How Long Should I Sign a Commercial Lease For?

When you’re signing a new commercial lease it’s important to try and find the right balance between a long enough lease to let your get your business up and running and a short enough lease to be able to cover the costs if your business fails.

However, this isn’t always easy. Many landlords will want you to sign a long-term lease that’s at least 5 years, and they might try and pressure you into this. It’s important to make sure that you don’t let yourself be pressured in situations like this, otherwise you might regret it later. Make sure that you employ the services of a decent property lawyer to help you negotiate your lease, and make sure that you’re clear on the fine print.

Ultimately, there are a few things you should take into account when deciding how long to sign a commercial lease for. We’ve outlined some of the most important below.

Consider Your Business Vision

It doesn’t matter how long your business has existed for, or even if it’s brand new. If you’re serious about building it and expanding your services in the future, you need to take this into account.

If your business does grow, you might end up wanting to relocate to larger premises at some point. This can be hard if you’re locked into a long-term lease.

Work closely with your commercial lawyer to negotiate a lease that either: (1) only lasts for a short time or (2) gives you an exit clause if you need to find larger premises.

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5 Tips For Making Business Insurance Claims

If you’ve had problems with your business that are covered by your business insurance, then you will need to make a claim. Unfortunately, small business insurance claims aren’t always simple, and insurance companies will often do everything in their power to avoid paying up.

It’s usually a good idea to hire an experienced commercial lawyer to help you put together complicated claims. However, there are a few other things that you can do to help maximise the chances of your claim being approved, including:

  1. Make Sure You Use A Good Lawyer

It’s absolutely essential to make sure that your company lawyer has experience in business insurance claims. If they don’t, then you might find that they aren’t able to maximise your chances of winning your claim.

I’d recommend doing your research carefully before hiring any lawyer. Make sure that they have a good reputation and a strong track record dealing with insurance claims.

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What Should I Do If I’ve Been Searched Without A Warrant?

Criminal law is a complicated topic, but it’s worth understanding your rights if you’ve come under scrutiny from the police. Fortunately, in Australia you do have a lot of rights, and they are generally pretty clear.

However, police searches can become a complicated subject. Usually, you will have a lot of rights, and you can’t usually be searched without a warrant. But, like with everything, there are exceptions to the rule, which means that you should always speak with a criminal lawyer if you think you’ve been searched illegally.

With this in mind, I’ve put together a short list of things you should do if you’ve been searched without a warrant. They include:

Speak with a criminal lawyer ASAP

If you’ve been searched, the chances are that the police have their eye on you for some reason. If you’ve been searched without a warrant, then you might have some rights that you’re not aware of, and you might even be able to claim some sort of compensation from the police.

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What Should I Do If I’m A Victim Of Domestic Violence?

Domestic violence is a massive issue that affects thousands of Australians every single year. As a victim of domestic violence, it can be hard to know what to do to move on with your life, especially if you have children with or are married to the person who has abused you.

Once you’ve dealt with the criminal side of things, it’s a good idea to speak with someone at a family lawyers firm to sort out things like child disputes and, if you’re married, a divorce. They will be able to help you put your affairs in order so that you can move on with your life quickly with minimum fuss.

Start by distancing yourself from your abuser

One of the biggest mistakes that people make as victims of domestic violence is that they remain in a relationship with, or at least in close contact with their abuser. This is a terrible idea, because it usually leads to ongoing abuse, and can reduce your confidence and compound what’s already a bad situation.

Ultimately, you should distance yourself from your abuser as soon as you possibly can.

  • If you were living with them, then you should move out and get your own place. If you can’t afford to get your own place immediately, then try and stay with a friend or a family member for a while.
  • Try and cut financial ties with them. If you were a stay at home parent relying on them to supply for the family, this can be difficult. But, it’s still worth doing.
  • Above all, don’t remain in a physical relationship with them.

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What Should I Do If I’ve Been Charged With Blackmail?

Blackmail is considered a serious crime under Australian law, and is punishable by significant jail time. Unfortunately, a lot of people don’t understand what they should and shouldn’t do if they’ve been charged or appear likely to be charged with blackmail, which can lead to a range of problems.

The best advice that I can give anyone who is having any sort of problems with blackmail or extortion is to speak to criminal lawyers. Find someone with experience dealing with blackmail under Australia law, because it’s a crime that’s certainly possible to fight in the courts.

With this in mind, I’ve put together a short list of a few things that you should do if you have been or think you might be charged with blackmail.

Hire a lawyer!

As I’ve already said, hiring a lawyer should be your priority if you’re charged with blackmail in Australia. Since Australian blackmail law is tough, it’s in your best interest to try and build a strong defence as soon as possible.

In saying that, Australian blackmail laws are also quite vague. This means that it’s often possible to build a strong defence. Hiring an experienced lawyer will help you maximise your chances of successfully defending your case. In the worst case scenario, a good lawyer will be able to help you argue for lower penalties.

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