Corporate Governance
Corporate governance is a major consideration for businesses
operating in today's environment, where shareholders, regulators
and other stakeholders have expectations about how they function.
Corporate governance is both about corporate officers being held
accountable for their actions and about the methods and substance
of a corporation's decision-making process.
At its core is the quality of internal decision-making and the
recognition of the consequences of those decisions. It is paramount
to an organisation's wellbeing and credibility that effective
corporate governance practices are achieved as part of continuous
improvement. While numerous corporate failures can be
attributed to fraud, many can also be traced to poor internal
decision-making and reporting systems. When an organisation fails
to exercise corporate best practice many stakeholders are adversely
affected including directors, shareholders, employees and
creditors.
Corporate collapses such as Ansett, One Tel, Impulse Airlines and HIH Holdings prompted comprehensive corporate reform.
Parke Lawyers works closely with clients, assisting them to achieve efficiency, transparency and high standards of probity and integrity. We understand the regulatory environment and regularly provide advice on a wide variety of matters including:
- Corporations Act 2001;
- board and committee structure;
- directors' duties;
- individual director and board of director evaluation and education;
- whistleblowing issues;
- investor relations;
- disclosure obligations; and
- reputation management.
Compliance and Risk Management
Regulation for Australian businesses is increasing in complexity and the penalties for non-compliance are becoming more severe. Exposure to uncertainty is an inevitable part of everything we do, yet in today's business environment, the stakes are high and losses can be catastrophic. The importance of developing and maintaining an effective risk management program has never been more critical. The news isn't all bad though - the ability to proactively identify, understand and manage risk creates opportunity and value.
Parke Lawyers works with clients to evaluate compliance and anticipate, understand and manage strategic, operational, reporting and compliance risks. Our experts can assist in training, development, implementation and review to detect possible flaws and weaknesses in the compliance function, allowing the organisation to maximise opportunities. Our risk management team can assess operations and controls across your organisation - including operations, management and governance and advise on utilisation of the Standard on Risk Management (AS/NZS 4360:2004) - a risk management framework tailored to meet local Australian and New Zealand needs.
Parke Lawyers advises on trade practices, occupational health and safety, intellectual property and privacy.
