5 Ways Sydney Commercial Lawyer Is Helping Business Owners Navigate Deals in 2026

Sydney commercial lawyer Joanna Oakey has built her professional profile around a part of business law that can have consequences well beyond the signing of a contract: helping owners buy, grow and sell businesses.

As managing director of Aspect Legal, Oakey works in commercial law with a particular emphasis on business sales and acquisitions, while the firm also advises on contracts, intellectual property, trademarks, brand protection, procurement, employment and disputes. Her current professional profile describes her as a commercial lawyer and deal maker with more than 20 years of experience.

Her work has also expanded beyond conventional legal practice. Oakey hosts The Deal Room and Talking Law podcasts, writes about commercial issues affecting business owners and is the author of Buy Grow Exit: The Ultimate Guide to Using Your Business as a Wealth Creation Vehicle.

1. Business sales and acquisitions sit at the center of her practice

For an entrepreneur, selling a business can be the financial culmination of years of work. For a buyer, acquiring an established company can represent a major investment with significant legal and commercial risks.

Oakey’s practice has a substantial focus on these transactions.

Aspect Legal says it provides specialist advice to buyers and sellers throughout business and share sales and acquisitions, including preparation, legal due diligence, transaction structuring, drafting, negotiation and completion. The firm also says it has advised thousands of local and national business owners as they acquire and exit businesses.

That work can begin well before a sale agreement is drafted.

For sellers, legal preparation may involve reviewing existing customer and supplier contracts, employment arrangements, leases, intellectual property and other assets. The purpose is to identify potential problems before a prospective buyer’s lawyers uncover them during due diligence.

For buyers, the process can involve examining whether the business actually owns the assets it appears to own, whether important contracts can be transferred, whether there are unresolved disputes and whether regulatory or employment issues could create liabilities after completion.

Oakey’s recent writing reflects this emphasis on preparation.

In June 2026, she wrote about six contract problems that business owners should address before selling. The article warned that problems identified during a buyer’s legal review can affect negotiations, including warranties, money held back at completion or earn-out structures.

The broader message is straightforward: The legal preparation for a business sale should not necessarily begin when a buyer appears.

2. She emphasizes getting a business ready before the deal begins

A recurring theme in Oakey’s work is that business owners should prepare for an eventual transaction rather than waiting until a buyer is already at the table.

That can be particularly important because buyers and their advisers can examine a business in considerable detail.

Aspect Legal says its work for sellers can include an independent review of a company’s legal strengths and weaknesses, preparation of documents, confidentiality agreements, sale agreements and negotiation of transaction terms.

For a business owner, seemingly minor legal housekeeping can become significant when the company is being sold.

A customer contract may not contain the rights the seller assumed it did. A lease may have restrictions on assignment. An employee agreement may be outdated. A trademark may not be properly protected. A key supplier arrangement may not transfer automatically to a purchaser.

None of these issues necessarily prevents a transaction. But they can create additional negotiations, delays or uncertainty.

Oakey’s recent article on preparing contracts before a sale makes that point directly, arguing that problems are generally easier to address before a buyer becomes involved.

For business owners thinking about an eventual exit, that approach turns legal preparation into part of the broader business strategy.

It also changes the timing of the lawyer’s role.

Instead of appearing only when documents need to be signed, a commercial lawyer can become involved earlier, helping an owner identify legal issues that could affect the value or attractiveness of the company.

3. Privacy compliance has become a new transaction issue in 2026

One of the most current aspects of Oakey’s work is her focus on changing privacy obligations and how they can affect business transactions.

In July 2026, Aspect Legal published analysis of changes taking effect during the year and their implications for businesses preparing to sell. The firm said changes taking effect July 1 expanded the number of businesses affected by privacy obligations, while further changes scheduled for Dec. 10 would introduce additional disclosure requirements concerning the use of artificial intelligence in decision-making for covered businesses.

For sellers, the issue is not simply regulatory compliance.

Privacy practices can become part of the buyer’s due diligence process.

