Intake open New matters accepted for October and November. Conveyancing files reviewed within two business days. Request a consultation
Saffron Cove Law Property · Business · Estates

A small harbourside practice. One lawyer on your file from first call to settlement.

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Saffron Cove — established practice

Legal work that is
scoped before
it is started.

We act for homeowners, small operators and families across the cove on the matters that have a deadline attached: a transfer, a lease, a dispute at work, a will that no longer reflects the household. You get a written scope, a named lawyer and plain English.

Request a consultation See matter areas
  • 01

    Property & conveyancingContract reviews, transfers, strata enquiries and settlement bookings.

  • 02

    Small businessLeases, supplier terms, partnership agreements and business sales.

  • 03

    Workplace mattersEmployment contracts, redundancy terms and written responses.

  • 04

    Wills & estatesWills, enduring documents and administering a straightforward estate.

Quiet consulting rooms with timber desks, task lamps and glass partitions used for client meetings.

In the rooms

Two consulting rooms on the harbour side, booked in 45-minute blocks so files are not rushed.

By video

Full matters can be run remotely, including witnessing arrangements for most documents.

Documents first

Send contracts or notices before the meeting and we will have read them when you arrive.

Matter areas

Four lanes of work, each with a defined edge

We keep the practice narrow on purpose. If a matter sits outside these lanes we will say so at the first call and point you to the right kind of specialist rather than learn on your file.

Fixed fee2–8 weeks

Property & conveyancing

Buying, selling or transferring a home or a holiday let, including off-the-plan contracts and related-party transfers.

Suits you if
You have a contract in hand, an auction date approaching, or you are adding or removing a name on a title.
Included
Contract and disclosure review, special conditions, searches and strata enquiries, deposit and adjustment checks, settlement booking and attendance.
Where it ends
At settlement and lodgement confirmation. Finance applications, building inspections and valuations stay with your broker and inspectors.
Fixed or staged1–4 weeks

Small business & commercial

Agreements for operators with a handful of staff: retail and warehouse leases, supplier terms, partnership arrangements and the sale or purchase of a small business.

Suits you if
You are signing a lease or heads of agreement, trading on terms you did not write, or bringing in a second owner.
Included
Drafting or marking up the agreement, a risk note in plain language, one negotiation round with the other side's representative, and the final execution pack.
Where it ends
At execution. Company structuring, tax elections and bookkeeping are referred to your accountant.
StagedTime critical

Workplace matters

Advice for employees and small employers on contracts, restraint clauses, redundancy terms, performance processes and formal written responses.

Suits you if
You have received a letter with a response date on it, or you need to issue one correctly.
Included
A read of the contract and correspondence, your realistic options, drafting of the response, and preparation for a meeting or conciliation.
Where it ends
At the conclusion of the written process or conciliation. Contested hearings are referred to counsel we brief with you.
Fixed feeBy appointment

Wills & estates

Straightforward wills, enduring powers and guardianship documents, plus administering an estate where the asset pool is simple and uncontested.

Suits you if
Your circumstances have changed — a property, a blended family, a business interest — or you are the named executor and do not know the first step.
Included
A structured instruction meeting, drafting, a signing appointment with witnesses arranged, and a stored copy with an index of where assets sit.
Where it ends
At signing, or at distribution for estate administration. Contested claims against an estate are referred out.
How a matter runs

Five stages, and what you do in each

Most people have never run a legal matter before. This is the sequence we follow on nearly every file, so you know what is coming and what will be asked of you.

  1. 01

    Conflict check

    Before advice is given we check that we do not already act for anyone on the other side. This is usually same-day.

    You send the names of the other parties
  2. 02

    Scoping call

    A short call to establish what is actually in dispute or in train, what the deadline is, and which of the four lanes the matter belongs to.

    You describe the outcome you want
  3. 03

    Written scope and engagement

    You receive a letter setting out the work, the fee basis, who does it and what is excluded. Nothing chargeable starts before you accept it.

    You read it and sign, or ask for changes
  4. 04

    The work

    Drafting, review, searches and correspondence, with an update at each milestone rather than a silence punctuated by invoices.

