Services

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Jason Gooden has over 25 years experience in commercial law and providing small business services in particular to the entertainment, construction and hospitality industries. If we cannot effectively handle your commercial problem, we will utilise the appropriate legal professional from our vast network that is most appropriate to act for you.

As lawyers, we endeavour to work closely with our clients to develope, negotiate and document all types of corporate deals and always for the best results. We pride ourselves on our outcomes and our level of service.

Our professional commercial legal services include:

• Business and transaction structures and advice
• Buying and selling businesses
• Commercial Leases
• Company formation and business structuring or restructuring
• Consultancy agreements
• Contracts - from standard terms of trade to sophisticated agreements and deeds
• Dispute Resolution
• Distribution agreements and licensing issues
• Due diligence
• Franchise Agreements and general franchise law
• GST, stamp duty, customs duty and other indirect taxes advice
• Intellectual property issues
• Joint ventures and shareholder agreements
• Product development, invention, manufacture and delivery
• Product licensing and supply
• Shareholder agreements
• Service agreements
• Start Up business agreements and contracts  
• Strategic alliances advice
• Taxation advice
• Trade Practices Act and compliance advice

We represent, advise and act for film, television & multi-media producers, media identities & celebrities, film production companies, independent record labels, musicians, composers, record producers, agents, managers, music publishers, distributors, and currently act for and advise multiple entertainment industry clients.

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Specifically, our Entertainment Law services include:

• deal negotiation across the music, film and entertainment industries,
• advising on appropriate financing and investment structures for all entertainment industry businesses 
• specifically negotiating and drafting recording, publishing, licensing and distribution      agreements,
• advising on and negotiating with film & music distribution companies,
• copyright  and performers’ rights agreements, 
• multi-media, online services and new technology agreements,  
• management and agency arrangements and related agreements,
• promotion, sponsorship and merchandising agreements,
• negotiating and dealing with collecting societies (both National and International),
• live performance and touring agreements, and
• all copyright & trade mark issues.

We work closely with our affiliated accounting firm bTa Vantage who as part of the EBC team have the skills, passion and infrastructure to handle all financial matters including the full range of tax and accounting services for any related entertainment business.

  The EBC team provides comprehensive advisory and advocacy services to property developers and owners, investors, builders, landlords and tenants. We are experienced in and enjoy resolving Government Planning, Strata Title and Retail Tenancy disputes as well as negotiating commercial property and mortgage transactions.

Tax Management Services

At EBC, we guide our clients through the full range of tax planning and preparation decisions with strategies that will minimize your tax liabilities, maximize your cash flow and keep you on track to achieve your financial and lifestyle goals. Our expertise, experience, professional network, analysis and thorough research allow us to optimize financial opportunities to be found in existing as well as recently altered tax laws. We have vast experience and are up to date on Australian tax laws and will take the tax headaches away. Let us do the worrying for you!

Cash Flow and Budgeting Analysis

Comprehensive and timely cash management improves a company's liquidity, reduces costs, and increases profitability. EBC can help you maintain optimal cash flow levels by tracking sources and uses, forecasting, and budgeting accordingly. To a business entity, cash flow makes or breaks the business' ability to survive. We can help you analyse your spending, rebalance your budget and/or debts for an optimal cash flow to support your business' success. This balance plan is revisited if and when there were any major changes in your business structure to ensure that you are operating at the optimal level. With our experience, expertise and guidance, you will always be on top of your finances and ready for the uncertainty of the future.

Estate and Family Trust Planning

Effective estate and trust planning can ensure financial security for your loved ones. For businesses, it is about maintaining a tax-effective smooth succession of ownership . EBC can help you navigate the complex and constantly shifting tax laws to facilitate the transfer of assets and minimize the tax liability of your beneficiaries. We believe everyone should have a well thought out plan as to how to disburse their estate, avoiding costly headaches and ensuring your wishes are followed. Having your taxes and estate thoroughly and carefully planned will ensure that your loved ones don't have any distressing delays and complications to deal with during a time of loss.

Financial Projections and Forecasts

EBC combines expertise and experience with a gained understanding of your business to produce financial projections that will help you manage your business plan and spending. Forecasting for the future is imperative to your company's success. We endeavour to keep current with market trends and updates so that your business can be prepared for what is to come. Depending on your needs, our work can range from standard historical reporting through to top-level predictive financial reports and detailed financial modelling.

Mergers, Acquisitions, and Sales

Buying and selling a business is a complicated affair, and whether you're considering buying, selling, or even a potential merger, EBC can provide professional know-how to help you successfully structure and to negotiate the deal before assimilation of the newly acquired business or assets. EBC employs careful analysis and due diligence to determine the fair asking price, pinpoint the most favourable tax structures, evaluate financial and cash flow impacts, patents or other intangible assets, capacity and to assess compatible business functions, synergies and tactics. Expanding or contracting your business is a huge undertaking. With our expert advice, you can make the right business decisions for your business for optimum success.

Business Valuation

The range of needs for valuing businesses continues to widen, with selling private companies and family businesses, estate and succession planning, divorces and other Family Law disputes. EBC can provide comprehensive and in-depth analysis to identify and analyse the factors that drive the value of your company or business. Uses for this service include buying and selling businesses, estate planning and compliance, divorce matters and valuing Employee Share Schemes. There are so many factors that contribute to the perceived value of a business, both tangible and intangible. Our expert help can assist you in evaluating entities that you have an interest in and guide you towards making successful business decisions that you are confident with.

Debt and Finance Advising

If you or your business is struggling in a sea of debt, we can also help. Whether your needs are corporate or personal, EBC can assist you in planning and resolving the best path between the different options available for debt management and financing that will lower your payments and debts and/or reduce the total amount of interest to be paid to your creditors. We are experienced with the whole legal process regarding debts including the Australian legal system including the processes in the Federal, Supreme, District and Local Courts, insolvency law, dealing with debt collectors, and up to and including defending bankruptcy and liquidation of companies. Let us deal with your creditors on your behalf and get you back on track.

EBC Financial Services

Empire Business Consulting (EBC) provides a wide range of business financial, accounting and legal services to select individuals and businesses in a wide variety of creative & competitive industries. At EBC, we endeavour to meet each client's specific needs in planning for the future and achieving their goals in an ever-changing financial and regulatory environment. What excites us is merging ourselves in your business and adding real value, not just providing standard legal and accounting services. 

EBC understands that every business is different. This is why we don’t provide standard services but instead can tailor a path for managing your business’ financial and legal requirements to help you streamline your operations, boost your performance, minimise your risks and adopt strategic planning to achieve growth whilst consolidating your position.

FEES

Our primary drive is to provide you with results and we pride ourselves on being cost effective. Our fees are calculated on the value that we will add to your business, as well as how complicated your legal or financial matter is and the time taken. Of course some simple relatively matters such as property conveyancing, Wills, power of attorney and guardianship documents, commercial leases and tax returns incur a flat fee.

Due to our efficient size, our relatively low overheads and our focus on client results, we are able to keep our costs to a minimum and punch way above our weight.

We are confident you will find our rates competitive and of value.