Services

Expert legal counsel. Every corner of the wealth management sector.

Hastings Legal provides expert counsel across the full spectrum of financial services law, delivered with the directness, clarity and accountability that complex environments demand.

01

Licensing & Regulatory

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Navigating the ASIC-regulated environment requires more than compliance knowledge. It requires counsel that understands the commercial realities of running a wealth management or financial advice business.

Hastings Legal builds the governance structures and regulatory frameworks that allow advice firms to operate with confidence in a constantly changing environment. The focus is on frameworks that function in practice, not documentation produced to satisfy an audit and then filed away.

We help firms stay ahead of their obligations, engage with the regulator constructively, and adapt their structures in real time as the regulatory landscape evolves.

Licensing & Regulatory: in detail +
AFSL obligations, conditions and ongoing compliance
ASIC engagement, correspondence and representation
Breach identification, reporting and remediation
Licensing applications, variations and structuring
Governance frameworks and responsible manager arrangements
02

Wealth Management & Advice Businesses

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The legal needs of a financial advice business are distinct from those of a general commercial enterprise. Hastings Legal understands the sector from the inside: the obligations principals carry, the pressures licensees face, and the structures that must work in practice.

We advise on the adoption of contemporary, efficient business models for advice firms, with structures that reflect how the industry operates today, not how it operated a decade ago. As the market continues to evolve, we work alongside clients to adapt those structures in real time.

We work with advice firms and wealth management operators at every stage, from establishment and structuring through to growth, change and succession.

Wealth Management & Advice: in detail +
Financial advice firm structuring and establishment
Licensee, principal and authorised representative agreements
Practice acquisitions, mergers and succession
Client register and book transactions
Dealer group and self-licensing structures
Buyer of last resort and exit arrangements
03

Strategic & Commercial Advisory

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Commercial decisions in the wealth management sector carry legal weight that generalist advisers frequently miss. Hastings Legal brings specialist sector knowledge to transactions, structures and commercial arrangements.

The focus is always on what matters to the business, ensuring the legal framework supports the commercial objective rather than creating unnecessary obstacles.

Strategic & Commercial: in detail +
Business structuring and restructuring
Transactions, acquisitions and joint ventures
Platform and distribution arrangements
Service agreements and commercial negotiations
04

Disputes, Claims & Risk

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When a dispute or regulatory matter arises, the right response requires someone who understands both the law and the commercial environment in which the firm operates. Hastings Legal provides clear, direct guidance from the first instruction.

The goal is always to understand what is genuinely at stake, assess the realistic options and move efficiently toward resolution, without manufacturing complexity in the process.

Disputes, Claims & Risk: in detail +
AFCA complaints and dispute responses
ASIC investigations and enforcement response
Regulatory risk assessment and remediation
Professional indemnity and claims management
Compensation scheme obligations
05

Emerging Issues

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The wealth management sector is navigating a period of rapid change: regulatory, technological and commercial. Firms that stay ahead of emerging legal issues are better positioned to manage risk, adapt their models and capture opportunity.

Hastings Legal publishes regular commentary on the issues shaping the sector and works with clients to translate that analysis into practical guidance for their business.

Emerging Issues: in detail +
AI and advice businesses: legal and regulatory implications
Evolving ASIC enforcement priorities
Technology, data and platform obligations

How Hastings Legal works

Direct counsel. No layers. No loss of context.

Hastings Legal is built on a deliberate model: specialist expertise delivered directly, without the overhead or hierarchy of an institutional firm. Instructions are received and delivered at the same level, by an experienced practitioner who understands the regulatory environment and the commercial realities of operating within it.

Advice is provided in plain language, within agreed timeframes, and focused on what the business is actually trying to achieve, not on exhaustive analysis designed to manage the adviser’s risk rather than the client’s.

Working with the legal community

Counterparties. Colleagues. Conversations.

Hastings Legal regularly engages with lawyers acting on the other side of financial services transactions and regulatory matters. We bring specialist depth and a direct approach to those engagements, whether the circumstances are collaborative or contested.

We are also actively building our practice. If you are a specialist lawyer with an interest in the wealth management sector, whether that means working alongside us, referring matters, or exploring something longer-term, we welcome the conversation.

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Discuss your matter with Hastings Legal

For enquiries, introductions or confidential discussions, contact us directly.