Nobody likes to think about it too much, but inevitably one day you will have to leave your business or farm, whether by selling up, retiring or leaving for health reasons.

It is very important to have a succession plan in place that makes the transition easy not only for yourself but also for your family or employees and minimises the chances of the business or farm having to be sold up when you leave

Estate planning goes beyond drafting a will – it includes:

• The assessment of assets
• The assessment of likely taxation
• Advice regarding the possibility of claims against the estate by third parties
• The protection of assets

Estate planning is an active process of re-evaluating the estate when circumstances in life change, such as:

• Newly married couples or those divorcing
• A change to the family’s asset pool
• A change in working conditions such as the buying or selling of a business
• Changes to superannuation, insurance policies or taxation levels
• The establishment of discretionary trusts

A successful plan is made involving all family members as it will take into account not only provisions for your retirement income but also the plans, aptitudes and existing assets of younger generations.

Contact us to find out more or to arrange an appointment to discuss your estate with us.

PFJS Lawyers has been involved in a variety of workplace employment and industrial relations matters.

For employment law, we can assist with:

• Drafting employment contracts, terms and conditions
• Providing representation for cases of unfair dismissal
• Drafting and negotiating the resolution of industrial and workplace disputes
• Offering advice for workplace contracts, including financial advice for termination of employment
• Offering advice regarding employee and company taxation concerns
• Drafting and negotiating enterprise agreements
• Protection of intellectual property
• Drafting terms and conditions of internet and email usage
• Discrimination and harassment issues
• Fair Work Commission and Federal Court matters

For industrial law, we can provide assistance with:

• Drafting and negotiating the resolution of industrial disputes
• Advising clients for workforce restructuring
• Drafting and negotiate policies and procedures
• Statutory obligations under Commonwealth and State legislation
• Risk management of workplace hazards
• Magistrates’ Court of Victoria Industrial Division matters

Contact us for more information or to arrange a consultation with us.

PFJS Lawyers recognises that its clients’ intellectual property is a valuable asset worth protecting.

Our clients include small to medium-sized businesses, large corporations, universities and inventors. We seek fair protection for our clients and equitable financial results for any misuse of intellectual property in the commercial arena.

We offer significant litigation experience and specialised services for intellectual property law including expert representation in Court to protect our clients’ hard work and investment.

Our Eastern Suburbs copyright team can provide assistance with the following matters:

• Advice regarding intellectual property rights
• Auditing of intellectual property
• Trade mark applications
• Business names, product names & service names
• Protection of inventions – from conception to market
• Licensing issues
• Assistance with shareholder agreements and contractual obligations
• IP dispute resolution & litigation in Court
• Advise on commercial laws for marketing new inventions
• Franchising for new products, services and ideas
• Advice for protection of confidential information
• Patents and product protection

 

Whether you are starting a business and looking for legal advice, looking for an Eastern Suburbs business lawyer to assist with commercial litigation or planning to buy or sell a business we can help. We know Australian business laws through and through and have sound experience across many different industries. We offer practical legal solutions to individuals, small businesses and SMEs.

Our team offer the following legal services for business:

• Business structures: If you are establishing a new business enterprise we can help you make sure that you are setting the business up soundly, whether by partnership, joint venture, company, trust or franchise. If you’re looking to restructure your business we can help with partnership dissolutions and corporate restructures.
• Business contracts: Our commercial lawyers can prepare or review all types of legal contracts including purchase or sale of business, Put and Call Options, franchise agreements, supply agreements, service agreements, distribution agreements, partnership agreements, commercial contracts. We’ll make sure that the contract terms and conditions are suitable for your business now and into the future and ensure that due diligence standards are met.
• Commercial disputes and commercial litigation: We offer dispute resolution services and business litigation covering a wide range of problems including breach of contract, building and property disputes, debt recovery, copyright infringement, partnership disputes and corporations law.
• Corporations law: We can assist with shareholders agreements, advice on corporate governance, documenting company administrations.
• Franchises: If you’re looking to buy into a franchise we can help you go through the franchise agreement and franchisor disclosure documents to make sure that you are aware of all of the issues that could make or break your new business.
• Copyright, trademarks and patents: We can help you manage and enforce your intellectual property rights, including litigation where needed. We can also help you with registering designs, patents and trademarks.
• Property and leasing: We can assist with retail leasing and commercial leasing for both landlords and tenants. We can also assist with the sale or purchase of commercial property.
• Commercial law and small business legal advice: We offer small business legal help in a wide range of matters including trade practices law and consumer law.
• Workplace and employment: We can draw up or review employment contracts and workplace agreements as well as assist with disputes and unfair dismissals. We can also assist with occupational health and safety issues.
• Bankruptcy and insolvency: We can assist with the whole process of recovering money owed to you from an initial Letter of Demand through to Statement of Claim and Court Judgment.
• Taxation and finance: we can draft and review mortgages, guarantees, charges and other securities documentation as well as advise in regard to GST, Capital Gains and Land Tax.
• Business succession and asset protection: You need a plan in place to make sure that your business and personal assets are protected. We can work with your business and family to devise a plan that keeps your hard won assets safe through unit, discretionary and family trusts, Wills and/or Powers of Attorney.

Our business legal services can help get business startups and microbusinesses off to a good start and help nurture and sustain more established businesses and corporate enterprises.

Buying or selling a residential or commercial property is a big decision and a significant matter for most people. PFJS Lawyers offer many years of experience with property law in Melbourne’s Eastern Suburbs and have represented both buyers and sellers of property for all legal matters.

Our Eastern Suburbs law practice can offer assistance with property law in the following ways:

• Help you fully understand the issues involved in purchasing or selling property in Australia
• Assistance with buying or selling at public auction/private treaty
• Information about the costs involved (including stamp duty)
• Advice for your Contract for Sale
• Advice in regard to the ‘cooling off period’
• Negotiating terms and conditions for the sale or purchase of property
• Advice in regard to sale or purchase of vacant land, units, strata and community title, rural land and purchases ‘off the plan’
• Advice for meeting lender requirements
• Arrange title searches and land enquiries
• Help you with settlement and exchange
• Help with the legal requirements for subdivisions and property developments
• Advice in regard to building contracts
• Advice and negotiation in regard to neighbourhood disputes including dividing fence disputes
• Representation in dispute resolution and at the Victorian Civil & Administrative Tribunal and Court