Look­ing for expert legal ser­vices in the Real Estate sec­tor? If you’re a real estate agent, agency, fran­chisor or key stake­hold­er seek­ing a trust­ed legal part­ner, we pro­vide prac­ti­cal, com­mer­cial­ly focused advice tai­lored to the real estate indus­try. From com­pli­ance and con­tracts to com­plex trans­ac­tions, our team under­stands the chal­lenges you face and deliv­ers solu­tions that pro­tect your busi­ness and help it grow.

We part­ner with real estate agents, agen­cies, fran­chisors, and key stake­hold­ers to deliv­er prac­ti­cal, com­mer­cial­ly focused legal advice across all aspects of the real estate sector.

As one of the lead­ing legal teams in the indus­try, we bring exten­sive expe­ri­ence to a high­ly reg­u­lat­ed and spe­cialised area of law. Our exper­tise spans com­plex merg­ers and acqui­si­tions involv­ing rent rolls, lit­i­gat­ed com­mis­sion claims, and reg­u­la­to­ry dis­putes with NSW Fair Trading.

Our deep under­stand­ing of real estate law allows us to work close­ly with clients to achieve the best out­comes. We advise on mat­ters includ­ing rent roll acqui­si­tions, busi­ness and share pur­chas­es, inde­pen­dent con­trac­tor agree­ments, share­hold­er agree­ments and dis­putes, res­i­den­tial ten­an­cy issues, NSW Fair Trad­ing inves­ti­ga­tions, com­mis­sion claims, and com­pli­ance with agency agreements.

Our clients range from sole traders and bou­tique agen­cies to fran­chisees and fran­chisors. We also col­lab­o­rate with gov­ern­ing bod­ies, bro­kers, and financiers to pro­vide com­pre­hen­sive legal solu­tions and growth oppor­tu­ni­ties for real estate businesses. 

We are a proud mem­ber of REINSW.

Our Team

Portrait photograph of Sarah Heuvel
Sarah Heuvel
Partner
Portrait photograph of Julie Briscoe
Julie Briscoe
Partner

Our deep exper­tise in the real estate sec­tor means we are often engaged to resolve com­plex dis­putes and high-stakes mat­ters. From con­tract breach­es and com­mis­sion claims to reg­u­la­to­ry inves­ti­ga­tions and com­pli­ance issues, we antic­i­pate poten­tial risks and guide clients through every stage with strate­gic, com­mer­cial­ly focused advice.

Use­ful links:

No mat­ter how rou­tine or com­plex the busi­ness issues you face, Mer­i­tas’ net­work of law firms is with you every step of the way. Mar­ket-lead­ing firms offer a full range of legal ser­vices, which enable you to do busi­ness any­where. Wise coun­sel and prac­ti­cal solu­tions are just a phone call or e‑mail away. Dis­cov­er the breadth and depth of the prac­tice and indus­try sec­tor capa­bil­i­ties avail­able to you through Meritas.

Publications

Tem­po­rary Dis­con­for­mi­ty in Build­ing Defects: Myth, Not Law

The ​“tem­po­rary dis­con­for­mi­ty” argu­ment in con­struc­tion dis­putes sug­gests that defec­tive work iden­ti­fied before prac­ti­cal com­ple­tion is not a breach while the…

The impor­tance of a Request for Tender

Issu­ing a request for ten­der (RFT) is more than just secur­ing the best or low­est price. An RFT is your oppor­tu­ni­ty to man­age…

More Changes for Stra­ta — effec­tive 1 April 2026

The Fair Trad­ing and Build­ing Leg­is­la­tion Amend­ment Bill 2026 was passed by par­lia­ment dur­ing Feb­ru­ary 2026 with the changes effec­tive on…

In the News

2026 Doyles Guide Recog­ni­tion For Our Prop­er­ty & Leas­ing Team

We are pleased to announce the recog­ni­tion of key mem­bers of our Prop­er­ty & Real Estate team.Mary Digiglio has ben recog­nised in…

Press Release | New Asso­ciate Appoint­ment — Julia Fanos

With a broad back­ground span­ning gen­er­al legal prac­tice and the real estate indus­try, Julia Fanos brings a unique­ly prac­ti­cal and client‑focused per­spec­tive…

Mer­i­tas Earns Elite Glob­al Legal Net­work Recog­ni­tion from Cham­bers and Partners

Mer­i­tas has been named an Elite Glob­al Legal Net­work by Cham­bers, a recog­ni­tion based on inde­pen­dent, in‑depth research across more than…