Commercial & Trust Disputes
When a business partnership sours, a shareholder is squeezed out, or someone you trusted with money or property breaches that trust, you need to move fast. ezylegal connects you with a lawyer at a law firm on the ezylegal network who handles commercial and trust disputes.
In short
Commercial and trust disputes cover fallouts between business owners, shareholders and partners, plus breaches of trust or fiduciary duty — the legal duty to act in someone else's best interests. They include oppression claims, forced business exits, injunctions, and fights over trusts and estates. ezylegal's AI intake, Rachel, learns what happened and connects you with a lawyer at a law firm on the ezylegal network, with fixed fees quoted through our platform.
How a Commercial & Trust Disputes lawyer on the network can help
Matched to a licensed Australian law firm on the ezylegal network, with fixed fees quoted upfront.
Shareholder & Oppression Claims
Minority shareholders being frozen out of decisions, denied dividends or squeezed out can seek relief under sections 232-233 of the Corporations Act.
Partnership Disputes & Exits
Business partner fallouts, deadlocks, dissolutions and buy-outs — sorting out who leaves, who stays, and how assets, goodwill and debts are split.
Breach of Trust & Fiduciary Duty
Directors, trustees, partners and agents owe duties of loyalty. When they self-deal, divert opportunities or misuse funds, equity offers powerful remedies.
Injunctions & Urgent Relief
Court orders that stop someone acting — freezing assets, halting a sale, or restraining a former partner — often obtained urgently to prevent loss.
Account of Profits & Equitable Remedies
Recovering gains a wrongdoer made from breaching their duty, plus specific performance, constructive trusts and equitable compensation.
Trust & Estate Disputes
Contested trusts, removal of trustees, and disputes over how estate or trust assets are managed and distributed among beneficiaries.
Technology from ezylegal. Legal work from a law firm on the network.
ezylegal is an AI-powered legal-technology platform — not a law firm. When you start a commercial & trust disputes matter, our AI intake assistant captures the details and matches you to a licensed Australian law firm on the ezylegal network that practises commercial & trust disputes. That firm gives the advice, does the legal work, and quotes you a fixed fee upfront.
When partnerships and shareholdings break down
Some of the most stressful disputes in business are between people who used to trust each other. A co-founder stops pulling their weight, a majority shareholder freezes you out of decisions and dividends, or a partner quietly sets up a competing venture. In Australia, minority shareholders have a powerful tool: the oppression remedy under sections 232-233 of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth). If a company’s affairs are run in a way that is oppressive or unfairly prejudicial, a court can order a buy-out, change how the company is run, or wind it up. Partnership disputes often turn on the partnership agreement — or the relevant state Partnership Act — and how the business, its goodwill and its debts are divided when someone exits.
Trusts, fiduciary duties and equitable remedies
“Equity” is the branch of law that steps in where strict contract and statute fall short, and it governs relationships of trust and confidence. A fiduciary — a director, trustee, business partner or agent — must act loyally and avoid conflicts of interest, and a trustee must follow the trust deed and the law. When they don’t, whether through self-dealing, diverting an opportunity, or misusing funds, equity offers remedies that go beyond ordinary damages. These include an injunction to stop harmful conduct, specific performance to force a promise to be honoured, an account of profits to strip a wrongdoer of their gains, and a constructive trust over property that should never have been theirs. Trust and estate disputes — contesting a trust, removing a trustee, or challenging how assets are distributed — draw on the same principles.
How ezylegal helps
ezylegal is an AI-first technology platform, not a law firm. Our AI intake, Rachel, learns what happened, works out which kind of dispute you’re in, and connects you with a lawyer at a law firm on the ezylegal network — with fixed fees quoted through our platform before any work begins.
Frequently asked questions
What is a shareholder oppression claim? +
It's a claim under sections 232-233 of the Corporations Act 2001 (Cth) where a shareholder argues the company's affairs are being run in a way that's oppressive, unfairly prejudicial, or unfairly discriminatory to them. A court can order a buy-out, change how the company runs, or wind it up. ezylegal connects you with a network lawyer who can assess your position.
What's the difference between breach of trust and breach of fiduciary duty? +
A fiduciary duty is a legal obligation to act in another person's best interests — owed by directors, trustees, partners and agents. Breach of trust is a specific failure by a trustee to follow the trust's terms or the law. Both can let a court order compensation or an account of profits. Rachel, our AI, points you to the right network lawyer.
How quickly can I get an injunction to stop a business partner? +
Urgent interlocutory injunctions can sometimes be sought within days — or even hours in an emergency — to freeze assets or stop a damaging act before a full hearing. You usually need to show a serious question to be tried and that damages alone aren't enough. ezylegal's platform can fast-track you to a network lawyer who runs urgent applications.
Can I force my business partner to buy me out? +
Sometimes. Depending on your partnership agreement, shareholders' agreement or the Corporations Act, you may be able to trigger a buy-out, seek dissolution, or ask a court to order one party to buy the other out — common in oppression and deadlock cases. A lawyer at a firm on the ezylegal network can review your agreements and options.
What does 'account of profits' mean? +
It's an equitable remedy where someone who breached a fiduciary duty must hand over the profits they made from the breach, even if you can't prove a direct loss to yourself. It's often used against directors or partners who diverted a business opportunity. Fixed fees for assessing your claim are quoted through our platform once Rachel routes your matter.
Do these disputes have to go to court? +
No. Many commercial and trust disputes settle through negotiation, mediation or arbitration, which is usually faster and cheaper than a trial. Court is often a last resort or a lever to reach settlement. ezylegal connects you with a network lawyer who aims to resolve it efficiently, and litigates only if needed.
Get fixed-fee commercial & trust disputes help
Tell us what's going on. Our AI assistant takes your details in minutes, and a lawyer at a law firm on the ezylegal network follows up with fixed-fee options.
Start Your Case