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One trusted counsel for your family in Australia
Your family, business, and wealth span several countries. Your children may be studying, working, or building their lives here. Chua Tan Associates provides your family with one Australian legal adviser who understands the whole picture, from Wills, property and visas to passing on the family legacy. business, and who speaks your language.
The Family Map Session is a paid, confidential working session, which will be credited towards Family Counseling if you proceed.
Meet our lawyers: Kin Wee Chua - Justin Chua - Chit Thian Chua
When a family lives across borders, no one sees the whole picture.
Your banker sees your investments. Your accountant sees your taxes. A lawyer is called when something goes wrong. Yet the questions that matter most lie between them:
- What happens to our Australian property if something happens to us overseas?
- Are our children protected before they sign a lease, buy a home or marry?
- How do Australian tax and foreign investment rules affect our plans?
- How do we pass on the business without dividing the family?
Family Counseling: an ongoing relationship, not a single file
It begins with the legal foundations every family needs in Australia: Wills, powers of attorney, property and visas. Over time, it grows into the support that keeps a family together across generations.
- One advisor for the whole family. We keep a clear map of your family, entities, assets and documents, and coordinate with your advisers overseas.
- A lawyer your children can call. Your children have a trusted lawyer in Australia to call before important decisions in business, property and life.
- A plan for the unexpected. A Family Emergency Protocol sets out who acts, where documents are kept and what happens next if the unexpected happens.
- Family harmony across generations. We help families agree on a family charter and hold structured family meetings, so succession strengthens the family rather than dividing it.
- Clarity on Australian rules. Regular reviews keep you informed about changes to Australian law that may affect your family.
- Discretion. Your family’s affairs are handled confidentially by a principal of the firm.
Matters we advise on
- Australian family members who are beneficiaries of foreign trusts
- Family members moving to, or leaving, Australia
- Australian property held personally or through offshore entities
- Foreign investment approvals for Australian property and businesses
- Wills and powers of attorney that work alongside your structures overseas
- Succession of family businesses operating in Australia
We also prepare the legal documents that hold a family together: family shareholder agreements, operating agreements for family holding companies, and letters of wishes drawn from the family’s own history and goals. Justin can act as the independent chair of a family council, so meetings stay fair and productive.
Working alongside your advisers
We do not provide investment or financial product advice, and we do not recommend banks or managers. We respect your existing structures; our role is to ensure the Australian side works as intended. With your consent, we keep your bankers, trustees and overseas lawyers informed.
Counsel who understands your family because he lives it
Chua Tan Associates has advised families in Melbourne since 1990. The firm is led by Kin Wee Chua, a principal and the firm’s notary public, together with his son, Justin Chua. Having grown up in a family of lawyers and taken on a leading role in the family practice, Justin understands succession and continuity from the inside out.
Before law, Justin worked in finance in Hong Kong and ran businesses in hospitality, accommodation, and real estate. He has studied and worked across China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, and Southeast Asia, and his own family’s interests span the region.
He holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a law degree, is a Nationally Accredited Mediator and Family Dispute Resolution Practitioner, an Accredited Family Business Advisor and a STEP Affiliate. He advises in English and Mandarin.
Situations we help with
A Singaporean business family with property in Melbourne and two children studying here
Updating Wills to cover the Australian assets, putting powers of attorney in place, and preparing an emergency plan, working with the family’s Singapore lawyers.
A founder in Malaysia preparing to hand over the business
Facilitating family meetings and helping the family agree a charter that sets out roles for the next generation.
An executor living overseas
Administering an Australian estate on the executor’s behalf, so the family does not need to travel to Melbourne.
Continuity and confidentiality
Our firm has been in practice continuously since 1990. Our team supports every family’s file, and instructions and documents are kept so that your affairs never depend on one person. We never use client names in marketing, and documents are held securely, with access rules set by your family.
Families are about relationships as well as structures. For family meetings, Justin can bring in a family dialogue facilitator alongside his legal and mediation expertise, so the conversations that matter can actually happen.
Three steps to get started
- A short introductory call. We learn about your family and confirm whether Family Counsel is the right fit.
- Family Map Session. In a private session, in person or online, we map your family, businesses, assets and advisers across countries, and identify the issues that matter most.
- Your personal proposal. You receive a written summary of what we found and a recommended Family Counsel arrangement tailored to your family.
You decide what you share, and when. We begin with what matters most to you, and nothing you tell us is shared with other family members without your agreement.
The Family Map Session is a paid, confidential working session. You keep your family map whether or not you proceed, and the fee is credited towards Family Counsel if you do.
Is Family Counsel right for your family?
Family Counsel is designed for families who:
- own a business or investments in more than one country
- hold property or investments in Australia
- have children or grandchildren studying, living, or investing in Australia
- They are planning for the next generation to take over the family business or wealth.
Frequently asked questions
Do you work with families who live outside Australia?
Yes. Many of the families we work with live in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, mainland China, and other parts of Asia. Meetings can be held online or in person.
Can you work with our existing advisers?
Yes. We work alongside your bankers, accountants and overseas lawyers, and coordinate the Australian side of your family’s plans.
Do you advise on the laws of other countries?
We advise on Australian law. Where foreign law is involved, we work with qualified practitioners in that country.
How are fees structured?
Family Counsel is an annual arrangement tailored to each family. We explain the fees clearly in your personal proposal before you commit.
For whom do you act?
We agree on this in writing at the outset. Usually we act for the founder or the family entity. When we speak with other family members, what each person tells us in private remains confidential unless they agree otherwise.
In which languages do you work?
Chinese,Mandarin and Cantonese.
Start with a conversation
Every family’s situation is different. The best first step is a private conversation about yours.
Chua Tan Associates · Level 2, 262 Queen Street, Melbourne VIC 3000 · +61 3 9602 3988 · chuatan@tpg.com.au
This page provides general information only and is not legal advice. You should not rely on it for your own circumstances. Please book a consultation for advice on your situation.
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