Areas of Business Law a Lawyer Can Help You With

When setting up a business, it’s important to understand the legal environment in which you’re operating. Good business lawyers will advise, represent and advocate for you on the following laws, enabling you to save time and resources and avoid pitfalls.

Contract Laws

A legally binding contract contains the following:

Agreement between the parties
Capacity of the parties who should be of legal age and sound mind
Intention by the parties to enter into legal relations
Certainty of the contract completing specific, clear and binding instructions

Absence of any of these elements means that the contract either isn’t legally binding or it’s not enforceable.

The Privacy Act

The Privacy Act promotes and protects your privacy and regulates how government agencies and organisations handle personal information. It also regulates the privacy component of tax file numbers, the consumer credit reporting system, and health and medical research.

Anti-bullying Laws

These laws cover bullying, harassment, discrimination and violence, including disability discrimination, human rights and equal opportunity, racial discrimination, racial hatred, and sex discrimination.

Independent Contractors

For independent contractors, business lawyers can help you enforce your protections and seek redress in the event of sham contracting or payment disputes.

Unfair Dismissal

If you’ve been unfairly or unreasonably dismissed, you can seek legal redress via:

Validity of the dismissal
Procedural fairness to the employee
Harshness
Possible remedies

Import and Export Laws

Business lawyers can navigate legal issues and risks in the following:

Licensing and permits
Customs requirements for imports and exports
Defence export controls covering military items of an incapacitating, destructive or lethal nature
Exporting goods online
Protecting your international intellectual property
Applicable Free Trade Agreements

Business lawyers

Intellectual Property Law

Australian intellectual property law is designed to encourage innovation and protect your original patents, trademarks, designs, processes and formulae.

Franchising Laws and Code of Conduct

These laws regulate franchise transactions and businesses, brand protection and intellectual property. Also covered are liability, real estate, online trading, controls and taxation, commercial agency, good faith and fair dealings, franchise renewal and migration, and electronic signatures and document retention.

Employment and Labour Laws

The Fair Work Act covers:

Employment terms and conditions
Representation and industrial relations
Discrimination
Maternity and family leave rights
Business sales
Employee termination
Data protection and employee privacy
Court procedure and practices

Environmental Laws

Matters protected by Environment Protection and the Biodiversity Conservation Act include:

National and world heritage properties
Important international wetlands
Protected migratory species
Listed threatened species and ecological communities

You can engage business lawyers to advise you on what’s protected and what might require approval or a permit.

Marketing Laws

Australian Consumer Law promotes competition and fair trade to benefit consumers, businesses and the community. It also covers unfair market practices, industry codes, mergers and acquisitions of companies, product safety and labelling, price monitoring, and industry regulation, as well as warranties and guarantees.

Competition Laws

Prohibited practices include cartel conduct, price-fixing, market division, restricting outputs and bid-rigging, anti-competitive agreements, misuse of market power, exclusive dealing, resale price maintenance and adverse mergers.

Taxation Laws

Taxation law regulates the following taxes: