Northern Rivers
Commercial lawyers advise businesses on contracts, company structures, buying and selling businesses, intellectual property, tax, debt and insolvency.
49 firms
Ballina, NSW · Northern Rivers
Donnithorne Legal provides legal services in Ballina, NSW. Listed practice areas include Business & Commercial Law.
Byron Bay, NSW · Northern Rivers
Spains Solicitors provides legal services in Byron Bay, NSW. Listed practice areas include Probate & Estate Administration, Family Law and Wills & Estates.
Lennox Head, NSW · Northern Rivers
Baker Mannering & Hart incorporating SLL provides legal services in Lennox Head, NSW. Listed practice areas include Litigation & Dispute Resolution, Property & Conveyancing and Business & Commercial Law.
Byron Bay, NSW · Northern Rivers
Heydons Lawyers & Attorneys provides legal services in Byron Bay, NSW. Listed practice areas include General Practice (regional generalist), Property & Conveyancing and Business & Commercial Law.
Lismore, NSW · Northern Rivers
Soutar Lynetta provides legal services in Lismore, NSW. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Wills & Estates and Family Law.
Lismore, NSW · Northern Rivers
Gibson John F. Solicitor provides legal services in Lismore, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Property & Conveyancing and Parenting & Child Custody.
Ballina, NSW · Northern Rivers
Gibson John F. Solicitor provides legal services in Ballina, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Property & Conveyancing and Parenting & Child Custody.
Nimbin Law provides legal services in Casino, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Property & Conveyancing and Business & Commercial Law.
Byron Bay, NSW · Northern Rivers
Gibson John F. Solicitor provides legal services in Byron Bay, NSW. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Family Law and Business & Commercial Law.
Tweed Heads, NSW · Northern Rivers
Sharon Northam provides legal services in Tweed Heads, NSW. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Business & Commercial Law and Franchising.
Kingscliff, NSW · Northern Rivers
ONeills Law provides legal services in Kingscliff, NSW. Listed practice areas include Business & Commercial Law, Property & Conveyancing and Litigation & Dispute Resolution.
Nimbin Law provides legal services in Grafton, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Property & Conveyancing and Business & Commercial Law.
Byron Bay, NSW · Northern Rivers
Vickers Lawyers provides legal services in Byron Bay, NSW. Listed practice areas include Business & Commercial Law, Property & Conveyancing and Wills & Estates.
Kyogle, NSW · Northern Rivers
Gibson John F. Solicitor provides legal services in Kyogle, NSW. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Family Law and Business & Commercial Law.
Ballina, NSW · Northern Rivers
Hosie And Partners provides conveyancing services in Ballina, NSW. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Partner & Family Visas and Litigation & Dispute Resolution.
Ballina, NSW · Northern Rivers
McCartney Young Lawyers provides legal services in Ballina, NSW. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Planning & Environment and Business & Commercial Law.
Federal, NSW · Northern Rivers
Capital Lawyers provides legal services in Federal, NSW. Listed practice areas include Wills & Estates, Property & Conveyancing and Family Law.
Murwillumbah, NSW · Northern Rivers
Australian Law Group provides legal services in Murwillumbah, NSW. Listed practice areas include Personal Injury, Property & Conveyancing and Litigation & Dispute Resolution.
Bangalow, NSW · Northern Rivers
Byron Bay Conveyancing provides conveyancing services in Bangalow, NSW. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Business & Commercial Law and Commercial Property & Leasing.
Lismore, NSW · Northern Rivers
Clayton James provides legal services in Lismore, NSW. Listed practice areas include Contested Wills & Family Provision, Litigation & Dispute Resolution and Wills & Estates.
Byron Bay, NSW · Northern Rivers
Gibson John F. Solicitor provides legal services in Byron Bay, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Property & Conveyancing and Parenting & Child Custody.
Byron Bay, NSW · Northern Rivers
Go To Court Lawyers Woolloongabba provides legal services in Byron Bay, NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Wills & Estates and Criminal Law.
Maclean, NSW · Northern Rivers
Great Lakes Conveyancing & Land Transfer Service provides legal services in Maclean, NSW. Listed practice areas include Business & Commercial Law.
Murwillumbah, NSW · Northern Rivers
Lawsearch Australia Pty Ltd provides legal services in Murwillumbah, NSW. Listed practice areas include Wills & Estates, Property & Conveyancing and Probate & Estate Administration.
Small and medium businesses usually need a lawyer at the moments that carry real risk: setting up the structure, signing a lease or major contract, raising money, taking on a partner, buying or selling the business, or dealing with a dispute or unpaid debt. A commercial lawyer who understands your industry can save money by fixing problems in the documents before they become disputes. Larger firms offer specialist teams in areas such as competition law, privacy and banking, while many regional firms cover the everyday needs of local businesses and farms.
Legal issues are among the most common reasons small businesses fail. Prevention costs far less than disputes.
Businesses operate under federal company, tax and consumer law plus state laws on leasing, licensing and property.
Understand the next step
Start with the commercial objective: entering a contract, changing ownership, raising finance, resolving a dispute or managing risk. Identify the legal entity and who may give instructions. A company, its directors and its shareholders do not necessarily have the same interests.
For matters involving Tweed Heads and Queensland, ask about cross-border experience. A nearby office is not enough to establish whether a lawyer can advise on property, proceedings or a business on the other side of the border.
For business & commercial, 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 Northern Rivers. 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.
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.
Good to know
You can register a company yourself. A lawyer is useful for the shareholders agreement, the right structure for tax and asset protection, and making sure your contracts and terms protect you.
Yes. Leases often run for years and can include costly obligations such as make-good, outgoings and personal guarantees. Some states also have retail leasing laws that affect your rights.
A lawyer can send a letter of demand, and if that fails, start recovery proceedings. For companies, a statutory demand can be an effective option in the right circumstances.