A prospective purchaser may want to know what customer information the business holds, how that information was collected, whether privacy policies are appropriate, whether data is transferred offshore and what obligations apply to the business.

That means a privacy problem can become a transaction problem.

Aspect Legal made a similar point in July when discussing the buyer’s perspective, saying privacy compliance is increasingly an issue to examine during due diligence.

The development is particularly relevant as more businesses adopt cloud services, artificial intelligence tools and digital customer-management systems.

For an owner planning to sell, the lesson is that the legal value of a business can be affected by how well its information, contracts and compliance systems are organized.

Privacy may once have been treated as an administrative issue. In a transaction, it can become part of the commercial risk assessment.

4. Oakey has made legal education part of her professional identity

Oakey’s public profile extends beyond traditional client work.

She hosts Talking Law, which Aspect Legal describes as a podcast offering legal tips to business owners without the jargon. She also hosts The Deal Room, which focuses specifically on business sales and acquisitions.

The Deal Room has become a significant part of her professional positioning because it focuses on the people and advisers involved in transactions rather than limiting discussion to legal doctrine.

Aspect Legal describes the podcast as Australia’s first podcast dedicated to business sales and acquisitions and says it features industry advisers as well as owners and managers involved in buying and selling organizations.

Oakey is also the author of Buy Grow Exit, a book focused on using a business as a wealth-creation vehicle. Her firm’s profile identifies her as a lawyer, author and podcaster.

That educational focus may matter to business owners because many commercial legal decisions arise before a formal legal engagement.

An entrepreneur considering an acquisition may first want to understand how due diligence works. A business owner preparing for an exit may want to know what buyers look for. Someone negotiating a shareholders agreement may need to understand the practical consequences of different structures.

Providing accessible information can help owners recognize those questions earlier.

Oakey’s LinkedIn activity also shows that she continues to discuss current business issues, including artificial intelligence, business brokerage and the practical challenges involved in buying and selling companies. Her recent posts include commentary around AI adoption among advisers and a 2026 masterclass on buying and selling businesses.

5. Her approach connects legal work with the business lifecycle

Oakey’s career is built around more than isolated legal transactions.

Aspect Legal describes its model as helping growing businesses acquire companies, consolidate and protect their assets and eventually exit in a way designed to preserve business value.

That approach treats legal advice as something that can follow a business through different stages.

At the growth stage, the issues may include contracts, employment arrangements, intellectual property and brand protection.

During expansion, the company may acquire another business or enter a joint venture.

As the owners prepare to exit, the focus can shift to legal due diligence, transaction structures, sale agreements and negotiations.

The same legal foundations can matter at each stage.

A company with well-managed contracts and clearly protected intellectual property may be easier to review during due diligence. A business with unresolved legal problems may face more questions from prospective buyers.

Aspect Legal says it can assist sellers from early planning and structuring through the transaction itself, while buyers can receive assistance with due diligence, structuring, negotiations and post-acquisition planning.

This lifecycle perspective is particularly relevant for small and mid-sized business owners, who may not have in-house legal teams.

The bottom line on Joanna Oakey

Joanna Oakey has built a professional identity around the intersection of commercial law and business transactions.

As managing director of Aspect Legal, her practice covers business sales and acquisitions alongside broader commercial services, including contracts, intellectual property, trademarks, procurement, employment and disputes.

Her current work also reflects emerging issues affecting Australian businesses. Recent publications from Aspect Legal have focused on privacy compliance, AI-related obligations, contract preparation and the practical challenges facing buyers and sellers in 2026.

For business owners, perhaps the most relevant feature of Oakey’s practice is its focus on the period before a transaction becomes urgent.

A business sale is rarely just about signing a contract. It can involve years of preparation, legal housekeeping, negotiations, due diligence and decisions about how risk should be allocated between buyer and seller.

For owners considering their next stage of growth — or an eventual exit — understanding those issues early can make the legal side of the process considerably easier to navigate.

Disclaimer: This article is for general informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Business owners should obtain independent legal, financial and tax advice based on their individual circumstances before entering into a transaction.