The ser­vice sec­tor con­sti­tutes the bulk of Australia’s econ­o­my, con­tribut­ing an esti­mat­ed 80% of val­ue added and 88% of employ­ment. A diverse sec­tor, encom­pass­ing clean­ing ser­vices to med­i­cine to account­ing and man­age­ment con­sult­ing which means dif­fer­ent ser­vice indus­tries oper­at­ing in very dif­fer­ent ways.

Growth in many ser­vice indus­tries (includ­ing finance, ICT and trans­port) has out­paced the goods sec­tor by a sig­nif­i­cant mar­gin over the past few decades. Our expe­ri­ence and deep exper­tise across this vast sec­tor helps set us apart in the mar­ket place.

We are renowned for our com­mer­cial legal exper­tise and indus­try knowl­edge, which means we can expert­ly guide our clients through each stage of their busi­ness cycle.

Our Team

Portrait photograph of James Skelton
James Skelton
Partner
Portrait photograph of Angela Harvey
Angela Harvey
Partner
Portrait photograph of Marc Baddams
Marc Baddams
Partner
Portrait photograph of Michael Treeby
Michael Treeby
Partner
Portrait photograph of Michael Hayter
Michael Hayter
Partner
Portrait photograph of Gerald Carides
Gerald Carides
Partner
Portrait photograph of Michael Byrnes
Michael Byrnes
Partner
Portrait photograph of Nick Dale
Nick Dale
Partner
Portrait photograph of Anna Sharpe
Anna Sharpe
Consultant
Portrait photograph of Esther Khoo
Esther Khoo
Special Counsel
Portrait photograph of John Trinh
John Trinh
Special Counsel
Portrait photograph of Jennifer Hold
Jennifer Hold
Special Counsel
Portrait photograph of Nicholas Hufton
Nicholas Hufton
Special Counsel
Portrait photograph of Kellie Van Munster
Kellie Van Munster
Senior Associate
Portrait photograph of Daniel Miller
Daniel Miller
Senior Associate
Portrait photograph of Lynn Hawes
Lynn Hawes
Senior Associate
Portrait photograph of Rebecca Priem
Rebecca Priem
Senior Associate
Portrait photograph of Stevie-Lee Nobbs
Stevie-Lee Nobbs
Associate
Portrait photograph of William Clement
William Clement
Associate
Portrait photograph of Kathryn Schultz
Kathryn Schultz
Associate

We can assist you with all of your legal needs includ­ing struc­tur­ing your busi­ness, draft­ing con­tracts, pri­va­cy and data require­ments, pro­tect­ing your brand and intel­lec­tu­al prop­er­ty and buy­ing or sell­ing businesses.

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

Fail­ing to Reg­is­ter a PPSR Secu­ri­ty Inter­est on Time – Legal Risks and Options

Intro­duc­tionTime­ly reg­is­tra­tion of secu­ri­ty inter­ests under the Per­son­al Prop­er­ty Secu­ri­ties Act 2009 (Cth) (PPSA) is essen­tial for secured cred­i­tors to…

Con­struc­tion con­tracts are more than just a doc­u­ment — remove con­trac­tu­al claus­es at your peril

Your con­struc­tion con­tract will map out the path­way to your build­ing project com­plet­ing on time and with­in bud­get and detail­ing…

Fed­er­al Bud­get 2025: Lim­i­ta­tion on Non-Com­pete Clauses

As part of the 2025 Fed­er­al Bud­get, the gov­ern­ment has announced a pro­hi­bi­tion on non-com­pete claus­es for employ­ees earn­ing less than…

In the News

Michael Byrnes appeared on Break­fast with Ron Wil­son on 2SM on 2 April 2025 to dis­cuss the pro­posed lim­i­ta­tion on non-com­pete clauses

Michael Byrnes appeared on Break­fast with Ron Wil­son on 2SM on 2 April 2025 to dis­cuss the pro­posed lim­i­ta­tion on non-com­pete clausesTo…

Michael Byrnes is quot­ed in the arti­cle, ​“Employ­ers, unions clash over non-com­pete clause ban”, pub­lished in The Aus­tralian on 26 March 2025

Michael Byrnes is quot­ed in the arti­cle, ​“Employ­ers, unions clash over non-com­pete clause ban”, pub­lished in The Aus­tralian on 2…

Michael Byrnes is quot­ed in the arti­cle, ​“Employ­ers’ ​‘game of bluff’ with non-com­pete claus­es is over”, pub­lished in HR Leader on 27 March 2025

Michael Byrnes is quot­ed in the arti­cle, ​“Employ­ers’ ​‘game of bluff’ with non-com­pete claus­es is over”, pub­lished in HR Leader…