If you’re running a business, sooner or later you’ll need a lawyer who understands how businesses actually operate — not just the law. Hentys is a Melbourne business law firm helping companies of every size get clear, practical legal advice on contracts, compliance, disputes, and the everyday decisions that keep a business moving forward.
We act for start-ups, family-owned businesses, and established companies across Melbourne and the rest of Australia, including Perth, Sydney, Adelaide, Brisbane, Hobart, Darwin, and Canberra. Whatever stage your business is at, our approach is the same: understand your goals, manage your risk, and give advice you can actually act on.
For urgent WorkCover and Employment matters, please call Timothy Ashton at any time on 0416 094 174.
Business Legal Advice for Melbourne Companies
Every stage of a business’s life brings a different set of legal questions — and having the right advice at the right time is often what separates a manageable issue from an expensive one. Our business legal advice is built around your business, not a generic template. Before we advise on anything, we take the time to understand:
- How your business actually operates day to day
- Your appetite for risk
- Your commercial goals, short and long term
From there, our advice is:
- Practical and commercially sound — solutions that work in the real world, not just on paper
- Clearly explained — no unnecessary legal jargon
- Focused on prevention — designed to stop problems before they start, not just respond once they’ve happened
We see our role as more than solving legal problems as they come up — we help you avoid them in the first place.
Legal Advice for Start-Up Lawyers in Melbourne
The decisions you make in the first year of a business often matter more than any decision you’ll make later — how you’re structured, who owns what, and what’s written into your early contracts can shape the business for years to come. Our start-up lawyers in Melbourne work with founders from day one, giving new businesses the legal groundwork they need without the cost or complexity of a large corporate firm.
We help Melbourne start-ups with:
- Business structuring — advice on the right entity for your goals, whether that’s a company, trust, or partnership
- Founder and shareholder agreements — clear terms on equity, roles, decision-making, and what happens if a founder leaves
- Contracts and terms of trade — supplier agreements, client contracts, and terms and conditions built to scale as you grow
- Intellectual property protection — safeguarding your brand, product, and ideas from the outset
- Early-stage employment matters — compliant contracts and workplace policies for your first hires
- Funding and investment documentation — agreements for seed funding, convertible notes, and early investor arrangements
Getting this right early avoids costly disputes later. We’ve helped founders across Melbourne build a solid legal foundation so they can focus on growing the business, not fixing avoidable problems.
Our Business Law Services
We provide comprehensive legal support across all areas of business law. Here are the services we can help you with:
Contract Drafting & Disputes
Well-drafted contracts are critical to protecting your business interests and reducing risk. Our business lawyers assist with drafting, reviewing, and negotiating a wide range of commercial agreements, ensuring your rights, obligations, and liabilities are clearly defined from the outset.
We work with businesses across industries on supplier agreements, service contracts, terms and conditions, confidentiality agreements, and bespoke commercial arrangements. When contract disputes arise, we provide strategic advice and representation to resolve matters efficiently — whether through negotiation, mediation, or litigation — with a strong focus on commercial outcomes.
Shareholder & Partnership Agreements
Clear shareholder and partnership agreements are essential for maintaining strong business relationships and avoiding future conflict. We advise business owners on structuring agreements that address ownership interests, decision-making authority, profit distribution, funding arrangements, and exit strategies.
Our lawyers help anticipate potential disputes before they arise by embedding clear dispute-resolution mechanisms and succession-planning provisions. This proactive approach protects both the business and the individuals behind it, providing certainty as your business grows or changes.
Business Management Mentoring & Counselling
Legal issues rarely exist in isolation from day-to-day business management. We provide strategic mentoring and counselling to business owners seeking ongoing guidance on compliance, risk management, workplace issues, and operational decision-making.
This service is particularly valuable for businesses navigating growth, internal challenges, or complex people-management issues. Rather than reacting to problems once they escalate, we work alongside you to provide practical advice that supports better decision-making and long-term business stability.
Business Purchases & Sales
Buying or selling a business is a major commercial decision that carries legal, financial, and operational risk. Our business lawyers guide clients through each stage of the transaction, from initial negotiations and due diligence through to contract preparation and settlement.
We work closely with accountants, brokers, and other advisors to ensure risks are identified early and managed effectively. Whether you are acquiring a business or preparing for sale, we focus on protecting your interests and achieving a smooth, commercially sound outcome.
Compliance & Governance
Strong compliance and governance frameworks are essential for protecting directors, managing risk, and meeting regulatory obligations. We assist businesses with advice on ASIC compliance, director liability, director duties, corporate governance structures, regulatory compliance, and internal policies and procedures. Our lawyers take a practical approach, tailoring governance advice to your business’s size, structure, and industry. By strengthening compliance and governance systems, we help reduce exposure to legal disputes and regulatory penalties while supporting sustainable business growth.
Employment & Workplace Law for Businesses
We specialise in representing employers exclusively in all matters of employment law, setting us apart from other firms. Employment law can present a significant risk for businesses if not managed correctly. We provide employers with clear, strategic advice on employment contracts, workplace policies, performance management, disciplinary processes, and termination of employment. Our team also advises on workplace investigations, redundancy processes, and compliance with the Fair Work Act and related legislation. Acting exclusively for employers, we understand the commercial realities of managing staff and provide practical solutions that minimise risk while protecting your business.
Why Choose Hentys as Your Business Lawyers in Melbourne?
Businesses choose Hentys because we combine strong legal expertise with a genuine understanding of how businesses actually operate.