    You supply documents and decide at each fork
  5. 05

    Close and handover

    A closing note explaining what was done, what you now hold, what dates you need to diarise and when to come back.

    You keep the file index for your records
A lawyer annotating a printed agreement with a fountain pen beside a notebook of file notes.
Every scope is written before the work begins
Fee basis

How the work is charged, and when each basis fits

We quote on one of three bases. The letter of engagement names which one applies to your matter and what would cause it to change, so there are no surprises mid-file.

Comparison of engagement bases
Basis What it covers Best suited to Worth knowing
Fixed fee A named deliverable from start to finish — a conveyance, a will set, a lease review — quoted as one figure. Matters with a predictable shape and a clear finish line. Disbursements such as searches and lodgement charges are listed separately in the scope.
Staged The matter is split into stages, each separately quoted. You decide whether to proceed at the end of each one. Negotiations and workplace matters where the other side's response changes the path. You can stop after any stage. Nothing in a later stage starts without your instruction.
Time based Charged by recorded time against an agreed estimate and a ceiling you set in writing. Unusual matters, or advice where the scope genuinely cannot be known in advance. We notify you before the estimate is reached, not after. The ceiling is not passed without your agreement.
The practice

Why the practice is deliberately small

Saffron Cove Law was set up to run fewer files properly. There is no intake team and no file shuffling between desks: the person on the scoping call is the person who drafts, negotiates and attends settlement.

That means we take a limited number of new matters each month and will tell you honestly when the diary is full. It also means advice arrives in sentences you can act on, not in a memorandum you need a second lawyer to interpret.

We hold professional indemnity cover, keep client money in a dedicated trust account, and will not act for both sides of a transaction even where consent is offered.

Portrait of the practice principal in a dark suit and open collar.
Marten Oyelaran Principal solicitor, Saffron Cove Law
Questions

What clients ask before they engage

Does the first conversation cost anything?

The scoping call is not charged. It exists so both of us can work out whether the matter fits the practice and what it would involve. Advice you can rely on begins once the written scope is accepted, because that is the point at which we have read the documents properly.

What is a conflict check and why does it delay things?

We search our records for every party you name to confirm we have never acted against you and do not currently act for anyone on the other side. It usually takes a few hours. Giving us the full names early is the single fastest way to shorten it.

Is what I tell you confidential before I engage?

Yes. Legal professional privilege attaches to communications made for the purpose of obtaining legal advice, and it applies to the scoping call even if you decide not to proceed. We do not discuss your matter with anyone outside the practice without your instruction.

Can you act for both sides if everyone agrees?

No. Even with written consent we decline both-sides work on transfers, sales and agreements, because the moment a term is negotiated one party's interest is being preferred. We will refer the other side to an independent practitioner.

How long will my matter take?

A will set is typically two appointments a fortnight apart. A conveyance follows the settlement date in the contract. A lease review is usually a week. Workplace matters move at the pace of the response deadline. The scope letter states the expected timeframe and what would extend it.

I already have a lawyer. Can the file be moved?

Usually, yes. You authorise the transfer in writing, your current firm renders its final account and sends the file across. We will review what has been done before quoting, so you are not charged twice for the same work.

Can you help if my documents are in another language?

We will arrange an accredited interpreter for the meetings and, where needed, a certified translation of the documents that matter. The cost is listed as a disbursement in the scope so you see it before it is incurred.

Do I get the advice in writing?

Always. Every matter closes with a written note of what was done, what you now hold, the dates you need to diarise and the circumstances in which you should come back. Verbal advice in a meeting is confirmed in writing afterwards.

Request a consultation

Tell us what the deadline is

Send the outline below and we will reply with either a time for a scoping call or an honest referral if the matter sits outside our lanes. Please do not send original documents yet.

What happens next
A reply within two business days, naming a time and the documents to bring.
What not to include
Identification numbers, bank details or confidential attachments. Keep the summary brief.
If it is urgent
Say so in the summary and name the date. Time-critical notices are read first.

We reply to this address only.