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Strategic advice to protect, grow and guide your family wealth

Private Wealth 

Managing significant wealth requires more than financial expertise. It demands sensitivity to complex family dynamics, a long-term vision, and collaborating seamlessly with other professional advisors. We draw on deep experience and global networks of lawyers, accountants and investment bankers. We can deliver bespoke solutions that reflect your values, goals and vision for the future. Our Private Wealth team advises high net worth individuals, entrepreneurs, family offices and businesses on structuring and managing their personal and business affairs. Our goal is to help you protect and grow your wealth – now and for future generations. We act as trusted advisors to some of Australia's most prominent families, founders and philanthropic organisations. We provide discrete, strategic and pragmatic advice tailored to your unique needs.

Our services

Our integrated Private Wealth team advises on personal, family and business matters, focusing on structuring, disputes, intergenerational succession planning, and governance. Our key areas of expertise include:

  • Managing investments: Advising on mergers and acquisitions including co-investments and founder exits, family asset divisions, and disclosures relating to public market shareholdings and directorships.
  • Tax advisory: Comprehensive tax planning, structuring and dispute resolution, including liaising with the Australian Tax Office (ATO).
  • Dispute resolution: Managing family and third-party disputes and multi-jurisdictional litigation, including complex trust and estate claims.
  • Regulatory investigations: Advising on investigations by regulators, with insight into their frameworks and expectations.
  • International relocation: Cross-border estate planning and relocation advice, including wealth structuring, tax residency, asset protection and succession strategies.
  • Family Office advisory: Advising on operations, executive engagement, incentive arrangements, leadership transitions, governance and corporate matters.
  • Trusts: Establishing and restructuring domestic and international trusts with a focus on succession planning and asset protection.
  • Succession planning: Designing succession plans that go beyond wills, facilitating the transition of control and wealth to future generations.
  • Charitable giving: Advising on the establishment and operation of charities, philanthropic foundations and private ancillary funds.
  • Reputation and privacy management: Advising on reputational risk, media engagement, defamation, and privacy protection for high net worth individuals.

Our clients

Our clients include high-net-worth (HNW) families and individuals, founders of successful companies, trustees and beneficiaries, foreign entrepreneurs establishing themselves in Australia, and expatriates moving overseas or returning to Australia.

We act as trusted advisors to some of Australia's most prominent families, founders and philanthropic organisations. We provide discrete, strategic and pragmatic advice tailored to the unique needs of each client.

Case studies

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Private client work related to $1B sale of operating business

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Family Office buy-out

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Intergenerational dispute

Advised family owners in relation to the sale of a large retail business. We also advised on restructuring alternatives for the family’s remaining business interests and investments and assisted with the implementation of that restructure.

Advised a family member of one of Australia's wealthiest families on the complex, multi-jurisdictional buy-out of an interest in a large Australian family office. The transaction included the sale of various business interests and lifestyle assets and exemplifies the increasing use of M&A in generational succession planning among Australia's HNW families.

Represented the next generation adult children of the founder of a successful family-owned business in disputes involving second and third-generation family members over control of the group's holding companies and related entities. The litigation included significant rulings on shareholder rights in the New South Wales Supreme Court and Court of Appeal, setting important precedents.

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Cross-border estate planning for HNW families

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Governance of philanthropic concerns

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Family office off-market takeover bid

Advised Australian family members relocating abroad on a cross-border estate plan. The plan addresses residency changes, succession laws across jurisdictions, foreign investment laws, immigration, and family office governance, reflecting the global mobility of Ultra-HNW families.

Acted for one of Australia's largest philanthropic commitments, a family charitable foundation, which granted +AUD100 million over 10 years to support arts, community, and Indigenous education initiatives.

Represented a Sydney-based family office investment vehicle in an off-market takeover bid for an ASX-listed target. This transaction illustrates the increasing role of family offices in public market investments and private equity consortiums.

Knowledge and expertise

MinterEllison is Australia's leading independent law firm with specialist consulting expertise and offers an integrated, full-service private wealth offering. We bring the bench strength and expertise of a top tier firm to advise HNWI and Family Offices on all aspects of Private Wealth.

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https://www.minterellison.com/mergers-and-acquisitions/private-client-and-wealth-management