Contact

Sterling & Associates is a commercial law firm in the Melbourne CBD, advising businesses, boards, and private clients on commercial transactions, dispute resolution, and intellectual property. We are deliberately a small partnership. The partner you meet at the first consultation is the partner who runs your matter, signs your advice, and stands up in the proceeding. Work is not handed down to the most junior available lawyer once the engagement is signed.

New matters begin with an initial consultation, typically thirty to forty-five minutes, in which a partner reviews the circumstances of your matter, identifies the legal issues, and provides a candid assessment of prospects and likely costs. There is no charge for this meeting. If you wish to proceed, the firm conducts a conflicts check against existing clients and, once cleared, issues a written engagement letter setting out the scope of work, the responsible partner, the fee structure, and the estimated timeline.

The firm accepts instructions by telephone, by email, or in person at its William Street offices. For matters requiring urgent attention, including applications for injunctive relief or responses to regulatory notices, the partners are available outside standard hours by prior arrangement.

When you make contact, it assists us to know in broad terms the nature of the matter, the names of any other parties so that we may check for conflicts, and any deadline or court date that already applies. You need not have documents in order or a settled view of what you want; that is what the consultation is for. Existing clients with a matter already on foot should contact the responsible partner directly, or the front desk during office hours, and we will route the enquiry without delay.

All enquiries are treated as confidential.