JWS Consulting is a division of Johnson Winter & Slattery providing commercial consulting services.
We are engaged by major Australian and international corporations as legal counsel on their business activities, disputes and most challenging matters.
Established in 1993 by Tony Johnson, Nigel Winter and Peter Slattery as a boutique corporate firm, JWS grew rapidly to become a leading independent Australian firm.
The quality of our legal advice and service to clients is recognised through independent industry recognition and direct client feedback.
Learn more about breaking news at Johnson Winter & Slattery, including major transaction announcements, practitioner appointments and team expansions.
JWS supports a number of community initiatives and not for profit organisations across Australia through pro bono legal work and charitable donations.
We advise Australian and foreign fund managers across all asset classes on how to stay ahead of the continual regulatory changes in Australian financial services regulation, such as the latest FoFA developments, look through reporting requirements and AFS licensing requirements.
We're experts on all aspects of funds management and financial services regulation covering major investment vehicles and asset categories. Our advice extends to legal issues connected to investment vehicles, platforms and fund managers themselves.
They know our business well, so their advice is always relevant and to the point.
Our team has experience advising on the full spectrum of arrangements for structured, alternative, listed and unlisted, domestic and cross border structures, products and platforms, including:
Advising on the establishment of a series of Australian registered funds that are offered to the wholesale market and retail market through platforms and MDA providers.
Advising on various issues (including licensing exemptions and disclosure documents) in connection with The ACO Instrument Fund, the only fund in Australia that offers investors the opportunity to invest solely in antique musical instruments.
Advising on becoming the responsible entity of a number of registered funds, as well as the establishment of new funds, registered and unregistered, to pursue investment strategies in the credit market.
We have advised an international investment bank and an international asset manager on the establishment of Australian registered funds to be offered to Significant Investor Visa applicants. Our advice extended to the procedures to coordinate the visa application with the fund investment application (such as AML and complying with foreign investment laws).
Advising on potential liquidity facilities and termination of a series of registered managed investment schemes.
Advising on regulatory matters involving significant breaches in connection with registered managed investment schemes.
"They perform very well and one thing I'd emphasise is that they're very responsive."
Austin Bell and Shelley Hemmings ranked as leading lawyers in the category of Investment Funds.
Austin Bell offers "a very good balance of the technical requirements and the practical concerns"
"They're very good, they have a high level of technical knowledge so I trust that they know the law."
Shelley Hemmings is "a really good technical lawyer," and "she has a lot of experience and the depth of knowledge is great
Shelley Hemmings is listed as a leading lawyer in Funds Management Law and Investment Law.
Austin Bell provides “commercial, sensible and practical advice.”
Shelley Hemmings is described as “very knowledgeable.”
"They have capabilities across a range of areas and we have used them for financial product structures and offer documentation. For us, their main strength is in managed investment scheme work, where I have never dealt with another firm as capable."
"They have provided a top-notch service and they have always been very responsive. The advice they provide is practical, accurate and framed in the commercial context. They have taken the time to get know our business intimately, which has inevitably improved the quality of advice we received."
With significant regulatory change coming into effect the spotlight is staying firmly on culture, ethics and regulatory compliance. An organisation’s social licence to operate remains a priority...
The International Comparative Legal Guide to: Public Investment Funds 2019
JWS advised Institutional Venture Management XVI (IVP) and OpenView as lead investors on their Series B investment in Deputy by way of an acquisition of ordinary shares from existing shareholders...