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Establishing a Family Trust Deed/Discretionary Trust Deed in Australia

Setting up a family trust can be one of the most effective ways to protect your assets, plan for the future, and provide for your loved ones. At Segal Lawyers, we offer tailored legal advice and support for individuals and families looking to establish or manage a family trust deed. With significant experience in trust law, Nicole Segal provides clear, practical guidance to ensure your trust is structured correctly from the outset.

Ready to take the next step?

As a trusted lawyer based in Melbourne, I specialise in building strong relationships with my clients and investing in their overall success. Book a free consultation with me today and receive expert guidance on your family trust deeds & discretionary trusts.

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Why Set Up a Family Trust in Australia?

A family trust in Australia—also known as a discretionary trust—is a legal arrangement where a trustee holds and manages assets on behalf of beneficiaries, typically family members. Family trusts are often used to:

Protect assets from legal disputes or business risks
Distribute income in a tax-effective way
Support long-term wealth creation and financial planning
Manage family-owned businesses or investments
Assist with estate planning and succession

While the benefits can be significant, it’s essential that the trust is properly drafted and administered. That’s where Segal Lawyers can help.

Personalised Legal Support for Family Trust Deeds

No two families are the same—and neither are their trust needs. At Segal Lawyers, we take the time to understand your financial position, your goals, and the people you want to provide for. We tailor your family trust deed to suit your circumstances, ensuring the structure complies with Australian trust law while also reflecting your wishes.

Whether you’re starting fresh or need to amend an existing trust deed, our services cover all aspects of trust creation and management.

Our Family Trust Services

We assist with the full spectrum of trust-related legal services, including:

Drafting and reviewing family trust deeds
Advising on trust establishment and stamping
Amending or varying existing trust deeds
Resolving trust disputes and legal issues
Providing legal support for trustees and beneficiaries
Integrating family trusts into broader estate plans

If you’re unsure where to start, we can guide you step by step—from providing initial advice to executing your deed and lodging the appropriate documentation.

Trusted Legal Advice You Can Rely On

Nicole Segal brings years of experience in trust law, and private client services. As a trusted legal advisor, she works closely with families, accountants, and financial planners to ensure your trust is correctly established and continues to operate in line with your goals and obligations.

We are committed to making the process straightforward and transparent. Whether your trust is part of a larger wealth strategy or simply a tool to provide for future generations, we’ll help you navigate every legal and practical consideration.

Why Choose Segal Lawyers for Your Family Trust Deed?

At Segal Lawyers, we combine technical legal skill with a personalised approach. Our advice is tailored, timely, and designed to protect your long-term interests. We provide responsive support and clear communication, so you always understand your legal position and responsibilities as a trustee or beneficiary.

A recent Google review stated that “Nicole was wonderful to deal with, we needed a trust to be varied and she was able to work at short notice and really hit exactly what we needed. Highly recommended!”

Book a Consultation Today

If you’re considering setting up a family trust in Australia, or need support managing or amending an existing deed, Segal Lawyers are here to help. Book your consultation with Nicole today and take the next step in protecting your family’s future with confidence.

Fill out the form below, and we’ll be in touch, or schedule your consultation now.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is a family trust deed?

A family trust deed is a legal document that sets out the rules for how a family trust operates. It outlines the roles of the trustee, beneficiaries, and how income or assets are distributed.

Why would I need a family trust in Australia?

Family trusts are commonly used in Australia to protect assets, distribute income tax-effectively, and provide for future generations.

How long does it take to set up a family trust?

With the right legal support, a family trust can usually be set up within a few days. However, more complex situations may require additional time and planning.

Can a family trust be changed or updated?

Yes. Trust deeds can often be amended to reflect changes in family circumstances, tax laws, or financial goals. Segal Lawyers can assist with trust variations.

Who can be a trustee or beneficiary?

A trustee can be an individual or a company. Beneficiaries are usually family members, but a trust can include a wide range of people or entities depending on your goals.

Do I need a lawyer to set up a family trust?

While it’s possible to set up a trust without a lawyer, legal advice ensures the trust is correctly structured, compliant with the law, properly stamped with the State Revenue Office and tailored to your needs.

Client Testimonial

Phil

Nicole was very helpful and understood our business. The documents were reviewed quickly with some great feedback. We feel confident that our business is protected. We will be using Nicole in the future.

Anthony

Nicole was extremely helpful and an invaluable asset for our start-up company. We would have no hesitation in referring her services and look forward to continue sharing our journey with her.

Joe

Nicole was patient and thorough and negotiated a good outcome to our building dispute. I don’t know what we would have done without her.

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Nicole was fantastic to work with from our very first call! She delivered everything we asked for plus more and did it all within our tight time frame. Nicole was very professional and patiently answered all my questions. I couldn’t recommend her highly enough!

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I highly recommend Nicole, she is a wonderful person and I appreciate the help she gave me. All legal questions and requests she responded to quickly and professionally.

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Having dealt with many lawyers over the years, I was very impressed with my most recent experience in dealing with Nicole. This was significantly different for the better. Nicole was very approachable, flexible with options and provided great advise for the area that I was looking for help. She also promptly responded to my queries / requests.

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Nicole was very helpful, friendly and accommodating with creation of my specific needs for a terms and conditions document that was required. I am very pleased with the quality of this document and would highly recommend Nicole’s services.

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Nicole’s focused and positive outlook guided me through a stressful time. An issue that I had been dealing with for weeks and that had been taking up alot of my time and energy was completely resolved with one phone call and one follow up letter from Nicole.

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Bern

I am speechless and wordless! In fact, please don’t be surprised if I suddenly start typing in Galactic!!!!

Nicole, I don’t know how to thank you. Words just can NOT cover it, not in any language. I just can’t believe it.

I will ABSOLUTELY let everyone know that I was happy with your services. You have saved my sanity, and that is NOT an overstatement!

Jon

Nicole has made a stellar effort in. Conducting this request application.
Our haste and confusion as first-time business owners has been mitigated and all assurances made by our lawyer has been sensational.

Thank you for going above and beyond the role and seeing what we are achieving also through our social platforms and engaging organically with our mission.

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I engaged Nicole Segal, from Segal Lawyers, to review a Binding Financial Agreement to advise me on the pro’s and con’s of the Agreement. Nicole was professional, quick to respond, very knowledgeable in all things Family Law related and very importantly very personable. I would recommend her without question.

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Very happy with the legal services provided. Highly recommend!!

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Thrilled to have found Nicole. She is knowledgeable, friendly and efficient, and gave me confidence in my next steps.

Nick

Finally, I just wanted to say thank you very much for all your work in servicing me during this situation. I think you’re an outstanding lawyer and I very much appreciate your support during this time.

Amnon

Nicole has negotiated a successful outcome to a longstanding legal dispute. She’s been patient, diligent and professional and I have no hesitation in using her again for any other legal matters and I also have no hesitation in recommending her, or her company, to any of my colleagues.

Cedrik

Nicole is an absolute professional and was fantastic to work with right from the beginning. She took interest in understanding the type of agreement I required as it was specific to my industry. After a few conversations and revisions, we landed with exactly what we wanted. Grateful for the result. Thanks Nicole.

Damien

We have been working with Nicole for over a year now and couldn’t be happier. During this time Nicole has guided us through many contract negotiations. Each time she has been very knowledgeable and supportive and our company has grown from strength to strength as a result. It is always a pleasure working with Nicole, we couldn’t recommend her highly enough!

Jemma

Nicole was awesome to deal with from the first phone call – she understood exactly what I needed and provided a thorough document in a short period of time. Thanks Nicole.

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Nicole was thorough and provided us with very good advice and answers to our questions. She also followed through promptly processing the necessary documents. She was also very flexible with arranging times to meet. It was overall a pleasant and efficient experience. Thank you Nicole.