From 1 July 2026, reforms to Australia’s Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing (AML/CTF) laws will result in certain legal services being subject to new regulatory obligations. To ensure we are prepared to continue working with you without disruption, you may be asked to provide additional documentation when we act for you on certain matters.
The new obligations: reducing Australia’s financial crime risk
The new regulatory obligations will apply when our firm provides specific ‘designated services‘ to clients. This includes assisting with property or business transactions, handling client money or assets, assisting with debt or equity capital raising, and assisting with the formation or restructuring of companies, trusts, partnerships or other business structures.
Adhering to these obligations is part of a national approach to mitigate and manage money laundering in Australia, helping authorities to track and limit the flow of funds that support drug trafficking, human exploitation, financial fraud and terrorism.
If you require any of these ‘designated services’, Identification and Client Due Diligence (CDD) checks may need to be completed before we can proceed to act for you in the transaction. These checks will be mandatory for all law firms across Australia.
What we require from you
When commencing new matters categorised as ‘designated services’, we may ask you to complete an ID verification process using our technology partner InfoTrackID, and then a Client Due Diligence (CDD) Form. If your preference is to do this in person, we can receive you to one of our offices and complete this process with you face to face. The CDD Form asks for information that will help us verify your identity and, if relevant, the identity of anyone who controls or benefits from the client entity, such as shareholders of companies, trustees or beneficial owners of trusts, or beneficial stakeholders in partnerships. In some cases, this will mean you need to provide us with copies of Trust Deeds, Deeds of Variation of Trusts, Deeds of Retirement & Appointment of Trusts, and other foundation documents for your client entity. This will be required to allow us to complete identity verification of certain clients under the new Tranche 2 reforms. You may need to ask your Accountant or other trusted advisors to help you source these documents for us.
We will provide you with more detailed guidance on the secure completion and submission of the ID verification and CDD Form, required documentation and identity verification procedures via email.
Our commitment
We are committed to supporting our clients under the new AML/CTF regulatory framework and ensuring the smooth and uninterrupted continuation of our services. If you need any further clarification, please do not hesitate to contact us at AML@cglaw.com.au.
Secure and responsible handling of your data
Any personal information collected as part of the AML/CTF checks process, including information relating to relevant client representatives, beneficial owners or other individuals connected with your client entity, will be handled securely. Access will be limited to those who need it for the purpose of meeting our AML/CTF compliance obligations. Further information is available in our Privacy Policy.
This page was last updated 25 June 2026.