An Online Business Lawyer provides Legal Services remotely by video, phone, email and electronic document exchange. Rachelle Hare provides online Commercial Law and Construction Law services to Australian businesses where the work and jurisdiction are suitable.
This page explains:
- how Australian businesses can work with Rachelle Hare as their Commercial Lawyer or Construction Lawyer online
- which Legal Services can be delivered remotely
- how the process of engaging Blaze Business & Legal to be your online Lawyer works
- when Rachelle recommends meeting or negotiating in person.
Table of Contents
Can You Use a Business Lawyer Entirely Online?
Most Commercial Law and Construction Law work can be carried out online because much of the work involves advice, documents, negotiations and business decisions. Rachelle takes instructions by Teams or phone, reviews and drafts Contracts electronically, discusses Legal Advice directly with clients and conducts negotiations remotely where that suits the transaction.
This also allows businesses outside Brisbane to choose a Lawyer based on the experience they need rather than the location of the nearest law firm. A construction contractor in regional Queensland, for example, can send Rachelle a proposed Head Contract for review and discuss the Project, Contract terms and proposed amendments with her without travelling to Brisbane.
The nature of the Legal Service and applicable jurisdiction still need to be considered. Rachelle checks those issues before accepting work from an interstate client.
Work Directly With Rachelle Hare
Rachelle Hare is the Managing Director and Principal Legal Practitioner of Blaze Business & Legal. Her career spans more than 25 years across Commercial Law, Construction Law, General Counsel, Contracts Management and Commercial Management roles.
She has worked in private legal practice and inside major businesses, including senior in-house legal roles with Tier 1 construction companies and Commonwealth entities. She also spent six years working full-time as a Commercial Manager. That combination is particularly relevant when Legal Advice involves Contracts because the wording of the Contract is only part of the decision the business needs to make.
A Contract clause can affect price, insurance, delivery obligations, cash flow or the way the Project team will need to administer the Contract after it is signed. Rachelle considers those consequences when advising on the legal position and identifies where a separate Commercial Review or Commercial Advice would assist.
Work directly with Commercial Lawyer and Construction Lawyer Rachelle Hare online for Contracts, Structuring, negotiations and ongoing Legal Services across Australia.
What Online Commercial Law Services Does Blaze Business & Legal Provide?
Rachelle provides online Commercial Law services for operating businesses, with the scope of each engagement agreed before work starts. The work ranges from a single Contract Review or new agreement through to ongoing Legal Services as External General Counsel.
Commercial Contracts
Rachelle drafts, reviews, negotiates and advises on the Contracts businesses use with customers, suppliers, contractors, consultants, employees and other commercial parties. She also advises businesses whose existing Contracts no longer reflect the way they operate or the transactions they now enter into.
Blaze Business & Legal provides Contract Drafting, Contract Review and Contract Negotiation as separate Legal Services or as part of a broader engagement, depending on what you need.
Commercial Contracts in Australia
Business Structuring and Restructuring
Rachelle advises on the legal aspects of establishing and changing business structures, including companies, Trust structures, ownership arrangements and Corporate Restructuring.
Structuring decisions frequently involve taxation and accounting issues as well as Legal Advice. Blaze Business & Legal does not provide taxation advice, and Rachelle will identify where your Accountant or a specialist taxation Lawyer needs to be involved.
Shareholders Agreements, Directors Agreements and Ownership Arrangements
Rachelle prepares and advises on Shareholders Agreements, Directors Agreements and other agreements governing business ownership, management, decision-making, funding, transfers, exits and deadlocks.
She has also personally negotiated and drafted the Shareholders Agreement and Directors Agreement governing a business she owns with a business partner. That experience informs the questions she asks about how decisions will actually be made, what each owner is expected to contribute, what happens when circumstances change and how the arrangements should work if one owner eventually wants to leave.
Employment Contracts and Other Commercial Legal Documents
Businesses need different legal documents as they employ people, engage contractors, change their operations and enter new commercial relationships. Rachelle drafts and advises on Employment Contracts, Supply and Services Agreements, Joint Venture and Teaming Agreements, Confidentiality Agreements, Commercial Leases and other Commercial Contracts used by operating businesses.
The appropriate document depends on the relationship being documented and what the parties have actually agreed. Where a business needs several related documents, Rachelle can scope them together rather than treating each document as an unrelated transaction.
Explore Commercial Law Services
Corporate Governance and Regulatory Compliance
Rachelle advises companies and Directors on Corporate Governance, Directors’ obligations and regulatory requirements relevant to the business. The work can include Governance arrangements, policies, compliance requirements and advice on the legal consequences of business decisions.
