By Talk to a Lawyer · Published 19 September 2026 · 4 minute read
Business legal advice starts with the commercial decision you need to make: signing with a supplier, bringing in an owner, changing distribution arrangements or responding to a customer dispute. Explain how the business earns revenue and which relationship is affected. The useful first assessment connects the proposed legal work with the practical result you need, rather than treating every business issue as a contract rewrite.
Read. Prepare. Find an office.
Use this guide to organise your questions, then confirm the provider’s experience, availability and first-stage fee.
Find business & commercial providers →Identify the business and the decision-maker
Give the legal entity name and explain whether you are an owner, director, manager or guarantor. A trading name may differ from the entity signing the agreement. Identify who can instruct the adviser and who needs to approve a decision. If owners disagree, ask who the lawyer would represent; advice to the company is not automatically personal advice to each owner.
Separate the deal from its dependencies
Describe the price, delivery, payment and exit arrangements you expect, then list dependencies such as a lease, licence, employee transfer or finance approval. A lawyer can review the legal structure while your accountant considers financial implications. Ask who coordinates those inputs and which assumptions need checking before you commit to the transaction.
Request a first-stage deliverable
Ask whether the first task is a risk review, drafting, negotiations or an explanation of options. For an ongoing relationship, identify the terms you cannot operate without and the issues you could negotiate. A marked-up document is more useful when the adviser also explains which changes are essential to your instructions and which are commercial choices.
Translate the business risk into a useful brief
A business brief works best when it identifies a decision, an owner and a consequence. Instead of asking for all the legal documents a business might need, explain which transaction is about to happen and what would disrupt it. A new supplier may create concerns about continuity and stock, while a new shareholder raises control and exit questions. Give the adviser the operational facts and ask for a prioritised list of documents and dependencies. This makes it easier to approve a proportionate first stage and allocate tasks between legal, financial and operational staff.
Compare the scope and cost of advice
Compare advisers against the commercial decision you need to make. Give each office the same transaction stage, documents and objective, then ask for a first-stage deliverable. A review, a negotiation and ongoing business advice are different services. Record which financial assumptions need your accountant's input and who will coordinate any specialist work before a commitment is made.
- Review and advice
- Ask for the issues identified, their practical effect and the decisions you must make. Confirm whether written advice or a marked-up document is included.
- Drafting and negotiation
- Ask who communicates with the other party, how revisions are priced and what happens if the deal changes materially during the work.
- Completion or implementation
- Confirm responsibility for approvals, signing, records and follow-up tasks. Ask which registrations, searches or external professional costs sit outside the legal fee.
Read the guide to consultation fees and written quotes, or use the provider comparison worksheet.
Illustrative situation · not a client result
What a focused enquiry looks like
A wholesaler wants to appoint a distributor but also expects the distributor to use its brand and hold stock. The enquiry identifies territory, stock ownership, brand use and the proposed exit arrangement. That lets the adviser assess the linked issues instead of quoting only for a generic supply contract.
Your preparation checklist
Gather what you already have. Mark missing records and uncertain dates rather than guessing; ask the office what it needs before sending sensitive documents.
0 of 4 gathered · ticks reset when you leave this page.
A preparation aid, not confirmation that a legal requirement is complete.
A first enquiry you can adapt
I run a business supplying customers in [location]. We are considering [transaction] and need advice before [date]. The main concerns are [payment, control or delivery]. Can you assess the documents and quote for the first review and any proposed negotiation separately?
Replace the bracketed details with accurate information. Keep the first message brief and confirm a secure channel for the full records.
Common questions about business & commercial
Can one lawyer advise every business owner?
Ask who the client is and whether separate interests need independent advice, especially when ownership, guarantees or distributions are disputed.
What should I compare in business-law quotes?
Compare the same stage: review, drafting, negotiation and completion may be separately priced. Ask how many revisions and meetings are included.
Further reading and scope
Business.gov.au: prepare a contract
Australia; practical business-contract guidance.
This is general preparation information, not an assessment of your legal position. Requirements, dates and available remedies depend on the facts and jurisdiction. The linked resource has the scope described above; it does not verify an individual provider or this guide.