By CAITLIN CROWLEY | SPONSORED
A MULTI-AWARD winning Toowoomba law firm is helping regional businesses capitalise on opportunities by combining the expertise of capital city firms with the context and insight of a local.
Enterprise Legal is tackling more complex cases for rural clients than ever before, under the leadership of Principal Director Peta Gray (pictured left).
Gray, who was recently named a finalist for the Australian Law Awards’ Managing Partner of the Year Award, said it was an exciting time for Darling Downs agribusinesses.
“The global markets at the moment and the general dynamics globally are setting up agriculture for a new period of innovation,” Gray said.
“We are looking at what we can do domestically or how we can leverage opportunities here, so for people who are willing to look into that, I think there’s a lot of opportunity in that sector.”
With many agribusinesses looking to modernise and expand, Gray cautioned against relying on “handshake” deals, especially when multimillion dollar assets and enterprises were on the line.
“The age of ‘a handshake is good enough’ is largely over,” Gray said.
“Unfortunately you will find yourself exposed to risk because people change their mind now, more than they ever did, or their families change their mind.
“Succession planning is always an important topic for farming families and it’s something that isn’t necessarily done well, and that’s often because it’s hard to reconcile things that are of a family nature with things that have a legal impact.”
Gray said she wanted country clients to know their options weren’t a handshake deal or a “70 page document”.
“There are a lot of options and practical solutions in the middle,” she said.
“That’s the best part about being a business-specific lawyer or a disputes lawyer – trying to resolve issues as efficiently and cost effectively as you can.
“There is a real product that can be offered there for people who want to take their agribusinesses and even their small businesses in those towns to the next level, and not feel like they’re left behind and that their only option is to go to a Brisbane firm who charges exorbitant fees and doesn’t have the necessary content.”
Gray said that while capital city law firms may be well resourced, they often lacked the industry-specific knowledge and wider context of issues which can help resolve problems before they escalated into costly litigation matters.
“I think there’s a misconception that if you need a hard hitting agreement – even for example negotiating with mining companies or access agreements – you need to go to Brisbane. You definitely don’t,” Gray said.
“We saw a gap in the market for a firm that delivers that top tier expertise but in a more relatable atmosphere in terms of overcoming the gap with people in Brisbane.
“Brisbane firms don’t even know the towns and the places that you’re talking about when you’re trying to negotiate those agreements.
“I’ve worked with a lot of farming clients on the Western Downs – you pick up so much knowledge from doing that and I’m a person that believes context is everything.”
Enterprise Legal already had a reputation for doing things differently after rejecting the strict time-based billing model when it launched in 2017, giving clients total fee certainty from the outset.
“Another point of difference for us is that we really enjoy and find it so beneficial to work with everyone’s advisors,” Gray said.
“We never try to do anything in a vacuum, especially succession planning advice. Bankers, financial advisors, they’re all really relevant.”
Iconic Darling Downs snack producer Jim’s Jerky is among the businesses Enterprise Legal has worked with to take their operation to the next level.
“We’ve been working with Enterprise Legal for a number of years and with their support and advice have updated and modernised our business structure to support growth,” founder Jim Tanner (pictured above) said.
“They were with us every step of the way as we worked through all the possible scenarios – throughout the process we’ve felt very supported and informed.”
CEO Emily Pullen told the Caller, the personal service was second to none and they always feel like they’re in a safe set of hands.
“Speaking to other businesses who face the same challenges as us, I always recommend Peta and Enterprise Legal,” Pullen said.
“Enterprise Legal takes the time to understand your individual business and draws on their experience to provide excellent support and advice.
“Having advisors who are knowledgeable but importantly, who care, makes such a huge difference.”
As well as expert legal advice for agribusinesses, Enterprise Legal offers a ‘one-stop-shop’ for all of the relevant legal needs of business, property and disputes clients.
Enterprise Legal has been named a finalist in five categories for the upcoming Australian Law Awards, including for the prestigious Regional/Suburban Law Firm of the Year which the firm won in 2018.
For more information head to Enterprise Legal’s website.