The scope depends on the company, its industry and the particular regulatory issue rather than a standard compliance package.
External General Counsel
Construction businesses that need regular access to a senior Lawyer can engage Rachelle as their External General Counsel. This gives the business ongoing access to the same Lawyer across Contracts, Project Legal Advice, Governance, compliance and other agreed Legal Services without employing a full-time General Counsel.
External General Counsel Retainers start from $2,500 plus GST per month, with the scope and monthly fee agreed before the Retainer starts.
External General Counsel Services
Can You Use a Construction Lawyer Online?
A large part of Construction Law work can be handled remotely. Rachelle provides online Construction Contract Drafting, Contract Review, Contract Advice, Contract Negotiation and Project Legal Advice to contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, consultants and other construction industry participants.
A contractor considering an AS 4000, AS 4902, AS 2124 or bespoke Head Contract can send the complete Contract documents to Rachelle electronically. Rachelle can then discuss the Project and the contractor’s position directly with the people responsible for deciding whether to sign, identify the legal risks and prepare advice or proposed amendments within the agreed scope.
Rachelle’s Construction Law work is informed by her Commercial Management experience. Construction Contract provisions dealing with design, payment, security, variations, extensions of time, delay, indemnities and insurance have consequences for the people pricing, delivering and administering the Project. Where the client also wants those commercial consequences reviewed in detail, Rachelle can separately scope a Commercial Review alongside the Legal Review.
Read about Construction Lawyer Services in Brisbane and across Australia or see the Construction Contracts guide and Legal Services.
Does an Online Contract Review Give You the Same Access to Your Lawyer?
An online Contract Review still gives you direct access to Rachelle throughout the engagement. Documents are exchanged electronically and discussions take place by Teams, phone and email rather than requiring you to attend an office.
The information Rachelle needs depends on the Contract. Sending the document is usually the starting point rather than the whole instruction. For a significant Commercial Contract, Rachelle may need to understand what the business has agreed to provide, how the transaction is structured, which obligations it can realistically perform, what insurance it holds and which terms it is prepared to negotiate.
Construction Contract Reviews can require additional information about the Project, scope, delivery model, design responsibility and other Project-specific risks. The relevant questions depend on the Contract and the decision you need to make about it.
Blaze Business & Legal offers Construction Contract Review and Advice for construction businesses in Brisbane and across Australia.
Can Contract Negotiations Be Conducted Online?
Commercial Contract and Construction Contract negotiations can be conducted by Teams, telephone and email. This works well where the outstanding issues are reasonably defined, the parties are exchanging proposed amendments or the negotiation does not justify bringing everyone into the same room.
Rachelle prefers to conduct significant or difficult negotiations face to face where practical. In-person negotiations make it easier to assess how the other party is responding, deal with connected issues together and work through alternative drafting while everyone responsible for the decision is involved.
For an interstate negotiation, Rachelle is happy to fly to the client’s location or another agreed location and conduct the negotiation in person. Whether that is commercially worthwhile depends on the value, complexity and risk of the transaction, and the travel arrangements and costs are agreed beforehand.
For construction businesses, read more about Rachelle’s Construction Contract Negotiation services.
How Does Working With an Online Business Lawyer Work?
The first step is to send Rachelle enough information to identify the Legal Service you need. For a Contract Review, that generally means providing the Contract documents and some information about the transaction or Project. For drafting, Structuring or other Legal Services, Rachelle may arrange an initial call to obtain the information required to scope the work.
Once Rachelle understands what is required, Blaze Business & Legal provides the proposed scope and price. Fixed-price quotes are available for many defined Legal Services.
After the engagement starts, Rachelle works directly with you by Teams, phone and email. The amount of contact depends on the work. A straightforward document may require relatively few discussions, while a significant Contract Review, transaction or negotiation can involve several rounds of instructions, advice, drafting and discussion.
Where the work develops beyond the original scope, Rachelle discusses the additional work and price with you rather than simply adding work to the engagement.
When Does Working With an Online Business Lawyer Make Sense?
Online Legal Services work particularly well where the work centres on Contracts, documents, negotiations and Legal Advice. They also allow owners, Directors and executives to speak directly with their Lawyer without allowing time for travel and office appointments each time advice is required.
For regional and interstate construction businesses, remote delivery provides access to a Construction Lawyer with relevant industry and Contract experience without requiring either the client or Lawyer to travel for routine work. Meetings can then be held in person when the particular Project, transaction or negotiation warrants it.
Ongoing Legal Services can also be delivered this way. Rachelle’s External General Counsel work is primarily remote, which allows her to remain involved with the business and its Contracts without needing to be physically located in the client’s office.
