International expertise
We are German-speaking lawyers in Australia representing clients from Europe, the USA and other countries operating in Australia.
We help you
- enter and operate in the Australian market
- find a commercial resolution to any Australian dispute or litigation that you have
We have successfully contributed over $350 million to our clients’ bottom lines through operations established, contracts and settlements negotiated, damages awarded, injunctions granted and claims defeated.
Our clients range from individuals to global businesses turning over billions of dollars.
Germany
Austria
Switzerland
Norway
Italy
USA
Set up your Australian operation
to maximise efficiency and minimise risk
How you set up your Australian operation can be the difference between trouble-free operation and delays, loss of intellectual property and unnecessary exposure to litigation. Establishing the foundations of an efficient, profitable and protected operation is easy when you have the whole picture.
Get that picture with crystal clarity in our guide to laying strong foundations for your Australian operation. Enter your details below and we’ll email you a copy of the guide.
Using the law to achieve commercial outcomes
Protecting and defending your bottom line
As a boutique firm, you gain the benefit of a senior litigation lawyer without funding the overheads of a global firm. Every client benefits from Fiona’s personal service and 30 years of experience.
Businesses expect their agreements will be honoured, their intellectual property respected and their customers, suppliers and employees will conduct themselves properly. Those reasonable expectations are most likely to be met when you enter and operate in the Australian market from a strong legal footing. We help you establish and maintain a secure foundation for your business in Australia.
If you have a dispute, you are more likely to avoid expensive litigation and get a commercially acceptable resolution faster if you act quickly to put it in the hands of an experienced Australian lawyer, especially one familiar with working with companies located across several jurisdictions. Our clients gain the edge over their adversary by ensuring nothing is done early on in Australia or overseas to weaken their position in later negotiations or litigation.
Argyll Law largely specialises in cross-border matters. Our corporate clients typically have overseas parent companies. Although we act in estate disputes for any concerned party, our cross-border expertise means lawyers and financial guardians overseas often refer estate disputes and elder-abuse matters to us.
Industries we work with
Accelerate manufacturing expansion in Australia with robust legal support to meet commercial objectives.
Robust legal foundation with regulatory compliance for the successful registration and market penetration in Australia.
Navigating complexity
Giving you the edge
with a human touch
Doing business and navigating disputes is generally multi-faceted and always involves a personal element, even between large businesses. You need advice that is clear, commercial, frank and understands your business. And you need a negotiator and litigator with a reputation for achieving exceptional results.
It helps also, if your legal advice comes from someone who does not lose sight of that personal element.
Our areas of expertise
Trusted advisors working alongside overseas clients who want to navigate Australian law and regulation with integrity to achieve their commercial objectives.
01
Cross-border disputes
In most cross-border disputes involving multinational companies both local and overseas stakeholders need to work together on legal strategy. Making fast, effective and profitable decisions across borders is easier when your lawyer is experienced in navigating international teams through the differences between the Australian and other legal systems.
02
Establishing business operations
in Australia
You want a strong legal foundation to bring your products into Australia or establish your business operations here. And you want to protect your bottom line by avoiding all the pitfalls associated with doing business in a foreign country.
When you have a lawyer who has helped many overseas businesses enter and operate successfully in the Australian market, you can be confident of advice that facilitates your commercial objectives in Australia while taking into account any implications in other jurisdictions.
03
Ongoing operations
Once you’ve laid robust foundations for your Australian operations, you need someone with a deep commercial understanding of your business in Australia and its place within your global group to provide ongoing legal support.
Acting for overseas companies ranging from niche operations to multinationals with thousands of employees and billions in turnover, we provide clear, pragmatic advice so you can feel secure in your decisions.
Recent testimonials
Far better prepared than the other side
The way Fiona puts things together is exceptional; it’s diligent and thorough. In the cases that she’s handled for us, I’ve noticed we’ve been far better prepared than the other side. And, of course, that is the reason why we were successful!! It was only because of how diligent and how thorough Fiona is
Sandro Ianni
Head of HUB Region
Oceania/South East Asia,
LISEC Australia Pty Ltd
Maintains the human touch for her clients
Litigation can be a daunting maze, but Fiona was able to understand that it can be a rollercoaster, as well as break down what was happening so that we could work together effectively.
Ross Campbell
Managing Director,
HOMAG Australia Pty Ltd
Probing questions to get results
Fiona’s understanding of the business means she asks probing questions when we’re talking about a dispute or a claim we’re looking at pursuing.
