Lawyer For Buying A Business
We audit operational dependencies, verify financial claims, and investigate hidden liabilities before owner-dependency traps surface.
Secure Your Legal Advantage
500+
Your brand deserves to be yours, no question. Join 500+ others who’ve secured trade marks built to grow, scale, and stand out globally.
$10M +
With over $10 million recovered, our clients move forward with renewed clarity, free from delays, distractions, and the weight of unresolved matters.
2,000 +
We’ve helped over 2,000 companies scale, advising on the deals, hires, and legal frameworks behind expansion, funding, and ownership.
40 Years
With 40 years of experience, we’ve all seen the challenges you’re facing. We’ll help you avoid the mistakes others have made.
Why You Need A Buying A Business Lawyer Team
Standard solicitors verify ABN registration, review lease assignments, and confirm ASIC records match what’s listed. They rarely investigate whether revenue survives after the current owner exits. Most businesses fail within 18 months of acquisition not because contracts were defective, but because profits depended entirely on relationships the seller took with them.
We spot what others don’t.
Buying a business lawyer services go beyond conveyancing checks. We examine whether systems actually exist, whether customers are contractually committed, and whether staff knowledge transfers or walks out the door. The business might be legally compliant and financially bankrupt the moment you take control.
Why Choose Lazarus Legal When Buying A Business
Many businesses selling at low multiples appear profitable on paper but depend entirely on the current owner’s personal relationships, industry knowledge, or constant involvement.
Our buying a business lawyer team focuses on operational sustainability, examining customer concentration, system dependencies, and whether the business can genuinely operate under new management. Understanding these risks before closing prevents failures that standard due diligence processes overlook.
Who Reviews Your Business Acquisition?
Led by Mark Lazarus, former Legal Director at Monster Energy, our team combines commercial experience with legal qualification. Every lawyer is admitted in New South Wales and regulated by the Law Society of NSW. We've reviewed over 160 business acquisitions across retail, manufacturing, professional services, and hospitality sectors. This operational focus allows us to identify risks that standard due diligence processes overlook.
How We Investigate Business Purchases
We conduct operational due diligence alongside legal review. This includes verifying financial claims, testing business systems, analysing customer relationships, and determining whether the business requires constant owner involvement. Clients receive clear written reports identifying material risks and recommended adjustments to purchase price or deal structure. Each matter is handled directly by senior lawyers to ensure commercial clarity.
What You Gain From Our Review
Protect your capital by identifying deal-breaking issues before closing. Our clients avoid businesses that appear profitable but require 60-hour owner work weeks to maintain those profits. We've recently saved clients over $50,000 in prevented losses through early identification of customer concentration risks and financial misrepresentation. Each review focuses on whether you're acquiring a genuine business asset or an underpaid job.
Lawyer Services For Buying A Business:
From Pre Offer Review to Closing
Our buying a business lawyer assists buyers across Sydney and regional NSW with comprehensive due diligence that extends beyond standard contract review. Our acquisition services identify operational, financial, and structural risks before you commit capital to a transaction.
Typical instructions include:
- Pre-Offer Operational Review and Risk Assessment
- Financial Verification and EBITDA Analysis
- Customer Concentration and Revenue
- Sustainability Review
- Owner Dependency and System Independence Testing
- Contract and Liability Review
- Purchase Agreement Drafting and Negotiation
- Post-Closing Integration and Employment Documentation
Each matter is handled directly by senior lawyers to ensure timely delivery and practical outcomes.
Sarah, Manufacturing Buyer
Chen, Hospitality Buyer
Lazarus Legal identified customer risks that the broker’s materials omitted, which helped us walk away from a failing business.
David, Retail Investor
saved us from buying what turned out to be a full-time job disguised as a passive business investment.
- Ready when you are
Buying A Business? Lawyer Up!
Schedule a consultation about your planned purchase with our buying a business lawyer.
Initial consultation focuses on your situation, risks, and solutions.
You get specific advice and clear recommendations protecting interests while achieving objectives.
Common Questions About Buying a Business in NSW
How much does a buying a business lawyer cost in Sydney?
What should a buying a business lawyer review during due diligence?
A competent buying a business lawyer examines both legal documentation and operational sustainability to determine whether the business can function profitably under new ownership. Standard legal review covers contracts, leases, employment agreements, intellectual property registrations, and outstanding liabilities under Australian Consumer Law and Fair Work Act 2009. However, operational due diligence identifies the issues that cause acquisitions to fail post-closing including customer concentration where single clients represent over 25% of revenue, owner-dependency where the business requires constant proprietor involvement to maintain profits, financial misrepresentation where normalised earnings add back owner compensation without realistic replacement costs, and system deficiencies where employees lack authority or capability to operate independently. Our buying a business lawyer team has reviewed over 160 NSW acquisitions and found material issues in approximately 40% of transactions that justified price reductions or deal termination.
When should I engage a buying a business lawyer in the acquisition process?
Engage a buying a business lawyer before submitting your Letter of Intent or initial offer, not after signing preliminary agreements. Early legal involvement allows proper structuring of offers with appropriate contingencies, due diligence periods, holdback provisions, and price adjustment mechanisms based on discovery findings. Buyers who involve acquisition lawyers pre-offer maintain negotiating leverage and achieve significantly better terms than those engaging counsel after showing their hand through binding commitments. Once you’ve submitted a firm offer, sellers have little incentive to accommodate revised terms based on due diligence findings. A buying a business lawyer can review information memorandums and financial summaries within 48 hours to identify preliminary red flags including unrealistic profit margins, customer concentration, or declining revenue trends before you commit. This early-stage operational review typically costs $1,500 to $3,000 but prevents expensive mistakes.
What are common red flags a buying a business lawyer identifies in small business acquisitions?
Small business acquisitions under $500,000 frequently present owner-dependency issues that destroy value post-closing. Common red flags include businesses selling at multiples below 3x EBITDA, which typically signals heavy owner involvement required to maintain profits. Customer concentration where a single client represents more than 25% of revenue creates significant risk. Financial statements showing “normalised” earnings that add back the owner’s entire compensation assume you can replace their work with low-cost employees, which rarely proves accurate in practice. Other warning signs include declining revenues, upcoming lease renewals with uncertain terms, and employees lacking authority to make operational decisions. Our acquisition review identifies these issues through operational investigation rather than accepting seller representations. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission provides resources on business-to-business fairness and contractual standards through their Small Business Resources.
How long does business acquisition due diligence take with a buying a business lawyer in NSW?
Business acquisition due diligence timeframes in New South Wales typically span two to four weeks depending on transaction complexity, seller cooperation, financial record availability, and whether operational sustainability review is included alongside standard legal checks. Pre-offer operational reviews focusing on preliminary risk identification can be completed within 48 to 72 hours for time-sensitive opportunities. Comprehensive due diligence covering financial claim verification, customer concentration analysis, contract review, employment documentation assessment, and operational dependency testing usually requires three weeks when sellers provide organised records. Transactions involving multiple business locations, complex lease arrangements, or significant intellectual property portfolios may extend to five or six weeks. Buyers should engage buying a business lawyers before submitting binding offers to preserve due diligence contingencies and price adjustment mechanisms. Express reviews can be arranged for urgent transactions though compressed timeframes may limit investigation depth.