Is Every Legal Service Suitable for Online Delivery?
Most of the Commercial Law and Construction Law services provided by Blaze Business & Legal can be delivered remotely, although the appropriate approach depends on the work.
Significant Contract negotiations are one example where Rachelle may recommend meeting in person. A negotiation involving substantial value, several interdependent issues or a difficult commercial position can justify bringing the decision-makers and advisers together. Rachelle can travel interstate for these negotiations where the circumstances justify it.
Blaze Business & Legal does not provide litigation, court representation or debt recovery services. If a dispute progresses to formal proceedings or another specialist is required, Rachelle can work with the appropriate Lawyer while continuing to advise on the Commercial or Construction Law issues within her engagement.
Jurisdiction also needs to be considered for interstate work. Rachelle assesses the nature of the Legal Service and the applicable jurisdiction before accepting the engagement and will identify where advice from another Lawyer or specialist is required.
How Much Does an Online Business Lawyer Cost?
The price of Legal Services depends on the work rather than whether meetings are held online or in an office. Contract length and complexity, the amount of drafting required, the number of parties, the extent of negotiation and the agreed scope can all affect the price.
Blaze Business & Legal provides fixed-price quotes for many defined Legal Services so you can agree on the work and price before the engagement starts. Where you want additional Commercial Advice or a Commercial Review alongside a Legal Contract Review, that work is separately scoped and priced rather than being treated as automatically included.
External General Counsel Retainers start from $2,500 plus GST per month for an agreed scope of ongoing Legal Services.
Contact Rachelle for a fixed-price Legal Services quote.
Online Business Lawyer Australia FAQs
1. Can an Online Business Lawyer review my Contract?
An Online Business Lawyer can review a Commercial Contract or Construction Contract electronically and provide Legal Advice without requiring you to attend an office. Rachelle takes instructions by Teams, phone and email, reviews the Contract and supporting documents electronically and discusses her advice and proposed amendments directly with you.
2. Can I use Blaze Business & Legal if my business is outside Brisbane?
Businesses outside Brisbane can engage Blaze Business & Legal for Commercial Law and Construction Law services where the work and applicable jurisdiction are suitable. Rachelle works with businesses in Queensland and elsewhere in Australia and considers any jurisdictional requirements before accepting the engagement.
3. Can an Online Business Lawyer draft Contracts for my business?
An Online Business Lawyer can take instructions remotely and draft the Commercial Contracts a business needs. Rachelle obtains the information required to understand the transaction, the parties and the commercial arrangements before preparing the agreement and works directly with the client during the drafting process.
4. Can an Online Construction Lawyer review AS 4000, AS 4902 and other Construction Contracts?
An Online Construction Lawyer can review AS 4000, AS 4902 and other standard form or bespoke Construction Contracts electronically. Rachelle advises construction businesses on Head Contracts, Subcontracts and other Project agreements, including Special Conditions and amendments that alter the risk allocation of the underlying standard form.
5. Can Rachelle negotiate my Contract online?
Rachelle conducts Commercial Contract and Construction Contract negotiations by Teams, telephone and email where remote negotiation suits the transaction. For significant or difficult negotiations, she generally prefers to negotiate face to face and can travel interstate to conduct the negotiation in person where the value and complexity justify it.
6. Who will do my Legal work?
Rachelle Hare personally handles the substantive Legal work within her engagements. Clients deal directly with the senior Commercial Lawyer and Construction Lawyer responsible for reviewing the documents, providing the Legal Advice, preparing the drafting and supporting negotiations within the agreed scope.
7. Are Online Legal Services cheaper than using a Lawyer in person?
The cost of Online Legal Services depends on the work required rather than the location of the meeting. Blaze Business & Legal provides fixed-price quotes for many defined Legal Services, with the scope, price and any relevant exclusions agreed before the work starts.
8. Does Blaze Business & Legal provide Online Legal Services to construction businesses?
Blaze Business & Legal provides online Construction Law and Commercial Law services to contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, consultants and other construction businesses. Rachelle’s services include Construction Contract Drafting, Contract Review, Contract Advice, Contract Negotiation, Project Legal Advice and ongoing External General Counsel services.
Speak Directly With Rachelle About Your Legal Work
If you need a Commercial Lawyer or Construction Lawyer, contact Rachelle directly and tell her what you need help with. You can work with Rachelle online from Brisbane, regional Queensland and elsewhere in Australia where the work and jurisdiction are suitable.
If the engagement involves a significant negotiation that would be better handled in person, discuss that with Rachelle when the work is scoped. She is happy to travel interstate to conduct negotiations where doing so makes commercial sense.
Call Rachelle direct on (07) 3063 3373
