You solve problems for clients. Who’s solving yours?
Agencies and consulting firms have a specific legal rhythm: new clients, new scopes, tight timelines, and the ever-present risk of scope creep. Many of our clients are agencies — digital, creative, strategy, and engineering — so we understand the commercial pressures you operate under.
Client agreements that close deals, not kill them
Your master services agreement and SOWs need to do two things: protect you and not scare off clients. We draft agreements that clearly define scope, deliverables, timelines, payment terms, and change management — without the adversarial tone that makes prospects nervous. A well-drafted MSA actually speeds up your sales process because you’re not renegotiating terms on every deal.
Who owns the work?
This question is more complicated than most agencies realise. If your designers, developers, or strategists are contractors, they may own the IP in what they create — unless your agreements say otherwise. And your clients will expect to own the deliverables they’ve paid for. We set up IP frameworks that give clients what they need while protecting your reusable tools, templates, and methodologies.
Subcontractors and freelancers
Using subcontractors is standard practice for agencies, but the agreements need to properly assign IP, protect confidential information, and clearly establish the relationship as independent contracting — not employment. Getting this wrong creates tax risk, IP risk, and potential Fair Work Act exposure.
Scope creep and disputes
Scope creep is the number one commercial risk for agencies, and it’s almost always a documentation problem. Clear SOWs with defined change request processes prevent most disputes before they start. When things do go wrong — non-payment, disagreements about deliverables, or a client relationship that’s broken down — We help resolve it efficiently.
Growing your team
As your agency scales, you’ll need employment agreements, restraint of trade provisions, and possibly an ESOP to attract and retain key people. We help with all of these, including structuring equity incentives that work under Australia’s employee share scheme rules.
Get in touch — We’re happy to review your current agreements or start from scratch.