As lawyers and Justices of the Peace, we are often asked to witness signatures on important documents such as Statutory Declarations.  As authorised witnesses, we must ensure that we comply with the witnessing requirements as set out in the Oaths Act for a number of reasons, otherwise we risk being ...

The first steps often taken by business owners in establishing their business are:

• to obtain an Australian Business Number (‘ABN’) and
• to register their business name through the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (‘ASIC’).

Under the Business Names Registration Act 2011 (Cth) (‘th...

You may recall reading a few years ago about the wedding photographer who was sued by the bride and groom because, amongst other things, he missed photographing the all important first kiss.

Whilst the photographer’s fee for the day was $2,700, the disappointed bride and groom refused to pay the re...

Section 357(1) of the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth) states that an employer must not represent that a contract of employment is a contract for services under which the individual performs work as an independent contractor, otherwise the employer is at risk of the employee seeking Court orders for the pay...

Commercial and retail leases typically contain a provision allowing the tenant to transfer (assign) the lease to another tenant. The need or desire to transfer the lease can arise in a number of different circumstances – most usually where the incoming tenant is purchasing from the outgoing tenant t...

Sometimes the parties to a contract (which has already been signed and dated) will, for whatever reason, enter into another contract later on for exactly the same subject matter, but perhaps with slightly different terms – the question then becomes whether or not they intend the subsequent contract ...

On this eve of Anzac Day, we thought it was appropriate to look at the word ANZAC and the legal implications of using the word when naming a product, event or even your boat.

A quick history lesson

We all get taught about the importance and history of the Anzac landing on the shores of Gallipoli o...

There are significant financial and managerial benefits for businesses relying on a workforce which consists of independent contractors (who can be engaged as required depending on the workload), rather than employees (who are engaged on a more permanent basis, irrespective of the workload). Unfortu...

A recent Supreme Court decision (Cole v Lee [2017] NSWSC 1011) has highlighted the importance of having a Partnership Agreement and following the provisions of said Agreement when looking to terminate or retire from the partnership.

Background to the matter

The plaintiff (Ms Cole) operated a pharm...

What are outgoings?

Outgoings are expenses incurred by the landlord arising out of its ownership of the premises.

Typical outgoings include:

• Taxes fees and charges – e.g. Council rates, water rates, land tax
• Day to day costs – e.g. cleaning, garbage collection
• Maintenance and repair services
...

We have spoken before about phoenix activity and government attempts in the past to crackdown on the illegal activity:

• New scheme to prevent subcontractor rip-offs
• Alleged misrepresentations and unconscionability in the training industry

The Federal Government is now calling for submissions f...

Workplace bullying takes place if:

• a person or group of people repeatedly act unreasonably towards a worker or a group of workers - such as victimising, humiliating, intimidating or threatening; and
• the behaviour creates a risk to health and safety.

Whether or not such behaviour is unreasonab...