Kristy-Lee Smith

Kristy-Lee is a commercial and tax lawyer with almost a decade of experience advising business owners, private groups and investors on complex commercial transactions, business structuring and tax matters. She is known for combining commercial pragmatism with technical tax expertise, helping clients navigate significant transactions, protect wealth and minimise risk while remaining focused on achieving practical outcomes.

Having commenced her career in international tax in a Big 4 accounting firm, Kristy-Lee developed expertise in cross-border transactions, international structuring and complex tax issues before expanding her practice into mergers and acquisitions, corporate advisory and strategic commercial advice. This combination of experience allows her to identify legal, commercial and tax issues together, rather than in isolation.

Kristy-Lee regularly acts for private business owners, high-net-worth families and growing enterprises across a broad range of industries. She enjoys working closely with clients throughout the life cycle of their businesses, from establishment and growth, through acquisitions, restructures, succession planning and exit.

Her experience includes:

• Mergers, acquisitions and business sales, including complex and high-value transactions
• Business structuring, restructures and asset protection strategies
• Succession planning for business owners and high-net-worth family groups
• Shareholder, unitholder and joint venture arrangements
• Commercial contracts, including property, licensing, capital raising and strategic commercial agreements
• Corporate governance and strategic advice to companies, directors and family groups
• Transaction tax advice and structuring
• International tax matters, including cross-border transactions, transfer pricing, residency, permanent establishments and Double Tax Agreements

Clients value Kristy-Lee’s ability to simplify complex issues, identify commercial risks before they become problems and deliver advice that is both technically robust and commercially practical.