We act and advise on a wide range of commercial issues including purchase and sale of businesses, Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) applications, international trade and investment, procurement and tendering, corporate structuring, share transfers, trusts, partnerships joint ventures, asset protection, lease agreements, initial public offerings, and mergers and acquisitions.

Our expertise covers a wide range of areas and we can assist in undertaking legal due diligence on behalf of private equity clients, documenting and implementing transactions, including acquisition and investment documentation, devising and documenting management incentive plans, negotiating and preparing shareholder arrangements.

We provide a variety of legal services to clients ranging from small business start-ups to established companies. Regardless of your scale, resources and budget, we will be able to provide practical options suitable to your circumstances. Instead of delivering legal products based on standard templates, personalized interaction and strategic solutions are what we value most.

We are able to help in all types of disputes including breach of contract, contractors and suppliers, false and misleading conduct, customer claims, services delivery, franchise, joint venture, partnership, shareholder, construction, and dealing with regulatory authorities.

If you are a consumer with a grievance or complaint in relation to your dealings with a business, we can defend your rights against the merchant.

You may be able to make a claim for compensation if an unsafe or faulty product has caused you to suffer loss or injury. We can advise you on your legal rights and remedies, and any potential right to compensation you may have.

We can also help if you have encountered false and misleading conduct or representation in any consumer transaction.

Goodwin & Co Lawyers is proud to stand by a proven record of engagement in thousands of successful transactions relating to agricultural, commercial, industrial, residential and investment properties across Australia.

We have extensive experience advising on real estate transactions ranging from acquisition, construction, property development, leasing, rentals, office buildings, and serviced apartments. We also advise on and assist with, property financing transactions, due diligence report, partnerships and joint ventures.

Our experienced property lawyers can assist you in achieving your goals throughout the life cycle of your real estate investment.

We are experienced in assisting both employers and employees in industrial relations and employment law matters. We can advise you on legal strategic and practical issues arising out of employment and independent contractor agreements, employment policies, human resources management, handling of employee claims, termination of employment, restructuring and redundancy, unfair dismissal and unlawful dismissal. We can represent you before the Fair Work Commission, Federal Circuit Court of Australia and the Federal Court of Australia.

We acknowledge that management of human resources represents the pillars to business success and stability. We also recognize that workplace relationship is closely connected to all aspects of business success,respecting the market demands and individual’s social rights. Hence, we work closely with our clients and keep them informed in resolving workplace disputes.

We are able to help you plan motivation and performance management including implementing employee share schemes.

Our immigration services cover the full breadth of the Immigration regime.

We can help you with an application for a business visa, employer nomination visa, Australian spouse visa, de facto visa, parent visa, partner visa, child visa, or any other type of Australian visa.

We have extensive experience in assisting overseas entrepreneurs, investors and prospective business owners in applying for permanent residency in Australia. Every year we help a diverse range of skilled migrants open the door to Australia under the General Skilled Migration program and Employer Nomination Scheme.

We have an excellent record in assisting our clients with migration reviews and judicial appeals.

We will advise you on your legal position including the strengths and weakness of your circumstances. We assist you to identify favourable commercial outcomes and wherever possible help you develop a strategy to achieve your objectives without the need for Court proceedings.

Although litigation is always a last resort, we understand the court room is unavoidable in some situations. Should your matter proceed to the stage of litigation, we can assure you that our hard-working and dedicated team will be protecting your best interest in a timely and effective manner. If circumstances require, we work on your instructions 7 days a week. In the meantime, we are acutely aware of the cost and risks relating to litigation, and we strive to provide alternatives and achieve a more favourable outcome wherever possible.

We understand the difficulty couples can go through after a relationship break up.

We offer one of the most cost-effective ways to resolve family disputes including division of property, parenting arrangements and divorce application.

We also provide service to many individuals based overseas with family law issues in Australia.

We understand family law matters can be extremely stressful, and we are committed to providing friendly supportive and reliable service utilizing our skills and experience to guide you through these difficult times.

We provide advice to clients involved in administrative and public law matters in defending their constitutional rights. Our services include pursuing judicial reviews against various government agencies at Administrative Reviews and Federal Court.

We are experienced in providing representation for refugees and migrants challenging decisions of the Department of Immigration and Border Protection.

We have understanding how government works. Our solicitors have extensive experience in providing procurement advice and probity services to over 93 major government procurement and divestment projects.Many of our solicitors have legal, accounting and auditing backgrounds and are familiar with various commercial matters associated with government policies, including income tax, stamp duty, GST, supply chain management, forensic accounting, superannuation liability review and probity investigations.

We have extensive experience in advice and assistance in relation to financing transactions, including private equity and debt funds, and other non-bank lenders.

