Business & Commercial · South Coast
1 buying or selling a business firm in South Coast, New South Wales, including Nowra, Ulladulla, Batemans Bay, Moruya.
1 firm
Nowra, NSW · South Coast
Johnston Tobin Solicitors provides legal services in Nowra, NSW. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Business & Commercial Law and Wills & Estates.
A business sale involves the contract, lease assignment, employees, intellectual property, stock and goodwill. Lawyers structure the deal and protect you from inherited liabilities.
A business sale transfers goodwill, contracts, staff and risks. Careful structuring and due diligence protect both buyer and seller.
Transactions involve the Corporations Act for share sales, state duties, GST going-concern rules, Fair Work obligations for transferring employees, and lease assignments under state law.
Understand the next step
Distinguish a sale of business assets from a transaction involving shares or another ownership interest. Explain what is being transferred and which employees, leases and licences are involved.
Ask which tax, accounting and valuation work must be obtained separately.
The South Coast directory area stretches across several separate towns, from Nowra and Ulladulla to Bega and Eden. An office somewhere in the region may still be a substantial journey from home.
For buying or selling a business, ask which parts of the work the firm handles itself and whether it has relevant NSW experience. Let the lawyer know if a property, employer, other party or existing proceeding is outside South Coast. Your home address alone does not determine the applicable process.
Explain the transaction, amount involved, parties and desired result. Provide the current agreement and relevant entity or trust details.
Ask which risks need legal, accounting, tax or technical advice. Identify essential terms and those you are willing to negotiate.
Agree who negotiates, approves documents and tracks continuing obligations. Clarify whether post-completion advice is included.
Request a defined scope or staged budget with assumptions about document review and negotiation rounds. Personal guarantees, tax and related disputes may need separate work.
Ask for a written scope identifying the work you are authorising, the person responsible and when costs will be reviewed. If you only want advice on one step, say so before the firm begins wider work.
Highlight signing dates, finance conditions and demands. Raise an inability to meet debts immediately so appropriate advice can be identified before further commitments.
In New South Wales, most criminal and minor civil matters start in the Local Court, with more serious matters in the District Court and Supreme Court. Tenancy, strata, consumer and guardianship disputes usually go to NCAT. Solicitors are licensed by the Law Society of New South Wales, and complaints about lawyers go to the Office of the Legal Services Commissioner.
Good to know
Checking the business's finances, contracts, leases, employees and legal risks before you commit to buy.
Most matters start in the Local Court. More serious cases go to the District Court or the Supreme Court of NSW. Family law matters are heard by the Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia.
Practising certificates in New South Wales are managed by the Law Society of New South Wales. You can check a solicitor's status on its public register or by contacting it directly.
Directory guidance updated 19 September 2026. General information to help you prepare for a conversation with a professional; not advice about your individual matter. Check current requirements with the relevant authority.