Garth Fountain-Smith is a lawyer with in-depth regulatory and legal compliance experience (including as a lawyer and manager at ASIC). He is entitled to practise in all jurisdictions, admitted as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Tasmania, the Federal Court and High Court of Australia. Garth is also a qualified governance professional holding a graduate diploma in Applied Corporate Governance. He is a Fellow, immediate past non-executive director and national Councillor of the Governance Institute of Australia Ltd (GIA) – (the peak professional body for ‘whole of organisation governance’ and risk professionals) and is immediate past Chair, Board Governance working group (formerly, Constitution working committee), immediate past Chair Membership working group, former member of GIA Board IT Steering committee, Victoria Council (past Deputy Chair), current member of GIA Legislation Review Committee and past Chair and member – Corporate and Legal Issues Committee.

25 years’ + professional standing – Garth is a Corporate lawyer and Governance Professional who practises in:  

  • corporate governance
  • corporations law
  • directors’ & officers’ duties
  • legal and regulatory compliance law
  • financial services law
  • professional conduct matters
  • commercial litigation
  • commercial law
  • employment law
  • risk management
  • board/director review/assessment
  • minutes, resolutions and meeting practice and procedure


Professional experience – lecturer and author
*GIA on ASIC’s functions & powers in its Grad Dip App Corp Gov; Certificated courses
*Co-authored numerous good governance guides and is a published co-author for LexisNexis in its regulatory compliance modules (see more here).


Garth is a member of:

  • Law Institute of Victoria (LIV)
  • Governance Institute of Australia (GIA)
  • Australian Institute of Company Directors (AICD)