Legal advice can tell you what the law requires. The harder question is what you need to do next.
Assured Support combines specialist financial-services legal advice with compliance, governance, monitoring, file review and remediation capability.
We help AFSL and ACL licensees understand their position, respond effectively and produce the evidence that demonstrates their systems are working.
A breach assessment may begin with a legal question, but it rarely ends there.
You may also need to determine what happened, review affected files, assess whether the issue is systemic, identify failed controls, determine remediation, change procedures, brief management and demonstrate that the problem has been properly addressed.
An ASIC enquiry may require legal interpretation and advocacy. It may also require evidence that your governance, monitoring and supervisory arrangements are operating effectively.
An adviser conduct issue may involve contractual rights and legal obligations, but also file review, root-cause analysis, consequence management, remediation and regulatory reporting.
Assured Support can work across the whole problem.
We don’t just tell licensees what the law requires. We help them prove their systems work.
For an AFSL or ACL, the important question is often not whether a policy exists or whether management understands the obligation. It is whether the Licensee can demonstrate that its arrangements are effectively implemented.
That may require:
This is where our legal, compliance and review capabilities work together.
24,600+ Advice files independently reviewed | 200+ Australian licensees | 30+ years Financial-services compliance experience
Most legal analysis starts with legislation, regulations, regulatory guidance and case law.
Ours does too.
But we also draw on empirical knowledge gained from independently reviewing more than 24,600 advice files across more than 200 Australian licensees.
That gives us visibility of:
That knowledge allows us to assess regulatory problems in context, not in isolation.
You have clear points of accountability, supported by a broader team with capability across legal, compliance, governance, monitoring and advice review.
That gives you continuity of support, access to additional expertise when an issue crosses disciplines, and the capacity to maintain service standards when priorities change or multiple issues arise at once.
You get the responsiveness of dedicated support without relying on the availability or knowledge of a single key person.
You typically need legal support when a situation is unclear, time-sensitive, or has the potential to escalate.
This includes:
If you’re unsure whether something is a compliance issue or a legal issue, that’s usually the point to engage.
You get structured support to respond to complaints in a way that is clear, defensible and aligned with regulatory expectations.
This includes assessing the advice, framing responses, and ensuring your position is properly articulated.
You receive guidance on identifying, assessing and responding to reportable situations.
This includes determining whether a matter is reportable, how it should be documented, and how to approach notification and remediation.
You get support to manage engagement with ASIC and other regulatory bodies.
This includes responding to enquiries, addressing concerns, and ensuring your position is clearly and appropriately presented.
You receive legal support beyond reactive issues, including the development and review of agreements, policies and frameworks.
This includes:
Advice is designed to be commercially practical and aligned with how your business operates.
You get legal support aligned to how your business actually operates.
We assist with:
Advice is designed to integrate directly with your compliance systems and processes.
You get support to protect your advice, your reputation and your position.
We assist you to:
The focus is on clarity and defensibility, so you can respond with confidence.
You work directly with Assured Support. We manage the issue end-to-end, combining legal insight with practical implementation.
This means:
Where possible, the legal, compliance and implementation work remains coordinated through one team.
If you are dealing with a complaint, a potential breach, or a situation that could escalate, it is better to get clarity early.
You can speak with us to understand your position and next steps.
You should seek legal advice when a matter involves potential breaches, complaints, regulatory engagement or uncertainty about your obligations. Early input helps clarify your position and reduces the risk of escalation or missteps.
Reportable situations include significant breaches or likely significant breaches of core obligations, certain investigations that continue for more than 30 days, gross negligence and serious fraud. The regime also contains deemed-significance rules and obligations concerning certain reportable situations involving other licensees.
Legal input can help determine whether a matter falls within the regime, when the reporting obligation arises and how the matter should be investigated, documented, reported and remediated.
Yes. You receive support to assess the advice, structure your response and present your position clearly. The focus is on defensibility, consistency and alignment with regulatory expectations.
Yes. You receive support whether you are an individual adviser managing a specific issue or a licensee dealing with broader regulatory, governance or systemic matters.
You receive legal guidance that is integrated with compliance, advice processes and real-world operating conditions. The focus is on practical, implementable outcomes rather than purely technical interpretation.
Legal advice is delivered by Assured Support, ensuring you receive practical, actionable guidance aligned with your advice and compliance framework.
Legal services are delivered under appropriate legal supervision.
A financial-services lawyer can advise on the law. Our difference is what sits around that legal capability.
Assured Support combines specialist legal advice with compliance, governance, monitoring, file review, remediation and regulatory technology. We have also independently reviewed more than 24,600 advice files across more than 200 Australian licensees.
That means our lawyers can consider not only what the law requires, but how the issue arose, how similar risks manifest in practice, what evidence is available, whether controls are operating effectively and what needs to change.
For licensees, the objective is not simply a legally correct answer. It is a defensible outcome that can be implemented and evidenced.
Legal services are provided by Assured Support through an admitted Australian legal practitioner.
Sean Graham was admitted to practice in New South Wales in 1998 and holds a current practising certificate.
Legal services are delivered under appropriate legal supervision.
Practitioner registration can be independently verified via the Law Society of New South Wales Register of Solicitors.
Every fortnight “Three Hit Tuesday” delivers thought leadership, considered analysis and insights that will help you improve your advice, more effectively manage your regulatory risks and make you better informed than your peers.
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