Commercial Contracts & Agreements

The Paperwork Your Business Runs On — Drafted Properly, Once.

  • Confidentiality agreements, contractor and consultancy agreements, terms of trade.
  • Supply, services, distribution, agency, licence and referral agreements.
  • Variations, assignments, novations and deeds of release.
  • Prepared from your instructions — or reviewed before you sign someone else’s.
  • Fixed fee per document, quoted upfront.
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Solicitor drafting a commercial contract for a NSW business

Why the document matters

A Contract Earns Its Fee on the Worst Day, Not the Best

While a commercial relationship is going well, nobody reads the agreement. It matters on the day the other side stops paying, walks off with your client list, delivers something different from what was promised, or simply says the deal was never what you thought it was.

That is the whole point of getting it drafted properly. A good commercial contract says clearly who does what, by when, for how much, what happens when something goes wrong, who wears the loss, and how either party gets out. A template pulled off the internet usually answers the first question and none of the rest.

We take full instructions once, prepare the document properly, and have a qualified solicitor review every one before it reaches you.

Corporate Legal provides legal services only — not financial, taxation or business advice. Whether a commercial arrangement is a good deal for your business is a decision for you and your adviser.
Been sent an agreement to sign? Have it reviewed first

What we prepare

The Documents We Draft and Review

Each of these is available on a fixed fee. If what you need is not listed, ask — the list is what comes up most often, not a limit.

Confidentiality Agreements

One-way and mutual NDAs for sharing figures, customer data or ideas before a deal is done. Short, enforceable, and quick to turn around.

Heads of Agreement

Term sheets and memoranda of understanding that record what has been agreed in principle — and make clear which parts are binding and which are not.

Contractor & Consultancy

Independent contractor and consultancy agreements — scope, fees, IP ownership, confidentiality and termination, written so the arrangement is clear on both sides.

Terms & Conditions of Trade

Your standard trading terms, plus a credit application and a retention of title clause registered on the PPSR — so unpaid stock can actually be recovered.

Supply & Services Agreements

Supply contracts and master services agreements — deliverables, service levels, pricing and variation, liability, insurance and how the arrangement ends.

Distribution & Agency

Distribution, reseller and agency agreements — territory, exclusivity, minimum volumes, margins, brand use and what happens to the customers at the end.

Licence & IP

Licences to use a brand, system or software, and assignments transferring ownership of intellectual property — including from a contractor to your business.

Referral & Introducer

Referral and introducer agreements setting out what triggers a fee, how much, when it is paid, and how long the arrangement runs.

Variations & Novations

Deeds of variation, assignment and novation when the terms change or the contract needs to move to a different entity — done properly, not by email.

Settlement & Release

Deeds of settlement and release to close off a commercial disagreement cleanly, where the parties have already reached terms between themselves.

Website & Online Terms

Website terms of use, privacy policy and collection notice, and subscription or software terms for businesses selling online.

Contract Review

Not drafting, just checking. You have been sent an agreement and want to know what it commits you to before you sign it, in plain English.

Tell us the document and the deal, and we’ll come back with a fixed fee.

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Why it matters

What a Weak Contract Costs

01

Nobody Owns the Work

Without an IP assignment, the designer, developer or contractor who built it usually still owns it — even though you paid for it.

02

Unpaid Stock You Can’t Recover

Terms of trade with no retention of title, or a retention clause never registered on the PPSR, leaves you an unsecured creditor when a customer folds.

03

Unlimited Liability

Standard agreements often cap the supplier’s liability and leave yours wide open. It is a single clause and it can be the difference between an inconvenience and a catastrophe.

04

No Way Out

An agreement with no termination right, or a long fixed term with automatic renewal, can lock a business into a supplier it has outgrown.

05

A Handshake Nobody Recorded

When the arrangement was agreed in a meeting and never written down, the version that wins is usually the one with something in writing behind it.

06

The Wrong Entity Signed

A contract signed by the wrong company, or by a person rather than a company, can put personal assets on the line or make the agreement hard to enforce.

These are one-clause problems with five-figure consequences.

