David Chung

David Chung Lawyer Talking About Business and Tech | Founding Director at Creo Legal | General Counsel at Quillio Startups and growing businesses are my bread and butter.

I've launched startups and run businesses of my own (I co-founded a health-tech startup in 2016). Most business lawyers have never run a business of any kind. I understand what it takes to launch, run, scale, and exit a business successfully, delivering practical, targeted legal advice as and when it's needed. I view myself as an entrepreneur first, and a lawyer second. Being agile and adaptable i

s critical to success, and I use this approach to deliver legal services to my fast-moving, competitive clients. Cost certainty is important for every business, which is why I only work on a fixed-fee basis. No time charging, ever. I only charge for real outcomes achieved. My areas of focus are: Startups, Blockchain & Cryptocurrencies, Intellectual Property, Business Structuring & Asset Protection, Franchising, Business Sales & Purchases, Finance & Securitisation, and Corporate Governance. I can be contacted at any time (including on weekends) at [email protected] or on +61 414 700 599. Alternatively, book a call with me now at https://calendly.com/david-creolegal.

06/08/2026

The July-August IDR reporting window is an important compliance task for many AFSL and ACL businesses.

But complaints data should not be treated as a one-off upload.

Used properly, IDR data can help management identify where the business is under strain.

Complaint themes may point to product design issues, adviser or representative conduct, disclosure problems, service bottlenecks, remediation exposure, or reportable-situation analysis.

Before finalising the next reporting cycle, financial services and credit businesses should consider:

• whether complaint categories are being applied consistently
• whether recurring themes are being escalated to management
• whether complaints data aligns with breach, remediation and risk registers
• whether systemic issues are being identified early
• whether board or committee reporting is giving the right picture

The upload matters. The management insight matters more.

Speak to a financial services lawyer now: https://creolegal.au/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=facebook

06/08/2026

Australian tech founders are often acquisition-minded: buying capability, absorbing a team, entering a new vertical, or consolidating a fragmented niche.

But acquisition planning is changing. Under Australia’s merger-control reforms, the regulatory question should be considered early, not left until the commercial terms are nearly final.

For founders and boards, this means the deal plan should cover:

• whether the transaction could raise competition issues
• whether the buyer’s existing market position matters
• what information both sides will need to provide
• how regulatory timing affects completion
• what conditions, long-stop dates and termination rights should say

This matters for acquisitions, acqui-hires, roll-up strategies and strategic investments where speed is commercially valuable.

Speak to a startup lawyer now: https://creolegal.au/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=facebook

&A

06/08/2026

Many health clinics think about privacy once a patient completes an intake form.

But privacy risk can start much earlier: when someone visits your website, books online, clicks an ad, or uses a contact form.

The OAIC’s recent tracking-pixel determinations are a timely reminder that analytics and advertising tools can create real privacy exposure, particularly where health information or sensitive patient behaviour is involved.

Clinic owners should be asking:

• What tracking tools are active on our website?
• Do they collect or infer health-related information?
• Which third parties receive that data?
• Do our privacy policy, consent flows and vendor contracts reflect what is actually happening?
• Who in the clinic is responsible for approving new marketing tools?

This is not just a website issue. It is clinic governance.

Speak to a specialist health lawyer at Creo Legal now: https://creolegal.au/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=facebook

06/08/2026

Crypto marketing moves quickly. Regulation and scrutiny do not move slowly enough to ignore it.

For exchanges, token projects and virtual asset businesses, influencer and affiliate campaigns should be reviewed like a compliance workflow, not treated as informal social content.

Before a campaign goes live, check:

• who approved the claims
• whether risks and limitations are clear
• whether the token or service has been properly characterised
• whether the influencer understands what they can and cannot say
• whether records show the business controlled the campaign responsibly

A viral post is not a win if the evidence trail cannot support it later.

Speak to a digital assets lawyer now: https://creolegal.au/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=facebook

03/08/2026

If your AFSL or credit business relies heavily on one responsible manager or one key compliance person, that is more than a staffing risk.

It can become a licence-continuity, governance and transaction-readiness issue.

Boards and founders should know:

• which authorisations depend on which people
• whether succession cover is credible
• what notifications or licence variations may be needed if a key person leaves
• whether governance records show active oversight
• whether investors, purchasers or partners would see continuity risk during diligence

The best time to map this is before a resignation, acquisition or new product launch forces the question.

Speak to a financial services lawyer now: https://creolegal.au/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=facebook

03/08/2026

A practitioner departure can feel like an HR issue, but for clinic owners it is also a patient continuity, privacy and commercial-risk issue.

Before the last day, check the practical details:

• who may contact patients and how
• who controls patient records and booking data
• whether system access and billing flows are being closed properly
• whether the restraint and handover obligations are actually enforceable
• whether patient communications are clear, accurate and calm

A rushed exit can damage patient trust, create records confusion and weaken the clinic’s commercial position.

Speak to a health lawyer now: https://creolegal.au/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=facebook

03/08/2026

For real estate and buyer’s agencies, AML/CTF compliance needs to be practical enough to work during real listings, buyer engagements and transaction timelines.

The risk is not only having a policy. The risk is having a policy that staff cannot apply when a client is impatient, documents are incomplete or a transaction is already moving.

Agency owners should be checking whether their team has clear steps for client onboarding, identity checks, beneficial ownership, source-of-funds questions, escalation points, recordkeeping and suspicious matter reporting.

Speak to an AML lawyer now: https://creolegal.au/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=facebook

30/07/2026

Many AFSL and ACL businesses rely on outsourced administration, offshore support, cloud systems, software providers and specialist third-party services.

That can be commercially sensible, but it should not be treated as a set-and-forget arrangement.

ASIC has continued to focus on governance, operational resilience, cyber risk and third-party oversight.

For licensees, the key issue is whether the business can show that outsourcing risks are identified, monitored, escalated and documented.

Useful review points include supplier due diligence, data access, contractual audit rights, incident reporting, business continuity, customer impact and board-level reporting.

Speak to a financial services lawyer now: https://creolegal.au/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=facebook

30/07/2026

AI and SaaS companies often collect personal information across products, onboarding forms, analytics tools, customer support channels and sales systems.

Instead of focusing on compliant collection, focus on unnecessary retention.

Old customer data can increase breach exposure, complicate privacy compliance and create difficult questions during enterprise procurement or investor diligence.

A useful review starts with three questions:
• What do we collect?
• Where is it stored?
• What should now be deleted, de-identified or retained for a clear legal or business reason?

Speak to a startup lawyer now: https://creolegal.au/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=facebook

30/07/2026

The new financial year is a useful time for clinic owners to review practitioner arrangements.

Across Australia, state revenue guidance has made it clear that payments to contractors may still raise payroll tax issues depending on the real arrangement.

For clinics, the practical risk is often found in the details: practitioner agreements, booking workflows, payment collection, service entity structures, patient communications, rosters and how the practice actually operates day to day.

If the paperwork says one thing but the payment flow says another, the business may have a problem.

Speak to a health lawyer now: https://creolegal.au/?utm_source=social&utm_medium=facebook

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