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Commercial Law · Sydney & NSW

Commercial lawyers in Sydney

Commercial and retail leases, business sales and company title, reviewed and explained so you know what you are signing and what it means for your business.

Make an enquiryCall (02) 9557 9000
4.9 from 248 Google reviews30+ years serving Sydney

How we can help

Google rating as at October 2026. Years of service supplied by CM Lawyers.

Commercial law

Legal help for businesses, landlords and tenants

We help small and medium businesses, landlords and tenants with the legal side of commercial property and business deals in NSW: commercial and retail leases, buying or selling a business, and company title. We review and negotiate the documents so you know what you are signing, what it will cost you and where the risks are, before you commit. Our office is in Marrickville, in Sydney's Inner West.

CM Lawyers has served Sydney clients for more than 30 years. Before any work begins, we give you a written estimate of our costs. We then explain the lease or contract in plain terms: what you must pay, what you can negotiate, and what happens if the business needs to move or close.

Our services

How we can help

Leases

Before you sign a lease

A lease can bind your business for years. Before you sign, it is worth checking:

  • the term, any option to renew, and what you must do to exercise an option;
  • the rent, how it will be reviewed, and which outgoings you must pay on top of it;
  • who pays for fit-out, repairs and maintenance, and what “make good” means when you leave;
  • whether you can assign the lease or sublet if you sell the business or need to move;
  • the bank guarantee or bond, and when it is returned.

Is my lease a retail lease?

Leases of retail shops in NSW are generally covered by the Retail Leases Act 1994 (NSW), which gives tenants extra protections. For example, the landlord must give the tenant a disclosure statement at least 7 days before the lease is entered into, and most retail lease disputes must go to mediation through the NSW Small Business Commissioner before the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) can hear them. Whether the Act applies depends on the premises and the business, so we check this first.

Read more about commercial and retail leases.

Business sales

Buying or selling a business

Buying or selling a business usually involves more than the sale contract. There may be a lease to assign, stock and equipment to value, staff arrangements, licences and the business name to transfer, and limits on the seller competing after the sale.

We explain the contract and its conditions, work through the steps to completion with you and the other side, and tell you about the dates that matter. Read more about buying or selling a business.

How we work

How we work and what it costs

Most lease and business matters follow these steps.

  1. Step 1: Tell us what you need

    Send us the lease, the heads of agreement, the contract or the offer, and tell us your timing.

  2. Step 2: Written estimate

    Before any work begins, we give you a written estimate of our costs.

  3. Step 3: We review the documents

    We read the documents and tell you the key terms, the risks and what may be open to negotiation.

  4. Step 4: Negotiation and signing

    If you want changes, we raise them with the other side and explain the final documents before you sign.

  5. Step 5: Completion

    For a business sale, we work through the steps to completion and the handover with you.

Questions

Common questions

Is my lease a retail lease?

It depends on how the premises are used and on other factors, such as the size of the premises and who the tenant is. Many shop leases are covered by the Retail Leases Act 1994 (NSW); many office and industrial leases are not. Send us the lease or the agent's heads of agreement and we will tell you.

Should a lawyer review a lease before I sign?

It is your decision, but a lease is a binding contract that can last many years, and once it is signed the terms are much harder to change. A review before you sign helps you understand your obligations and what may be negotiable.

How long does a business sale take?

It depends on the business, the lease, any finance and the conditions in the contract, such as the landlord's consent to assign the lease. We can give you an idea of timing once we have seen the contract.

Do you act for landlords as well as tenants?

We can advise tenants or landlords on a lease. We check that we can act for you before we start.

Related pages

Related services and guides

Commercial enquiries

Ask about a lease or business sale

Tell us the property or business and your timing. We'll explain the next step and our costs. Please don't include confidential details yet; we check that we can act for you first.

Call (02) 9557 9000

If you have a deadline to sign or to exercise an option, please call us.

Send an enquiry

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See our privacy policy for how we handle personal information.

What happens next

  1. We check that we can act for you, then contact you to talk about the lease or the business.
  2. We explain what we will do and give you a written estimate of our costs before any work begins.
  3. If you decide to go ahead, we review the documents and tell you what we find.

Our office

Level 3, Unit 3.07
18–30 Faversham Street
Marrickville NSW 2204

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Opening hours

Monday to Friday
9:00am to 5:00pm

Getting here

You can drive up to Level 3, and two hours' free parking is available at the Wicks Place car park, 186 Victoria Road.

General information only

This page gives general information about commercial leases and business sales in NSW as at October 2026. It is not legal advice about your situation. The law changes, and every lease and contract is different, so please get advice before you sign.

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CM Lawyers home
Level 3, Unit 3.07, 18–30 Faversham Street
Marrickville NSW 2204

(02) 9557 9000
lawyers@cmlaw.com.au

Disclaimer: This website provides general information only. Nothing on this site should be taken to comprise legal advice or used as a substitute for detailed and competent legal advice. While the information contained in this website is believed to be accurate and current, it is provided by CMLawyers in good faith on an “as is” basis. CMLawyers, its directors, officers or employees make no representation or warranty as to the reliability, accuracy or completeness of the information contained on this website, and none of them accept any responsibility arising in any way (including negligence) for errors in, or omissions from, the information contained in this website.

CM Lawyers  ·  Level 3, Unit 3.07, 18–30 Faversham Street, Marrickville NSW 2204  ·  (02) 9557 9000  ·  lawyers@cmlaw.com.au