South East Melbourne
Commercial lawyers advise businesses on contracts, company structures, buying and selling businesses, intellectual property, tax, debt and insolvency.
118 firms
Bentleigh, VIC · South East Melbourne
Cikron & Associates provides conveyancing services in Bentleigh, VIC. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Wills & Estates and Probate & Estate Administration.
Cranbourne, VIC · South East Melbourne
Parkston Lawyers provides legal services in Cranbourne, VIC. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Business & Commercial Law and Notary Public & JP Services.
St Kilda, VIC · South East Melbourne
Laf Conveyancing provides legal services in St Kilda, VIC. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Strata & Body Corporate and Planning & Environment.
Dandenong, VIC · South East Melbourne
SB Solicitors + Notary provides legal services in Dandenong, VIC. Listed practice areas include Notary Public & JP Services, Property & Conveyancing and Business & Commercial Law.
Port Melbourne, VIC · South East Melbourne
Six Days Legal provides legal services in Port Melbourne, VIC. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Business & Commercial Law and Commercial Property & Leasing.
Albert Park, VIC · South East Melbourne
Peter Murphy & Associates provides legal services in Albert Park, VIC. Listed practice areas include Wills & Estates, Property & Conveyancing and Notary Public & JP Services.
Dandenong, VIC · South East Melbourne
Ryan Carlisle Thomas Lawyers provides legal services in Dandenong, VIC. Listed practice areas include Wills & Estates, TPD & Superannuation Claims and Personal Injury.
Clayton, VIC · South East Melbourne
Portelli & Co provides legal services in Clayton, VIC. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Wills & Estates and Business & Commercial Law.
Clyde North, VIC · South East Melbourne
Amanpreet Kaur provides legal services in Clyde North, VIC. Listed practice areas include Wills & Estates, Property & Conveyancing and Business & Commercial Law.
St Kilda, VIC · South East Melbourne
Simon English Lawyers provides legal services in St Kilda, VIC. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Business & Commercial Law and Defamation.
Ross Higgins provides legal services in NSW. Listed practice areas include Family Law, Wills & Estates and Powers of Attorney & Guardianship.
Frankston, VIC · South East Melbourne
Henry Carus & Associates TAC & Compensation Lawyers provides legal services in Frankston, VIC. Listed practice areas include Personal Injury, Medical Negligence and Business & Commercial Law.
Berwick, VIC · South East Melbourne
Neal Collin Lawyers provides legal services in Berwick, VIC. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Wills & Estates and Contested Wills & Family Provision.
Caulfield North, VIC · South East Melbourne
CKL Lawyers provides legal services in Caulfield North, VIC. Listed practice areas include Wills & Estates, Litigation & Dispute Resolution and Business & Commercial Law.
Balaclava, VIC · South East Melbourne
A. Shenken & Co provides legal services in Balaclava, VIC. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Family Law and Binding Financial Agreements.
Dandenong North, VIC · South East Melbourne
Smythe & Mallam provides legal services in Dandenong North, VIC. Listed practice areas include Criminal Law, Family Law and Divorce & Separation.
Frankston, VIC · South East Melbourne
Brian T.D. Cash provides legal services in Frankston, VIC. Listed practice areas include Notary Public & JP Services, Property & Conveyancing and Debt Recovery.
Mentone, VIC · South East Melbourne
Cheltenham Conveyancing provides conveyancing services in Mentone, VIC. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Business & Commercial Law and Licensed Conveyancing (non-lawyer).
Dandenong, VIC · South East Melbourne
Plaiche & Martin Lawyers provides legal services in Dandenong, VIC. Listed practice areas include Business & Commercial Law, Litigation & Dispute Resolution and Wills & Estates.
St Kilda, VIC · South East Melbourne
A Conveyancing Lawyer provides legal services in St Kilda, VIC. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Business & Commercial Law and Skilled & Business Visas.
South Melbourne, VIC · South East Melbourne
Olsson Lawyers provides legal services in South Melbourne, VIC. Listed practice areas include Business & Commercial Law, Property & Conveyancing and Wills & Estates.
Doveton, VIC · South East Melbourne
Phoenix Conveyancing Victoria provides conveyancing services in Doveton, VIC. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Business & Commercial Law and Partner & Family Visas.
Bentleigh, VIC · South East Melbourne
Premium Migration Services provides legal services in Bentleigh, VIC. Listed practice areas include Immigration & Visas, Citizenship and Business & Commercial Law.
Beaconsfield, VIC · South East Melbourne
Alcore Conveyancing provides legal services in Beaconsfield, VIC. Listed practice areas include Property & Conveyancing, Family Law and Business & Commercial Law.
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.
Dandenong, Frankston, Cranbourne and Moorabbin span a broad search area. A firm’s suburb, meeting options and experience with your matter are more informative than the South East Melbourne label alone.
For business & commercial, ask which parts of the work the firm handles itself and whether it has relevant VIC experience. Let the lawyer know if a property, employer, other party or existing proceeding is outside South East Melbourne. 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.