- Over 50 years of combined legal experience
- Practical, outcome-focused advice
- Deep understanding of Australian business law
- Strong experience representing business owners and employers
- Trusted advisors across commercial, employment, and dispute matters
If you’re looking for business lawyers in Melbourne who understand both the law and the environment your business operates in, that’s where we can help.
Business Lawyers Focused on Practical Outcomes
At Hentys, we understand that legal issues can disrupt operations, strain relationships, and impact profitability. Our approach is built around minimising disruption and delivering solutions that make commercial sense.
Whether you’re seeking ongoing business legal advice, support with a transaction, or representation in a dispute, our Melbourne-based business lawyers are here to support you.
Our Expert Business Law Legal Team in Melbourne
As expert business lawyers, our team combines legal expertise with practical industrial experience to deliver strategic solutions tailored to employers. We are trusted for our depth of knowledge in workplace law and provide support that few other firms can offer—ensuring your business has access to clear, effective advice and representation when it matters most, 24/7.
Business Law FAQs
Business Law Questions Answered
Practical answers for Melbourne business owners, start-ups and established companies navigating commercial contracts, business purchases, shareholder agreements, governance and legal risk.
What does a business lawyer do?
A business lawyer helps business owners understand their legal obligations, protect their commercial interests and make informed decisions. This may include drafting and reviewing contracts, advising on business structures, negotiating agreements, managing disputes, assisting with business sales and purchases, and advising on compliance.
Hentys provides practical business legal advice to start-ups, family-owned businesses and established companies in Melbourne and across Australia.
When should I engage a business lawyer in Melbourne?
It is worth seeking legal advice before entering a significant commercial agreement, establishing or restructuring a business, taking on shareholders, purchasing or selling a business, or responding to a commercial dispute.
Early advice can help identify obligations, clarify contractual terms and reduce the likelihood of expensive disagreements later.
Do I need a lawyer when starting a business?
Not every start-up is legally required to engage a lawyer, but legal advice can be valuable when choosing a business structure, preparing founder agreements, protecting intellectual property and developing customer or supplier contracts.
Hentys assists Melbourne start-ups with business structuring, shareholder arrangements, commercial contracts and early-stage employment matters.
What contracts should a business have in place?
The documents required depend on the business’s activities and relationships. Common examples include:
- Customer and client service agreements
- Supplier and contractor agreements
- Terms and conditions of trade
- Confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements
- Shareholder and partnership agreements
- Employment contracts and workplace policies
Having contracts reviewed before signing can help clarify payment terms, liability, termination rights and dispute-resolution processes.
Can a business lawyer review or negotiate a commercial contract?
Yes. A business lawyer can assess contractual risks, explain key obligations, identify unfavourable terms and negotiate amendments before an agreement is signed.
Hentys assists with commercial agreements and contract disputes, including supplier arrangements, service contracts, terms of trade and other business agreements.
What should be included in a shareholder or partnership agreement?
A well-prepared agreement should address how the business is owned, managed and funded, as well as what happens if the relationship between owners changes.
- Ownership interests and contributions
- Decision-making and management responsibilities
- Profit distributions and funding obligations
- Transfer or sale of ownership interests
- Dispute-resolution procedures
- Exit and succession arrangements
The terms should be tailored to the structure and circumstances of the business.
Do I need legal advice when buying or selling a business?
Legal advice is strongly recommended when buying or selling a business because transactions may involve contractual obligations, employee arrangements, leases, liabilities, intellectual property and regulatory requirements.
A business lawyer can assist with due diligence, reviewing or preparing sale agreements, negotiating terms and managing legal steps through to settlement.
How can a business lawyer help resolve a commercial dispute?
A business lawyer can review the relevant agreements, assess the parties’ rights and obligations, explain available options and help develop a strategy for resolving the dispute.
Depending on the circumstances, resolution may involve direct negotiation, mediation, formal demands or litigation. Hentys focuses on practical outcomes that take account of legal risk, cost and business relationships.
How can my business reduce legal and compliance risks?
Regularly reviewing contracts, governance arrangements, internal policies and regulatory obligations can help businesses identify potential problems early.
Hentys advises on corporate governance, director duties, ASIC-related obligations, commercial agreements and workplace compliance. The appropriate review will depend on the size, structure and industry of your business.
What is the difference between business law and corporate and commercial law?
These areas overlap. Business law is a broad description of legal matters involved in starting, operating, managing and selling a business. Corporate law generally focuses on companies, governance, ownership and directors’ obligations, while commercial law often deals with contracts, transactions and trading relationships.
Hentys offers both business law services and corporate and commercial legal advice, depending on the matter.
Can Hentys provide ongoing legal advice as my business grows?
Yes. Hentys provides business management mentoring and legal guidance for owners navigating growth, operational decisions, contractual arrangements, workplace issues and compliance.
Ongoing advice can help businesses assess risks before making important decisions rather than seeking assistance only after a dispute arises.
How much does a business lawyer cost in Melbourne?
Legal fees depend on the type of matter, its complexity, the work required and whether negotiations or formal proceedings are involved. A straightforward contract review may require less work than a business acquisition or commercial dispute.
Contact Hentys to discuss the scope of your matter and request information about the likely costs and available fee arrangements.
Contact Our Business Lawyers at Hentys Today
Call our office on (03) 8615 4200 or email timothy.ashton@hentys.com.au
To find out more about our services, please complete our enquiry form.
Speak With a Business Lawyer in Melbourne
We’ll take the time to understand your business and provide clear, practical guidance tailored to your needs.
For urgent WorkCover and Employment matters, please call Timothy Ashton at any time on 0416 094 174.