Commercial Lawyers in Melbourne
Structures, contracts and deals that hold up, and firm representation when a business relationship breaks down. One lawyer drafts it and defends it, with fixed fees available for defined work.
Spencer Alexander Lawyers is a Box Hill, Melbourne law firm advising businesses across Victoria on structures, contracts, business sales, leasing, shareholder agreements and commercial disputes, with the principal handling every matter. Good commercial advice starts with how your business actually trades: how you win work, how you get paid and where the risk sits. The documents follow from that, and the same lawyer who drafts them is ready to enforce them.
- The structure you trade under decides your personal exposure, your tax position and how easily you can bring in partners or sell.
- Your terms of trade decide when you are paid and where your liability stops. Most payment disputes turn on them.
- Retail leases in Victoria carry extra protections, including a disclosure statement you should never sign blind.
We advise founders, franchisees, family businesses and established companies across Melbourne and regional Victoria, on the deal and on the dispute, so every document is drafted with one eye on how it would hold up if tested. When a dispute cannot be settled we act in the Victorian courts and at VCAT. Our office is in Box Hill, in Melbourne's east, close to Blackburn, Doncaster, Burwood and Ringwood.
What we do
Commercial law services in Melbourne.
Business structures and formation
Sole trader, partnership, company or trust: the right structure depends on personal liability, tax, investors and an eventual sale. We set up and restructure businesses alongside your accountant, so the legal and tax positions pull in the same direction. Read our guide to choosing a business structure.
Contracts and terms of trade
Your terms decide when you are paid, who carries risk and where liability stops. We draft and review terms of trade, supply and service agreements, the contracts every Victorian business should have, in plain English your customers can follow.
Buying or selling a business
From heads of agreement and due diligence to the contract of sale, lease transfer, employee entitlements and settlement. We keep the deal moving, and the risk sitting where it was agreed. Read our guide to buying a business in Victoria.
Commercial and retail leasing
Retail leases in Victoria carry special rules on disclosure, outgoings and minimum terms. We act for tenants and landlords on new leases, renewals, assignments and rent disputes, before you are locked in. Read what to check in a Victorian retail lease.
Shareholder and partnership agreements
How are decisions made? What breaks a deadlock? How does someone exit, and at what price? We settle these questions while everyone is on good terms, for a fraction of the cost of a dispute. Read why co-owners need a shareholder agreement and our guide to director's duties.
Disputes, debt recovery and litigation
A firm letter of demand resolves most matters. Where it does not, we act in negotiations, mediation, the courts and VCAT, always weighing the cost of the fight against what you stand to recover. If you have been served with a statutory demand or a court document, call (03) 9125 8355 the day it arrives. Read our guide to recovering an unpaid debt in Victoria.
What to expect
Advice that starts with the business.
Fixed fees for defined work.
Documents such as terms of trade, a shareholder agreement or a lease review are usually quoted as a fixed fee, and disputes run on a written estimate that we revisit with you at each stage.
Good to know
Common questions in commercial law.
Which structure should I trade under?
It depends on what you are protecting and where the business is heading. Sole trader, partnership, company and trust each carry different consequences for personal liability, tax, bringing in partners or investors, and an eventual sale. We work alongside your accountant so the legal structure and the tax position pull in the same direction.
Do terms of trade really matter for a small business?
Yes, more than almost any other document. Your terms decide when you get paid, who owns the goods until payment, what happens on default and where your liability stops. Most payment disputes are won or lost on the terms that were, or were not, in place when the work was done.
A customer has not paid. What are my options?
Usually a firm letter of demand resolves it, or opens a sensible payment plan. If not, we advise on recovery through the courts, and for company debtors, a statutory demand, a formal notice giving 21 days to pay before insolvency steps can follow. At every stage we weigh the cost of pursuing the debt against the realistic prospect of recovering it.
Do my business partner and I need a shareholder agreement?
If there is more than one owner, yes. The most common commercial dispute we see is between co-owners who never agreed how decisions are made, how a deadlock breaks, or how someone exits and at what price. A shareholder or partnership agreement settles those questions while everyone is still on good terms, for a fraction of the cost of a dispute.
What should I check before signing a commercial lease?
The term and your options to renew, how rent reviews work, what outgoings you pay, the permitted use, fit out and make good obligations, and any personal guarantees. Many Victorian tenancies are retail leases with extra protections, including a disclosure statement you should never sign blind. A short review before you sign costs far less than a dispute after.
How much does commercial legal work cost?
Defined documents such as terms of trade, a shareholder agreement or a lease review are usually quoted as a fixed fee. Disputes and transactions run on a written estimate in our letter of engagement, updated before the scope changes. Either way, you know the likely cost before we start.
Speak with a commercial lawyer.
One call tells you where the risk sits, what it costs to remove, and what we would do in your position.