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Dispute Avoidance

We help growing SMEs identify and manage legal risk early, so avoidable mistakes do not lead to costly disputes, financial losses or business disruption.
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Sam Roberts, Managing Partner 

Proactive Thinking. Good Business. 

Most business disputes do not come out of nowhere. They usually expose gaps in contracts, structures, processes or legal protections that should have been addressed earlier. 

Many business problems are foreseeable, even if they cannot always be avoided. The right legal advice, documents and systems can help a growing business manage risk, protect value and respond with greater confidence when problems arise. 

Read my full article: The Top 6 Legal Mistakes Growing SMEs Make and How to Avoid Them: What 25 Years of Resolving Business Disputes Has Taught Me About Protecting Growing SMEs. 

Why Proactive Legal Advice Matters

Growing SMEs face legal risk long before any formal dispute arises. 

As a business takes on larger customers, more complex contracts, more employees, valuable assets, new suppliers and additional business partners, small gaps in its legal foundations can create serious commercial consequences. 

This is not about adding unnecessary legal complexity. It is about putting the right legal foundations in place so the business can grow with more confidence, manage risk more effectively, and reduce the likelihood, cost and disruption of future disputes. 

Proactive Legal Solutions help prevent foreseeable problems from escalating into costly disputes, supporting more predictable commercial outcomes and greater business confidence. 

Proactive Legal Solutions

Our core Proactive Legal Solutions include:  

  • Virtual In-House Counsel 
  • Complex Commercial Contract Advice 
  • Standard Form Contracts and Contracting Systems 
  • Shareholders Agreements and Business Succession Planning 
  • Employment Agreements and Workplace Policies 
  • Trade Mark Registration and IP Protection 
  • Business Structuring and Asset Protection 

Proactive Legal Solutions

Commercial Agreements & Transactions

Well documented Commercial Agreements are essential for the successful day-to-day running of a business and lead to operational efficiency, reduced commercial risks and greater profitability.

Employment Contracts & Restraints

Clear and enforceable written Employment Agreements enhance employee relations and protect goodwill and business value.
Business Contracts &
Terms of Trade

Making effective everyday business contracts will reduce the risk of disputes and bad debtors, improve cash flow and increase the value of your business.

Intellectual Property Protection

Protecting your Intellectual Property from infringement or misappropriation by competitors and former employees will empower your business to confidently commercialise its’ IP.
Business Structures & Restructuring

The right business structures can facilitate business growth, protect assets, limit or isolate commercial risks and facilitate tax minimisation strategies.

Shareholders Agreements

A Shareholders’ Agreement is a private binding contract between shareholders of a company.

Know Your Legal Risks. Set Your Priorities

Identifying and prioritising legal risk often requires input from more than one area of law. Our lawyers work together across business law, workplace law, commercial litigation, building and construction, insolvency and dispute resolution where required. 

Our Proactive Legal Solutions Leaders help business clients identify legal risks, clarify priorities and determine which proactive legal steps should come first. 

Amanda Crosbie coordinates much of this work, including input from other lawyers where specialist advice is needed. She is known for being accessible, efficient, organised and reliable, as reflected in her client testimonials and long-standing business client relationships. 

Book a meeting with Sam Roberts or Amanda Crosbie to discuss your business, identify your top legal risks, and work out which proactive legal steps should be prioritised. 

Book a Meeting

Our Proactive Legal Solutions Leaders

Sam Roberts

Managing Partner
Accredited Specialist (Commercial Litigation)
Newcastle

Sam is an Accredited Specialist in Commercial Litigation with over 20 years’ experience helping businesses solve complex legal problems.

Amanda Crosbie

Partner
Accredited Specialist (Business Law)
Newcastle

Amanda’s practice focuses on providing timely corporate and commercial services to established and growing SMEs.

Tony Peterson

Partner
Accredited Specialist (Commercial Litigation)
Newcastle

Tony has 15 years of experience representing businesses and their owners in large and complex commercial and shareholder disputes.

Jack Lindgren

Special Counsel
Accredited Specialist (Commercial Litigation)
Newcastle

Jack is an Accredited Specialist in Commercial Litigation who specialises in Building and Construction and professional negligence claims.

Haydon Potter

Senior Associate Solicitor
Newcastle

Haydon specialises in employment law and heads our Workplace Team. He has a talent for assisting employers to navigate complex industrial relations laws and disputes.

Amanda provided concise and practical advice on a legal matter and has been an invaluable support across contracts and governance, including policy development.

Hunter Breast Cancer Foundation (HBCF) is incredibly grateful for the pro bono support provided by Amanda and the team at Roberts Crosbie Mortensen Lawyers. They have been generous with their time, thoughtful in their advice, and genuinely invested in supporting our charity.

Pro bono support like this makes a meaningful difference for not-for-profits, and we feel fortunate to have worked with a partner who combines strong expertise with care and genuine commitment to the community.

Louise Ross

Amanda was very thorough, pragmatic and efficient.

I recently engaged Amanda Crosbie to assist with an acquisition. I felt well-supported at every step with accessible and high-quality advice. I would confidently recommend her to others and would not hesitate to engage her services again. 

Mitchell Purser

Amanda asks the right questions to get the process under way in an incredibly efficient manner.

“Amanda asks the right questions to get the process under way in an incredibly efficient manner and they keep you informed, every step of the way. No chasing up required, which is a rarity in professional service outfits. I highly recommend them.”

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Amanda to anyone looking for a reliable and approachable lawyer.

Amanda was professional, knowledgeable, and incredibly supportive throughout the entire process. She explained everything clearly, kept me informed, and made what could have been a stressful experience much easier. I always felt like she had my best interests at heart.  Thank you again for all your help!

Luke Wooffindin

After working with others it is refreshing to have you on our side.

“I would like to thank you and your team for assisting myself and Andrew with the restructure. You amazed us with your energy and knowledge, you are a champion.

Thanks also from all our staff for assisting in securing their future.”

Paul Barwick
MCA Engineering

Businesses that proactively
address legal issues are more resilient, better prepared
and more profitable.

Identify Your Top 5 Legal Priorities

Meet with Sam Roberts or Amanda Crosbie to identify key legal risks and prioritise proactive legal strategies to improve and protect your business.

Turn Legal Risks into a
Practical Action Plan.
Get Started

Our mission is to help businesses resolve and avoid complex legal problems.

We work with proactive thinking owners, directors and managers of growing SMEs to improve and protect their business by managing legal risks before they turn into a dispute, financial loss or lead to a serious business disruption or insolvency event.

Trusted by businesses across NSW

We firmly believe that by helping SMEs think and act proactively in relation to legal issues they will be:
  • more successful and profitable,
  • more resilient and capable of dealing with problems when they are encountered,
  • better equipped to engage with and compete with big business, and
  • more capable of taking advantages of opportunities when they arise.

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The Top 6 Legal Mistakes Growing SMEs Make and How to Avoid Them

What 25 years of resolving business disputes has taught me about protecting growing SMEs.

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