Business Law and Corporate Law

For most successful business owners, franchising sounds like a natural next step. The business works, the brand has traction, and the margins look sound enough to share. What the growth plans rarely account for is that franchising is not simply an expansion strategy. It is a change in what you do for a living.

Franchising in Australia operates under a well-developed legal regime. The Franchising Code of Conduct, which has the force of law under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth), sets minimum standards for disclosure, franchise agreements, and the conduct of the franchise relationship.

Most prospective franchisors are focused, reasonably enough, on the beginning; the first territory, the first franchisee, the first year of trading. The exit is, at best, a distant abstraction. But the decisions made at the outset of a franchise system shape the value of that system more than almost any other factor, and by the time a founder is actively preparing for sale, most of the choices that will determine the valuation have already been made. The exit is not an event at the end of the journey. It is a design principle that either runs through the system from day one, or does not.

Malaysia is among the countries advancing adoption of International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) standards.

In New World Resources Limited 02, the Takeovers Panel expressed concerns regarding a proposed placement of shares by a target company to a bidder.

A timely registration on the PPSR can make the difference between protecting your rights as secured creditor or losing priority to, or your goods altogether.

On 27 March 2024, Australia's climate disclosure regime moved a significant step closer to implementation, with the federal government's introduction of proposed legislation into Parliament.

The Australian Government recently released an exposure draft of the legislation to implement mandatory climate-related financial disclosures (Draft Legislation).

On 14 November 2023, the Australian Government released what is described as the first of three tranches of proposed draft legislation implementing the QAR recommendations.

Family Trusts are widely used in Australia to hold property, operate businesses and manage family wealth. Many individuals believe that placing assets in a trust automatically protects them from a property settlement if a relationship breaks down. However, under the Australian Family Act, the reality is more complex.

Recent developments in the trust world in 2025.

On Tuesday, 14 October 2025, the High Court of Australia heard the appeal in Commissioner of Taxation of the Commonwealth of Australia v. Bendel & Anor.