She gets her head around the issues quickly and cuts through to what matters, including the commercial reasons why we would pursue one case and not another. And then she keeps us focused on what’s important.
She’s also able to use different strategies to get a positive result, not just litigation. If you can get the result you want without going to court, that’s excellent.
Malcolm Stewart
Managing Director,
Preformed Line Products (Australia) Pty Ltd
Focused on the actual issues
A common tactic in legal representation is for the other side to make claims and counterclaims to keep your lawyer distractedly spending your money chasing everything down. It’s a trap to wear you down and tie up your lawyer on things that aren’t the main point.
Fiona doesn’t let that happen. She keeps the matter focused on the end goal and the actual issues.
Also, with Fiona, you don’t get passed through the firm to people who might not understand your business. You’re dealing with Fiona, with her extensive network of colleagues and barristers.
Chad Brown
CEO,
James Glen Pty Ltd
Rapid grasp of key concepts in complicated matters
Even though our matter was involved, and I had to send through a lot of documentation, Fiona grasped the whole overview and concept of everything really, really quickly.
I was surprised how little we had to explain. Instead, she quickly gave us a detached, professional opinion about whether our case was worth pursuing.
With Fiona, it’s not like sitting with lawyers in boardrooms, getting bombarded or feeling like you’re a nuisance. It was actually pleasant.
Michel Scheuble
Managing Director,
Fracht Australia Pty Ltd
Excellent cross-cultural communicator
Fiona immediately understood the size of our business and the scale of our problem — being treated dismissively by a larger company. She knew exactly how to defend us. Now, they know her by name in the home office and often ask for her opinion.
Fiona is a great lawyer and an adept cross-cultural communicator. She’s insightful, listens well and provides seasoned advice with great customer service.
We appreciate that our work isn’t handed down to a junior associate; it’s handled by Fiona herself with all her skill. And with her experience, she quickly understands our context and the situation, and gives it due consideration and comes back with options that I would not have come up with myself.
Dan Credazzi
Country Manager,
Australia & New Zealand, DNV Imatis AS
Achieved all our goals
We found a competitor had substantially copied part of our software so asked Fiona to provide advice regarding our legal options and also how to manage aspects of the media communications.
Hans Egger
The Modern Adviser
Co-Founder Astute Wheel
Very capable in complex matters
Fiona works hard, is extremely motivated and positive, very capable in complex legal matters, realistic and very successful. At the same time she is a nice person too.
Wolfgang Bennedik
Former Managing Director,
Connect Hearing Australia Pty Ltd
Strong team member
Fiona has provided the NACC and its members with valuable advice, and been instrumental in the chamber’s growth. Fiona is a strong team member and I highly recommend her and her work.
Sophia Demetriades Toftdahl
President,
Norwegian Australian Chamber of Commerce
Using the law to get the right outcomes
Fiona is an exceptional lawyer who blends her ethics and morality into the way she practices law. Rather than using the law as a weapon, she leverages it as a guide to get the right outcomes.
Phillip Evans
Founder, Managing Director
eeStrategy
Culturally sensitive and tactful — but frank
Fiona’s assistance has been invaluable in negotiating the terms of several joint venture agreements and in resolving a few potentially expensive disputes, avoiding the need to commence court proceedings.
Fiona’s legal advice is always honest, practical and commercial. She has the ability to analyse a problem and master the detail whilst not losing sight of the big picture and commerciality of the situation. She explains complex legal concepts clearly and at a level that can be easily understood and applied in a commercial context.
At times her advice has needed to be frank and not necessarily what I wanted to hear. In those circumstances, she has always managed to communicate that advice with tact and understanding.
In addition to being an excellent lawyer, I have really appreciated the respect and sensitivity which she has shown towards my indigenous cultural heritage.
Scott Franks
CEO,
Tocomwall Pty Ltd
Negotiating excellent results
Fiona has saved us a lot of money negotiating complex contracts with large corporate venues. Her skills negotiating with difficult individuals and keeping track of the details while not losing sight of our broader goals are fantastic.
She achieved a great outcome for us every time.
She’s also helped me to be across the myriad legal issues and requirements that are often overwhelming when you don’t have in-house lawyers.
I am so grateful for her expertise, friendly manner and integrity.
Ainsley Poulos
Director,
Eastside Speech Solutions