Summit Legal Services is a Mount Waverley, Melbourne law firm that advises startups, founders and established businesses on commercial contracts, company structure, business sales and acquisitions, compliance and governance. Our fractional in-house counsel service gives early-stage and growing companies an ongoing legal team on a fixed monthly retainer, without the cost of a permanent hire.
We also practise family law, focusing on binding financial agreements and asset protection. These agreements give couples certainty about how property and finances are dealt with before, during or after a relationship, and are often the way business owners keep company assets out of a future dispute. We act for clients across Victoria and support businesses operating throughout Australia and the APAC region.
Over 20 years’ extensive experience in commercial law, corporate governance, compliance, and strategic legal advisory across Australia and APAC.
Tailored solutions that protect and deliver. We focus on great service from first contact to resolution.
Sumita Dass, Summit Legal Services’ founder and principal solicitor, has spent more than 20 years in legal roles that had to work commercially. She was Director at Carrier Australia and Head of Legal at Carrier India, and earlier Manager (Law) at GAIL (India) Limited.
That in-house background shapes how she reviews an agreement. Before you sign, she looks at:
She is qualified in Australia and India and holds a Bachelor of Laws, an LLM and an MBA. Your first consultation is with Sumita herself, not an intake team.
Ongoing legal support on a fixed monthly retainer—your dedicated external in-house team providing contracts, day-to-day advice, risk management, and compliance oversight.
We provide strategic legal advice and hands-on support for contracts, negotiations, and tailored commercial documentation to meet your business needs.
Legal support for buying or selling a business, including term sheets, due diligence, share sale and asset sale agreements, warranties and completion. Learn more
Advice on Binding Financial Agreements to protect your assets and provide certainty before, during, or after a relationship.
Considered compliance and governance advice supporting strong corporate oversight and regulatory integrity, with clear guidance on directors duties, legal risks and the commercial realities behind day-to-day decisions.
Strategic immigration advice for individuals and businesses, including visa guidance, employer sponsorship support, and compliance assistance.
Comprehensive estate planning assistance, including the preparation of wills and related documents. We help you create certainty and peace of mind for you and your family's future.
We make legal support straightforward, clear steps, transparent communication, and no surprises. Start by speaking with our lawyer so our commercial lawyers can understand your needs and point you to the right expert business lawyer for the matter. From there, we’ll discuss your legal matter, explain your options, and outline the next steps so you know what to expect. For startups and early-stage businesses, we work closely with you and bring expertise in tech and corporate law, strong communication, and practical knowledge of the startup ecosystem throughout the process. We’ll also let you know upfront how pricing works, with a transparent, no-obligation approach.
Get a free consultation to discuss your legal needs and goals.
Clear, fixed pricing with no hidden costs or surprises.
Smooth onboarding with clear timelines.
Legal solutions with ongoing support.
Businesses need different legal work at different stages. Summit Legal Services supports companies from incorporation through to growth, restructuring and sale, whether you are a startup with two founders or an established business with a board and a staff of fifty.
Setting up: company structure and incorporation, shareholders and founders agreements, share classes and vesting, partnership and joint venture agreements, and assignment of intellectual property into the company.
Operating: customer and supplier contracts, terms of trade, software and services agreements, privacy policies and website terms, distribution and licensing agreements, employment and contractor agreements, and leases.
Growing and raising capital: employee share schemes, shareholder consents, convertible notes and SAFE notes, term sheet review, and preparing a business for investor or buyer due diligence.
Governing: directors’ duties, board and corporate secretarial support, compliance programs, regulatory obligations, and risk management.
Changing hands: business sales and acquisitions, share sales and asset sales, restructures, and shareholder exits and disputes.
Most businesses come to us with the same three problems: a company set up without a shareholders agreement, contracts copied from a template that do not match how the business actually operates, and intellectual property that legally sits with a contractor or a founder rather than with the company. These are cheap to fix now and expensive to fix during a sale or a funding round.
Our fractional in-house counsel service covers all of the above on a fixed monthly retainer, for businesses that need ongoing legal support without hiring a lawyer in-house.
We understand you may have questions about our services, process, and pricing. Below are answers to common inquiries. If you need further clarification, contact us directly, we’re here to help.
Getting started is simple. Contact us via phone, email, or our online form to request a free initial consultation with a lawyer, with transparency around legal costs from the outset. During this consultation, we'll discuss your legal matter, understand your business objectives, and outline the best approach forward. There's no obligation—we simply want to understand your needs and determine how we can help. Below are answers to common questions, so you know how to access legal help and legal assistance when questions come up, your consultation is with Sumita Dass, our founder and principal solicitor, so you are speaking with the lawyer who will handle the matter rather than an intake team.
We offer flexible service arrangements to suit different business needs:
Fractional In-House Counsel: Fixed monthly retainer for ongoing legal support
Project-Based Services: Fixed fees for specific matters (contracts, compliance reviews, etc.)
Hourly Rates: For consultations and ad-hoc advice
Retainer Agreements: Customized packages combining multiple services
All pricing is transparent with no hidden costs. During your consultation, we'll discuss your budget and recommend the most cost-effective option for your situation.
Timeline depends on the complexity and nature of your matter:
We'll provide a realistic timeframe during your initial consultation and keep you updated throughout the process. Our goal is efficiency without compromising quality.
Service duration varies based on your needs:
Fractional In-House Counsel: Month-to-month retainer (ongoing support)
Project-Based Services: Defined by the scope of work (typically 4–16 weeks)
One-Off Consultations: Single session or limited engagement
Ongoing Retainers: Customizable duration based on your requirements
You're never locked into long-term contracts. We work on flexible arrangements that adapt to your business needs.
Yes. We offer competitive pricing for ongoing retainer arrangements and long-term partnerships. The more consistent your engagement, the more cost-effective our services become. We also provide:
Discuss your specific situation during your consultation, and we'll explore options to maximize value.
Yes. We advise startups from incorporation onwards, covering company structure, founders and shareholders agreements, IP assignment, customer contracts, employee share schemes, and documentation for convertible notes and SAFE notes. Our fractional in-house counsel retainer is designed for companies that need ongoing legal support but are not ready to hire a lawyer in-house.
Most Australian startups need four things early: a company structure that suits how equity will be split, a founders or shareholders agreement recording that split and what happens if someone leaves, written IP assignment moving intellectual property from founders and contractors into the company, and customer or supplier terms that reflect what the business actually delivers. Getting these in place before a funding round is far cheaper than fixing them during due diligence.
Yes. Summit Legal acts for buyers and sellers in the lower mid-market on share sales and business asset sales, covering term sheets, due diligence, the sale agreement, warranties and completion.
