Business, Commercial & Corporate Lawyers and Solicitors in Sydney

Business and commercial law deals with how a business is set up, run, sold and, sometimes, wound up. Typical work includes choosing between a company, trust or partnership, shareholder and partnership agreements, supply and services contracts, commercial and retail leases, franchising, buying or selling a business, and directors' duties under the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth). Consumer and competition rules sit in the Australian Consumer Law, administered in part by the ACCC.

Courts and tribunals

Company and shareholder disputes are usually heard in the Supreme Court of New South Wales, which has a Corporations List and a Commercial List in its Equity Division. The Federal Court of Australia hears matters under federal corporate, competition and consumer laws. Lower-value contract claims go to the Local Court or the District Court. Retail lease disputes are heard in the Consumer and Commercial Division of NCAT, and ASIC deals with company registration and regulatory enforcement rather than private disputes.

Legal aid and low-cost help

Legal Aid NSW is not generally available for business matters. The NSW Small Business Commissioner offers a free mediation service for many disputes involving small businesses, including leases and contracts with larger businesses, and some community legal centres give limited help to micro-businesses. Eligibility rules change, so check each service directly.

Preparing for a first meeting

People commonly bring the following, depending on the matter:

• A current ASIC company extract and the company constitution
• Shareholder, partnership or trust deeds
• The contracts, lease or franchise agreement in question
• Recent financial statements and tax registrations
• A short written timeline of the issue and the outcome sought

Confirming a lawyer's status

Every NSW solicitor must hold a current practising certificate, which is searchable on the Law Society of NSW register. Barristers who accept commercial briefs are members of the NSW Bar Association. Company directors and registered business names can be searched on the ASIC registers.

Business lawyers listed on this page work with clients in the Sydney CBD, Parramatta and Western Sydney, the North Shore, the Eastern Suburbs, the Inner West, the South West, Sutherland, the Hills District and the Northern Beaches, from sole traders and start-ups to established family companies.

The listings below are alphabetical and are not ranked.

Common questions

What should a shareholders agreement cover?

It typically sets out how decisions are made, how shares can be transferred or sold, what happens if a shareholder dies, leaves or falls out with the others, and how disputes are resolved. In a proprietary company the constitution and the Corporations Act 2001 apply alongside it, so a solicitor usually reads all three together.

Do franchise agreements have special rules?

Yes. Franchising in Australia is regulated by the Franchising Code of Conduct, a mandatory code under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth). It requires franchisors to give prospective franchisees a disclosure document and a copy of the agreement before signing, and it sets out a dispute resolution process.

Which court hears a dispute between company directors?

Disputes about the internal affairs of a company, such as oppression claims or director conduct, are normally heard in the Supreme Court of New South Wales or the Federal Court. Smaller contract disputes between businesses may be decided in the Local Court or District Court, depending on the amount claimed.

Business, Commercial & Corporate lawyers by suburb

Eastern Suburbs

Bellevue Hill, Ben Buckler, Bondi, Bondi Beach, Bondi Junction, Bondi Junction Plaza, Bronte, Centennial Park, Charing Cross, Chifley, Clovelly, Clovelly West, Coogee, Daceyville, Darling Point, Diamond Bay, Double Bay, Dover Heights, Eastgardens, Edgecliff, Hillsdale, Hmas Rushcutters, Hmas Watson, Kensington, Kingsford, La Perouse, Little Bay, Malabar, Maroubra, Maroubra South, Matraville, Moore Park, North Bondi, Paddington, Pagewood, Phillip Bay, Point Piper, Port Botany, Queens Park, Randwick, Rose Bay, Rose Bay North, South Coogee, St Pauls, Tamarama, Vaucluse, Watsons Bay, Waverley, Woollahra

Hills District

Bobbin Head, North Turramurra, South Turramurra, Turramurra, Warrawee

Inner West

Abbotsford, Annandale, Ashbury, Ashfield, Balmain, Balmain East, Belfield, Birchgrove, Breakfast Point, Burwood, Burwood Heights, Burwood North, Cabarita, Campsie, Canada Bay, Canterbury, Chiswick, Clemton Park, Concord, Concord West, Croydon, Croydon Park, Drummoyne, Dulwich Hill, Earlwood, Enfield, Enfield South, Five Dock, Haberfield, Hurlstone Park, Leichhardt, Lewisham, Liberty Grove, Lilyfield, Marrickville, Marrickville Metro, Marrickville South, Mascot, Mortlake, North Strathfield, Petersham, Petersham North, Rhodes, Rodd Point, Rozelle, Russell Lea, Stanmore, Strathfield South, Summer Hill, Sydney Domestic Airport, Sydney International Airport, Undercliffe, Wareemba, Westgate

