Johnston Withers

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Our lawyers and conveyancers love keeping our community updated with the latest news, and sharing their views and ideas.

Read about crucial legislation changes, discover life behind-the-scenes at Johnston Withers, learn more about what we do, and read about our landmark wins.

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Foreign Investment Review Board: Options for Developers

Buying off the plan has become very popular among foreign persons looking for residence or investment. Australia has a foreign investment framework where foreign persons generally need to apply to the Foreign Investment Review Board (‘FIRB’) for approval to purchase residential real estate in Australia.

Ending a commercial lease early (breaking a lease)

There are a number of situations where a tenant may wish to end or break a commercial lease before the lease ends. Here is a list of different ways that a commercial lease agreement can be ended early.

7 important points for tenants to consider before signing a commercial lease

A commercial lease is a significant financial commitment for tenants. It can have serious consequences for your business, so it is important that you conduct your due diligence on the lease before signing it.

Buying a Business: Top 6 Legal Tips

Here are 6 legal tips for buyers who are considering buying a business.

Wine Equalisation Tax – New Trade Mark Requirements

Holding a registered trade mark provides many benefits for a business – the exclusive right to use and licence a brand, legal protection against unauthorised use and from 1 July 2018, it will allow certain wine industry participants to claim an exclusive tax rebate.

SA Land Tax Update – Letter from RevenueSA

In January this year we published an article about the South Australian land tax changes. These changes to the Land Tax Act 1936 come into effect on 30 June 2020 and include lower tax rates, the introduction of new land tax aggregation provisions, a different rate of tax for land held in trust and grouping provisions for related corporations.

South Australia Land Tax Changes – What You Need To Know and What You Need To Do

South Australia’s regime for Land Tax has now changed, with new rates and new methods of calculation taking effect from 1 July 2020.

What are Business Terms and Conditions?

Terms and conditions are essential to any person running a business

Landmark case: Commercial Bank of Australia Ltd v Amadio

The High Court Decision in Commercial Bank of Australia Ltd v Amadio forced banks to behave more ethically in the future management of mortgages.