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How we work

From Instructions to Signed Agreement

01

Tell Us the Arrangement

What has been agreed, with whom, and what you need the document to do. A short call or email is enough to start.

02

Fixed Fee Confirmed

The document, the scope, what is and is not included, and the fee — in writing before we begin.

03

Full Instructions

We capture every commercial term once, properly, so you are not answering the same questions across a dozen emails.

04

Drafted & Reviewed

Prepared and checked by a qualified solicitor. You receive a clean draft and a short note on the clauses that matter most.

05

One Round of Amendments

Your changes and the other side’s reasonable comments worked through, inside the fixed fee.

06

Execution

Finalised for signing, with guidance on who signs for which entity and how — plus PPSR registration where the document needs it.

Why Businesses Use Corporate Legal

Reviewed by a Solicitor

Every document is read and checked by a qualified solicitor before it reaches you.

Fixed Fee Per Document

Agreed upfront and honoured through a normal round of amendments, so you can decide whether the document is worth it before you commit.

Days, Not Weeks

A straightforward document is usually back with you within a few business days.

Written to Be Read

Plain English, so the people who have to work to the agreement can actually follow it — which is most of what makes a contract work.

Property Work Under the Same Roof

When the arrangement touches premises, security over land or a lease, it is handled in the same firm rather than referred out.

We Tell You What Not to Do

If a document is not worth preparing, or the risk sits somewhere other than where you think it does, you will hear that too.

Get the agreement drafted once, properly.

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Part of the Wider Commercial Practice

Commercial contracts rarely sit on their own. The same business is often setting up an entity, lending or borrowing money, buying or selling a business, or signing a lease. Corporate Legal handles all of it in one practice, which means the documents are consistent with each other rather than drafted in isolation.

Commercial Contract FAQs

Can’t I just use a template I found online?
You can, and for very low-risk arrangements it may be enough. The problem is that a template is written for an average situation and yours is not average — it is often drafted for another country’s law, it usually favours whoever published it, and it will not have been checked against what you have actually agreed. The clauses that matter most, such as liability, termination and IP ownership, are exactly the ones templates get wrong.
How much does a commercial contract cost?
It depends on the document, and we quote a fixed fee before starting rather than charging by the hour. A short confidentiality agreement sits at the low end; a supply or distribution agreement with real commercial complexity sits higher. Tell us what the arrangement is and you will have a figure quickly.
What if the other side wants changes?
Expected, and included. One round of comments from the other side’s solicitor is part of the fixed fee. What is not included is an extended negotiation where the commercial terms themselves are still being fought over — if we get there we will tell you and agree how it is charged, rather than quietly billing you for it.
Can you review a contract someone has sent me?
Yes, and it is often the better use of money. We read it, tell you in plain English what it commits you to, flag the clauses that create real risk, and suggest the specific changes worth asking for. You then decide whether to sign, push back or walk.
Do I need my terms of trade registered on the PPSR?
If you supply goods on credit, almost certainly. A retention of title clause says you keep ownership until you are paid, but it only gives you real protection against other creditors if it is registered on the Personal Property Securities Register. Terms of trade with an unregistered retention clause are far weaker than most business owners assume.
Who should sign — me or my company?
Usually the entity that is actually doing the trading, and it should be named correctly with its ACN. Signing personally, or in the name of a business name rather than the company behind it, is one of the most common and most consequential errors we see. We confirm this before the document is finalised.
Do you draft employment contracts?
We prepare independent contractor and consultancy agreements as part of this service. Employment contracts and workplace disputes sit in a different specialty with its own regime, and where that is what you need we will say so and refer you on rather than take it just because it was asked for.
How long will it take?
For a straightforward document off a completed intake, usually a few business days. Longer agreements, or anything that depends on a third party providing information, take a little more. We give you a realistic timeframe when we quote.

Not sure which document your arrangement needs?

Ask Us Directly

Get It in Writing, Properly

Most commercial disputes start with a document that was never drafted, or one that was drafted for somebody else. Corporate Legal prepares and reviews commercial agreements for NSW businesses at a fixed fee, in plain English, reviewed by a qualified solicitor — usually within days.

Get a Fixed-Fee Quote