Matthew Bode

Matthew Bode is a Partner based in Brisbane with three decades of extensive legal experience both in-house and within prominent law firms across Australia, the UK, and Asia. His career has encompassed diverse legal, commercial, and senior management roles, reflecting a broad and practical understanding of the legal landscape in multiple jurisdictions. Matthew’s expertise lies primarily in financial services regulation. He advises on a wide spectrum of commercial, corporate, property, and banking and finance matters. This includes guiding clients through Australian Credit Licence (ACL) and Australian Financial Services Licence (AFSL) applications, managing ASIC investigations, and supporting major Australian banks in various corporate and property financings such as shopping centres, hotels, and development projects. He also provides legal counsel on mergers and acquisitions and corporate finance transactions. His client base is both national and international, spanning industries such as property, finance, mining and resources, media, shipping, aviation, and agribusiness. Before joining his current practice, Matthew was a Banking & Finance Partner at Gadens and held senior legal positions, including as Senior Legal Counsel at AMP Capital. In these roles, he led legal advice on significant international fund management and investment transactions across the Cayman Islands, Delaware, and New York. His experience also covers large-scale portfolio sales, including AMP Capital’s shopping centre portfolio sale to GPT, and debt restructuring relating to fund management portfolios in Australia and the UK. Recent examples of Matthew’s work showcase his proficiency in regulatory and commercial matters, including advising Auto&General (Budget Direct) on regulatory compliance, reviewing product disclosure statements and target market determinations, and providing guidance on design and distribution obligations. He has also advised a global investment manager on a substantial $1 billion investment in a global retail platform structured through funds based in the Cayman Islands and Delaware. His corporate and commercial advice extends to group companies such as McMillan Shakespeare Limited, and he is a respected speaker at industry events, including the Australian Build to Rent conferences. Matthew regularly supports major financiers on asset finance, structured finance transactions, and ISDA documentation, and has advised on the structuring and governance of investments like a Queensland fund’s acquisition and enhancement of 14 fuel stations. He also offers counsel on breach reporting for various financial and insurance companies, establishes investment funds for fund managers and quasi-government entities, and represents corporate borrowers in syndicated and bilateral loan arrangements with associated securities law advice. Matthew’s broad skill set and international experience enable him to deliver pragmatic, commercially aligned legal advice to clients navigating complex regulatory and transactional environments.