, and guarantees — prepared and registered correctly.
• Independent Legal Advice: When a lender requires ILA for a guarantor or borrower, we provide it promptly and without unnecessary friction.
• SMSF Lending: LRBAs structured and documented in line with ATO requirements.
• Private Credit Transactions: We understand how private lending deals are structured and the risks that come with them.

4. Property Law

From individual acquisitions to complex family property holdings, we handle:

• Commercial and Residential Transactions: Contract review, due diligence, and settlement — at fixed fees, disclosed upfront.
• SMSF Property Acquisitions: Managed in line with the compliance requirements that apply to fund acquisitions.
• Intra-Family Transfers: Form 2 disclosures and intra-family transactions handled cleanly and efficiently.
• Development Structures: Legal structuring for families with development interests or joint venture property holdings.

5. Cyber and Data Law

High-net-worth families are targets. So are the advisers who hold their information. We advise on:

• Privacy and Data Compliance: Making sure the family office and its associated entities meet their obligations under the Privacy Act.
• Cyber Incident Response: If there's a breach, we move quickly — managing legal obligations, notifications, and exposure.
• Contractual Risk Management: Reviewing technology and data-sharing agreements before they create a problem.

6. Defence Industry

Where family wealth includes interests in defence contracting, government supply, or regulated industries, we provide:

• DISP Compliance: Advice for Defence Industry Security Program participants and their subcontractors.
• Government Contract Review: Making sure the terms of government engagements are properly understood before signing.
• Security Obligation Management: Legal advice on personnel, facility, and information security obligations.

7. The Consigliere — For Families Who Want More

For families who want a lawyer genuinely embedded in their affairs — not just called when something goes wrong — our Consigliere engagement provides 24-hour direct access to a senior Nitre lawyer across all practice areas. One relationship. One number. Always available. Limited to four engagements per year.

For Family Office Principals

If you're looking for a legal firm you can refer your clients to with confidence, we'd welcome the conversation. We work discreetly, communicate clearly, and understand the expectations that come with high-net-worth client relationships. Panel arrangements are available.

Reach us at info@nitre.law, on WhatsApp at +61 459 032 224, or on Instagram at @Nitre.law.