Southern Sydney
Commercial lawyers advise businesses on contracts, company structures, buying and selling businesses, intellectual property, tax, debt and insolvency.
99 firms
Hurstville, NSW · Southern Sydney
Shipton & Associates provides conveyancing services in Hurstville, NSW. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Commercial Property & Leasing and Strata & Body Corporate.
Bankstown, NSW · Southern Sydney
Swanson & Symonds Lawyers provides legal services in Bankstown, NSW. Listed practice areas include Business & Commercial Law.
Sutherland, NSW · Southern Sydney
Woodward Wickes Wicken provides legal services in Sutherland, NSW. Listed practice areas include Wills & Estates, Estate Planning & Testamentary Trusts and Planning & Environment.
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.
Southern Sydney includes several distinct local centres. A residential conveyance, small-business lease and family property settlement can each need different expertise even when all involve the same home or premises.
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 Southern Sydney. 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.