North Shore

Artarmon, Blenheim Road, Boronia Park, Cammeray, Castle Cove, Castlecrag, Chatswood, Chatswood West, Cremorne, Cremorne Junction, Cremorne Point, Crows Nest, Denistone East, East Killara, East Lindfield, East Ryde, Epping, Gladesville, Gordon, Gore Hill, Greenwich, Henley, Hmas Platypus, Hmas Waterhen, Hunters Hill, Hunters Hill West, Huntleys Cove, Huntleys Point, Killara, Kirribilli, Kurraba Point, Lane Cove, Lane Cove North, Lane Cove West, Lavender Bay, Lindfield, Lindfield West, Linley Point, Longueville, Macquarie Centre, Macquarie Park, McMahons Point, Middle Cove, Milsons Point, Monash Park, Mosman, Naremburn, Neutral Bay, Neutral Bay Junction, North Epping, North Ryde, North St Ives, North Sydney, North Sydney Shoppingworld, North Willoughby, Northbridge, Northwood, Osborne Park, Putney, Pymble, Riverview, Roseville, Roseville Chase, Royal North Shore Hospital, Ryde, Spit Junction, St Ives, St Ives Chase, St Leonards, Tennyson Point, Waverton, West Pymble, Willoughby, Willoughby East, Willoughby North, Wollstonecraft, Woolwich

Northern Beaches

Allambie, Allambie Heights, Balgowlah, Balgowlah Heights, Beacon Hill, Belrose, Belrose West, Brookvale, Clontarf, Collaroy, Collaroy Beach, Collaroy Plateau, Collaroy Plateau West, Cromer, Cromer Heights, Curl Curl, Davidson, Dee Why, Dee Why Beach, Elanora Heights, Fairlight, Forestville, Frenchs Forest, Frenchs Forest East, Freshwater, Harbord, Ingleside, Killarney Heights, Long Reef, Manly, Manly East, Manly Vale, Narrabeen, Narrabeen Peninsula, Narraweena, North Balgowlah, North Curl Curl, North Manly, North Narrabeen, Oxford Falls, Queenscliff, Seaforth, Warriewood, Warriewood Shopping Square, Warringah Mall, Wheeler Heights, Wingala

South West Sydney

Arncliffe, Bardwell Park, Bardwell Valley, Belmore, Beverly Hills, Bexley, Bexley North, Bexley South, Blakehurst, Carss Park, Connells Point, Dolls Point, Hurstville, Hurstville Grove, Kingsgrove, Kingsway West, Kyle Bay, Lakemba, Lugarno, Mortdale, Narwee, Oatley, Peakhurst, Peakhurst Heights, Penshurst, Punchbowl, Riverwood, Roselands, Sandringham, Sans Souci, South Hurstville, Turrella, Wiley Park, Wolli Creek

Sutherland Shire

Bonnet Bay, Caravan Head, Como, Greenhills Beach, Jannali, Kangaroo Point, Oyster Bay, Sylvania, Sylvania Southgate, Sylvania Waters

Sydney CBD and Inner South

Alexandria, Banksmeadow, Barangaroo, Beaconsfield, Botany, Broadway, Camperdown, Chippendale, Darling Harbour, Darling Island, Darlinghurst, Darlington, Dawes Point, Eastlakes, Elizabeth Bay, Enmore, Erskineville, Eveleigh, Forest Lodge, Glebe, Golden Grove, Haymarket, Hmas Kuttabul, Kings Cross, Millers Point, Missenden Road, Newtown, Parliament House, Potts Point, Pyrmont, Redfern, Rosebery, Rushcutters Bay, St Peters, Surry Hills, Sydenham, Sydney, Sydney South, Taylor Square, Tempe, The Rocks, The University Of Sydney, Ultimo, Waterloo, Woolloomooloo, Zetland

Western Sydney

Homebush Bay, Newington