Chris Narayanan
LLB, BSc, DipLeglPrac, DipEd

Status at AG: partner, co-founder, lawyer
Email: aicla.mainoffice@australianimmigration.com.au (and please put in subject line: “Attention Chris”)

Chris is one of the partners and co-managers in AICLA Global (“AICLA”). As a co-manager, he shares responsibility for all general business aspects. More specifically, he is involved in:

• assisting in the technical/legal coordination for efficient and effective service-delivery to clients in complex assignments (as when a team of 2 or more AICLA Professionals are co-working on a case involving 2 or more discrete law matters or legal jurisdictions).
• technically assisting the team of AICLA Immigration Professionals on all major assignments including finalising complex legal submissions to assist AICLA Professionals (case managers directly handling clients’ files).
• dealing with service-quality issues including complaints.
• assisting in mediations and conciliations for an equitable and just, speedy and amicable settlement in all significant disputes between our clients and our AICLA Professionals.

Although he divides his time between Perth and regional cities, he is readily accessible by email in the first instance to all AICLA clients as a priority.

He obtained a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree majoring in Biochemistry from the University of Western Australia before completing a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree from the Australian National University in Canberra. On 21 October 1994 he was entered in the Register of Practitioners in the capacity of Barrister of the High Court of Australia (Australia’s pre-eminent legal authority) and he continues to remain on the Register of Practitioners until today without break.

He commenced general law practice with Pynt & Associates, an Australian commercial law firm, and with the backing of the firm’s principal lawyer and mentor, Steven Pynt, quickly began accepting complex cases and large assignments in a self-driven steep-learning experience (for example, he conducted and negotiated, for and on behalf of foreign (Singaporean) HNW buyers, the sale and management of the Metropolis nightclubs in Perth and Fremantle). He has held responsibility as lead solicitor for the care and conduct of diverse assignments which have involved complex and multiple areas of law including administrative, company/corporate/commercial, contract, real estate, native title, trusts, succession, tort, intellectual property and industrial (employment). During time in general law practice, his clients included ordinary as well as HNW individuals, overseas government departments/agencies and private corporations.

In about 1995, he also helped co-found an Australian immigration consultancy firm (today known as AICLA Global). As a specialist Australian immigration lawyer, he acted for a wide spectrum of international and foreign clients – from ordinary visa applicants to high net worth business entrepreneurs and professionals with complex assignments involving many places (jurisdictions) including the UK, USA, Jordan, Germany, Canada, Singapore, Indonesia and Maldives. As principal negotiator / lead solicitor, he handled complicated and large commercial assignments which included significant and complex purchase transactions involving businesses and real estate in Australia. Often, this required collaborating with professionals and lawyers in Australia and other countries whilst handling matters involving complex concurrent immigration applications and related matters covering various legal disciplines involving private international law and cross jurisdictional issues. From 2005, his primary focus and responsibilities progressed to overall coordination/supervision of all AICLA case managers whilst also retaining co-management of overall responsibilities for administration, management and development of AICLA Global, and accordingly, a practising certificate was no longer required although he continues to maintain to date, without break, his enrolments and registrations as a lawyer and officer of the court in the Australian High Court and other courts as well as his continuing membership of the Law Council of Australia (the peak legal “union” for all Australian lawyers).

When dealing with AICLA clients, he takes a pro-active, inquisitorial, energetic and common-sense approach. He is a pragmatic conciliator yet passionate advocate for AICLA client’s legal rights. He is a trusted confidant and general adviser. He knows, especially today, the essential and practical legal importance of prudent client anonymity and the highest levels of legal client confidentiality and privacy.

Before practising law, Chris was a part-time university tutor and science/mathematics teacher with the Australian Ministries of Education in Western Australia, Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory. Today, his children study in Australia at a popular government school. He himself has studied at several universities and colleges in Australia. Having had direct, first-hand-experience in Australian Education at primary, secondary and tertiary levels, Chris is therefore an extremely good Australian Education resource for ASEAN/Asian parents thinking about educating their children in Australia at a school, college or university. He welcomes any enquiry from parents who wish to discuss their children’s education plans/arrangements in Australia and how best to make this do-able as well as financially affordable.

As a volunteer in Perth where he lives, he freely donated his legal services and time to financially disadvantaged individuals who required pro bono legal or immigration assistance through Australian community law organisations including the North Perth Migrant Resource Centre, then located on View Street.

Testimonials from his colleagues and former clients can be viewed on this website. [Testimonials & Recognition]

Education and Admissions

Bachelor of Laws (LLB), Australian National University, Canberra [view document]
Bachelor of Science (BSc) (major: Biochemistry), University of Western Australia, Perth [view document]
Graduate Certificate in Legal Practice, Australian National University, Canberra [view document]
Graduate Diploma of Education, Edith Cowan University, Australia
Officer of the High Court of Australia (entered in the Register of Practitioners as a Barrister of the HCA 21 Oct 1994) [view document]
Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Western Australia (entered in the roll on 22 December 1995) [view document]
Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of the Australian Capital Territory (entered in the roll on 21 October 1994, Attorney’s Roll No. 5538) [view document]

Memberships & Accomplishments

Foundation Member of the Immigration Lawyers Association of Australasia (ILAA) in 2004 (absorbed within the Law Council of Australia and known today as the Migration Law Committee)  [view document]

Member, Law Council of Australia (No. 14916)

Languages

English
Malay (working knowledge)