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As a business owner, it is important to understand the various business
structures available to you and their respective pros and cons. In this
Business Law Breakfast, we will introduce you to different business structures
and how they can affect your business operations, tax obligations, and
liabilities.

In addition, we will provide practical tips for starting your business, including required
registrations, premises/leases, and operational matters. We understand that
starting a business can be overwhelming, and we want to ensure you have all the
necessary information and resources to get started on the right foot.

We will also discuss what happens when things go wrong, including shareholder disputes,
breaches of contracts, and insolvency. We will give you an overview of the
legal processes involved and the steps you can take to protect your business,
including ongoing management, how to handle growth and possible changes in
structure.

In December 2022, Aitken Partners hosted a mock VCAT hearing for an Owners Corporation Debt Recovery Hearing. This video is a recording of that session. 

Aitken Partners is one of the most experienced law firms in Melbourne, representing clients from across the private and business sectors for nearly 100 years. We work for you, providing one-on-one consultations to better understand the finer details of your matters and to deliver a more personalised and supportive form of legal representation.  

Our staff are approachable, compassionate and dedicated, standing up for you and your interests throughout the various legal processes and striving to deliver the very best outcome possible.  We have been in business since 1923 when we grew from being a small country firm to become one of the most respected legal firms across Victoria and throughout Australia, and have been located in William Street, Melbourne, for all that time.  For a local law firm you can trust to represent your voice and interests, turn to Aitken Partners.  

Aitken Partners, Lawyers & Advisors Melbourne, Victoria, Australia 

(03) 8600 6080 www.aitken.com.au  

#Lawyers #AustralianLawyers #MelbourneLawFirm #ownerscorporation #VCAT #OC

The easing of isolation rules and positive duties imposed by the Respect@Work Bill to prevent harassment – what does it mean for employers?  

In this Business Law Breakfast Seminar and Webinar, our new Workplace Law Principal Lawyer, Bhrig Chauhan, will lead a panel discussing The Workplace & Employment Law. 

The end of Covid? Far from it – What does the easing of isolation rules mean for businesses?  


Lifting of mandatory Covid-19 isolation requirements effective 14 October 2022. 
Risks to businesses arising from positive cases at the workplace. 
Management of risks including obligations to be aware of before implementing any business plan.   

What does the future of working look like? The challenges of hybrid working?  


Have businesses really embraced flexible work arrangements? 
What are future business models likely to resemble?  
Can businesses ‘wind back’ flexible arrangements now that public health directions have been relaxed? 
Covid hasn’t disappeared, can employers still require staff to be ‘fully’ vaccinated?   

Respect@Work - Positive duties on employers to prevent harassment, discrimination and victimisation in the workplace. - Overview of significant changes to Federal anti-discrimination laws.  


The impact of the changes on employers' duties to provide a harmonious workplace.   
Practical solutions on how employers may satisfy their obligations.    

In the age of technology, it has become too easy for people to pick up their smartphone and jump onto social media or Google and make public their views – whether fact or fiction – about virtually anything.

But is it defamatory, and what are your rights? And what happens if the comments are posted on a social media page hosted by you or your organisation?

Defamation is a complex legal issue, and in this session, we will guide you through the changing landscape for when you are defamed and for when you are responsible for the defamation, either directly by your own words or as an ‘accidental’ publisher.

We will cover:


Defamation Overview
Online Defamation Caselaw, including Voller (Fairfax Media Publications Pty Ltd v Dylan Voller; Nationwide News Pty Limited v Dylan Voller; Australian News Channel Pty Ltd v Dylan Voller) and Defteros (Google LLC v Defteros)
What you can do about defamatory posts concerning you and your business
What you need to do to protect yourself from being an accidental publisher on your social media or websites
Proposed Reforms.

Paolo Tatti of Aitken Partners has experience in matters including large defamation cases against national Australian newspapers through to matters involving small businesses and individuals.

He will moderate a panel, including:

Melissa Marcus is an experienced barrister at the Victorian Bar who practices intellectual property and defamation law.

Amanda Robinson is a lawyer with Aitken Partners and works on complex litigation, including defamation.

What are the legal (and moral) obligations of an Owners Corporation when dealing with abandoned goods on common property?

Unfortunately, residents often treat common property inside an Owners Corporation as a good place to dispose of goods. But what is an OC manager allowed to do, and what are their obligations.

Our panel for this session is led by Deb Andronaco (Owners Corporation Team Leader, Aitken Partners), Kevin Tan (Director, Clean As You Go) and Hayley Tran (Senior Property Manager, Inner Real Estate), will look at the changing regulatory landscape and provide you with some practical tips from real-life examples.

We will cover:


Amendments to the Owners Corporation Act 2006 inclusion of new Division 5A - Disposal of goods abandoned on common property
OC's ability to dispose of abandoned goods on common property in accordance with Division 5A and Australian Consumer Law and Fair Trading Act 2012
The process to lawfully dispose of goods
Residents (owner occupiers and renters) dumping things on common property when they move out, including white goods, small appliances, furniture and clothing
Unregistered cars left on common property or in visitor car parking spaces
Unidentifiable owners.

In Everything You Need to Know About Objecting to Property Rating Valuations, we look at the processes behind lodging objections and some of the triggers to be aware of when it comes to making an objection.       

These valuations directly relate to the Council Rates and Land Tax you pay, and recently we have successfully represented a number of clients in VCAT in land tax objections. It is important you make sure these valuations are right.     

In this Business Law Breakfast Seminar and Webinar, we will look at some of the key factors in what leads to an objection, and then the process that is required to make an objection.    

Ebony Roach of Aitken Partners will discuss the objection process and making an application to review a decision in VCAT.  She will also look at the importance of engaging experts and their role   

Chris Nicodimou of Fitzroys (Valuer) will talk about valuation considerations when assessing site value; the impact of improvements and heritage constraints when determining the highest and best of the property.  

Will Pearce of Human Habitats (Planner) will look at planning controls and considerations and the impact on the highest and best use of the property and how this impacts site value.   

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Aitken Partners is one of the most experienced law firms in Melbourne, representing clients from across the private and business sectors for nearly 100 years. We work for you, providing one-on-one consultations to better understand the finer details of your matters and to deliver a more personalised and supportive form of legal representation.  

Our staff are approachable, compassionate and dedicated, standing up for you and your interests throughout the various legal processes and striving to deliver the very best outcome possible.  We have been in business since 1923 when we grew from being a small country firm to become one of the most respected legal firms across Victoria and throughout Australia, and have been located in William Street, Melbourne, for all that time.  

For a local law firm you can trust to represent your voice and interests, turn to Aitken Partners.  Aitken Partners, Lawyers & Advisors Melbourne, Victoria, Australia (03) 8600 6080 www.aitken.com.au  #Lawyers #AustralianLawyers #MelbourneLawFirm