Our commercial and corporate lending transactions expertise includes advising lenders, borrowers, guarantors, lessors, lessees, on all aspects of secured and unsecured commercial lending transactions, and security interests in personal property under the Personal Property Securities Act 2009 (Cth).

We have a diverse client base which we have helped in real estate finance representing both lenders and borrowers in all aspects of real estate finance transactions.

We provide complete services associated with financing real estate projects, ranging from acquisition, development, and construction loans including commercial, revolving or non-revolving loans and subordinated debt facilities.

Our firm is structured to accommodate clients’ with urgent needs in cost-efficient ways and ensure their interests are protected. Our services also include:

• Preparing finance documents including letter of offer, standard terms and conditions for commercial and residential loans, deed of guarantee and indemnity, general security agreement, deed of subordination, deposit set-off agreement, statutory declarations,and acknowledgment of common provisions in relation to mortgage or other securities;

• Advice in relation to commercial revolving or non-revolving loans, residential loans regulated by National Credit Code, stamp duty requirements, priority disputes in enforcing creditor’s interests, and legal requirements for mortgage variation, discharge and foreclosure;

• Attendance at settlement and registration of documentation pertaining to mortgage, personal property security, caveat and various discharges; and

• Review commercial leases subject to mortgage and prepare consent to lease.

We can assist financial companies with obtaining/applying for an Australian Financial Services License, and changing license conditions. We help you understand the compliance obligations of your AFSL licence conditions.

We provide valuable input to your disclosure documentation, like your Product Disclosure Statements (PDSs), Financial Services Guides (FSGs), Statements of Advice (SOAs) and Records of Advice (ROAs) where applicable.

Our solicitors can assist you on drafting and understanding the contents of simple Wills through to complex wills creating testamentary trusts. The documents we produce are reflective of your needs and wants.

We can also advise you on and provide documents appointing:

• Powers of Attorney (who can manage your financial affairs on your behalf)

• Enduring Guardian (A person(s) who can make decisions and look after your medical requirements).

At Goodwin & Co Lawyers, our solicitors are dedicated in meeting our clients’ requirements, whether they are for simple distribution of estates or for more complex asset protective mechanism.

If you want to know your rights of challenging or contesting a Will, or with the administration of a Willour lawyers can assist you.

We also assist our clients with structuring business or investment through a variety of trusts, including discretionary (family) trusts, fixed or non-fixed unit trusts, hybrid trusts, testamentary trusts, charitable trusts and trusts established for particular purposes.

We can assist with estate planning, trust administration, continuity of the family business and all aspects of wealth protection.

We recognize that our clients’ copyright materials, patents, trademarks, know-how and confidential business information are valuable intangible assets worth protecting.

Trademarks are now one of the most strategically important assets of successful businesses. The significance of protecting your commercial competitiveness from passing-off and other infringements can never be underestimated.

We deliver assistance with intellectual property auditing, trade mark and patent applications, licensing and technology transaction, sponsor-inventor relations and IP dispute resolution.

Our lawyers can help you achieve your strategic business outcomes with intellectual property protection which reinforces your competitive advantages.

Our client base ranges from small builders to high-profile industrial leaders in engineering and construction, including project sponsors, contractors and service providers engaging in roads, sewer, pipelines and residential/commercial complex. We provide legal advice from tendering to delivery of project, and develop risk management mechanisms to adapt to market changes whilst achieving commercial objectives.

We can assist in the following areas of building and construction law:

• Contract negotiations and provision of building and construction contracts;

• Joint venture and business participationnegotiation;

• Contract interpretation, advice on administration of contract to protect your interests and generally;

• Building & Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 1999;

• Advice on Statutory entitlements and claim processes such as making claims and Applications under the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 1999.

• Construction claims;

• Claims disputes;

• Tribunal & Court attendances;

• Insurance claims advice;

• Claims resolution;

• Construction contract litigation;

• Arbitration & mediation.

Our construction dispute resolution team is readily available to help our clients should potential claims or litigious matters arise. We adopt creative and pro-active approach in order to resolve dispute in amicable manners where possible. In the meantime, we aim at protecting our client’s interest and enhance the prospects of success if litigation is inevitable.

We advise clients on the impact of regulations mandated by domestic authorities and international trade organizations. Our primary objective is to help clients understand and resolve issues related to market access and regulatory restrictions result from government intervention. Our services include advice on:

• Maritime regulations including Hague Rules, Hague-Visby Rules and Hamburg Rules;

• Aviation regulations including Chicago-Warsaw system and Montreal Convention;

• United Nations Convention on International Multimodal Transport of Goods (Geneva 1980);

• United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (Vienna 1980);

• International Commercial Terms (Incoterms); and

• Uniform Customs and Practices for Documentary Credits (UCP 500).