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Company Secretariat

Business and corporate entities operate in an increasingly complex global marketplace. Managers wishing to comply with business regulations are faced with a large and changing body of State and Federal legislation, while at the same time presiding over complex company structure and share arrangements.

Regulation and reporting can become a major overhead in terms of time. This is even more pertinent for managers of Australian subsidiaries of offshore companies or for any corporation going through major restructure as a result of a merger or takeover. Failure to comply to statutory requirements can have important ramifications to a company's survival so it makes sense to look to a specialist to help you with the administration of certain corporate functions.

Company Secretariat

Allens Arthur Robinson's (AAR) Company Secretariat team has provided corporate secretarial and other non-legal services and advice to clients for more than 40 years. Our team of experienced Company Secretaries provide services to ensure compliance with the Corporations Act and associated legislation in a practical, pro-active and commercially aware manner. Clients include those wishing to outsource their company secretarial functions, foreign companies with Australian subsidiaries wishing to ensure compliance with Australian law, foreign companies requiring local agents for their Australian branches, companies outsourcing their business names administration, and new start up companies. Also, companies undergoing major change such as restructuring, take-over, complex share allotments, and buybacks utilise our Company Secretariat services during these periods.

Through the use of specialised software, we maintain statutory records of companies electronically using BGL Corporate Solutions' Corporate Affairs Systems and ASIC's EDGE system. Also, we are licensed to use ASIC's ECR (Electronic Company Registration) system, allowing us to register (incorporate) companies online to client specifications within a few minutes of receipt of the required consents, making the use of shelf companies obsolete.

Business names

The AAR Business Names Unit, part of the Company Secretariat team, has a depth of experience and the contacts to draw on to ease this administrative burden and to facilitate speedy registrations. We can make sure that your newly created name is not similar to an existing name. Like many other managers of new businesses, you may not have the resources or the time to make sure that a new business name is correctly registered and maintained. We can make sure all compliance issues are covered. We can also look after the ongoing renewal process so that your brand is maintained.

Part of a larger legal service

Company Secretariat is part of a larger multi-disciplinary commercial legal practice and should it become necessary, we have access to a whole range of expertise that can resolve your legal issues. These includes experts in Mergers & Acquisitions, Banking & Finance, Intellectual Property, Tax, Workplace Relations to name a few.

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Our services

We can provide the following services:

• Company secretary of client companies;
• Preparation of notices and minutes for meetings of directors and members;
• Update and maintaining minute books and statutory registers;
• Review of statutory records;
• Preparation and electronic lodgement of ASIC forms;
• Operating as the Local Agent of foreign companies;
• Registered office address for both Australian and foreign companies registered in Australia;
• Reservation of company names;
• Registration (incorporation) of new companies;
• Deregistration of companies;
• Business names registration, maintenance and cessation in all Australian jurisdictions;
• Agents for service of process; and
• ASIC class orders advice.

Our experience

AAR's Company Secretariat team draws upon years of experience in providing company secretarial advice and non-legal services and currently provides:

• Company secretarial services to approximately 500 companies;
• Local Agent services to approximately 100 foreign companies;
• Maintenance of more than 800 business names; and
• Registered office services to over 400 companies.

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