01 / Send
Share the context
Upload draft documents and tell us who needs advice, the relevant parties and any deadline. Or enquire first without documents.
Baystone Legal / Banking & finance
Independent legal advice for borrowers and guarantors
Practical advice. Commercial understanding. Fast turnaround.
Asked to get independent advice before signing? We review your loan and guarantee documents, explain your obligations and material risks, and make commercially practical recommendations.
Send your draft loan documents and transaction details so our banking team can provide a fixed-fee quotation and prepare to get started once you accept, subject to engagement and conflict checks.
Prefer to talk? 02 9125 0682Independent means on your side
More than
a signature.
We have acted for lenders and borrowers across different transactions. That experience helps us understand how lending documents work in practice—and where the risks sit for you.
We explain what you are agreeing to, identify material risks and recommend commercially practical changes where appropriate. Our role is to help you understand your legal position, not simply complete a lender’s form.
On your independent advice engagement, Baystone acts for the advised client, not the lender, subject to conflict checks. The parties and representation arrangements are assessed before we agree to act.
An agreed scope. A fixed quote.
Clear advice.
No fee guesswork.
Typically $1,200–$2,000 + GST ($1,320–$2,200 including GST), depending on volume and complexity.
Included within your agreed scope
- Review of the agreed loan, guarantee and security documents
- An advice appointment explaining obligations and material risks
- Practical recommendations
- Certificate completion where appropriate
Negotiations are separate.
Direct negotiations with the lender or other parties are excluded from the review fee and charged separately at agreed hourly rates. We confirm scope and fees before work begins.
From documents to advice
A practical path forward.
02 / Quote
Confirm the scope
We assess the package and request anything missing. With the complete package and necessary information, we provide a quotation in under two business hours.
03 / Engage
Agree before we start
You accept the quote and we complete required engagement and conflict checks. Submission alone does not start legal work or book an appointment.
04 / Advise
Understand before signing
We review the agreed documents, meet with you for advice and make practical recommendations. We complete the certificate where appropriate.
Need priority review?
Complete instructions and documents received in the morning may allow same-day advice and certificate completion, subject to conflict checks, complexity, appointment availability and team confirmation. There is no automatic appointment, guaranteed certificate, lender acceptance, negotiation completion or settlement promise.
People, not a processing queue
Meet the banking team
Commercial lending experience, with lawyers and support staff working together to move your enquiry forward.
Advice is provided by the lawyers on your engagement. Paralegals assist with coordination and preparation; they do not provide independent legal advice.
A clear next step
Let’s start with
a fixed quote.
Send your draft loan documents and transaction details so our banking team can provide a fixed-fee quotation and prepare to get started once you accept, subject to engagement and conflict checks.
What to include
- Draft facility or loan agreements
- Mortgages and other security documents
- Guarantees
- The lender’s certificate form, where available
Providing documents now reduces follow-up before quoting and commencing accepted work. Please do not send identity documents, account credentials or payment data.
Need to transfer larger or unsupported files? Contact nbl@baystonelegal.com to arrange transfer.
Why do I need independent legal advice?
Your lender may require it before you sign a loan or guarantee. More importantly, it gives you an opportunity to understand your obligations, material risks and the practical consequences of the documents—not simply obtain a signature.
Who does Baystone act for?
We act for the advised client, not their lender on that engagement, subject to conflict checks. A lender or broker can introduce you, but the advice is independent. Borrowers and guarantors are not automatically represented jointly; we assess the parties and proposed scope before agreeing to act.
What is included in the fixed fee?
The agreed document review, an advice appointment, practical recommendations and certificate completion where appropriate. The scope and fixed fee are confirmed before work begins. Direct negotiations are excluded and charged separately at agreed hourly rates.
When does the quotation timeframe start?
We provide a quotation in under two business hours from receipt of the complete document package and information needed to quote. Selecting files or submitting an incomplete enquiry does not start this timeframe. Our team can request missing information. Business hours are Monday–Friday, 8:30am–5pm, Sydney local time.
Can you help if the deadline is today?
Ask for priority review and tell us your deadline. Complete instructions and documents received in the morning may allow same-day advice and certificate completion, subject to conflict checks, complexity, appointment availability and team confirmation. This is not a guaranteed appointment, certificate, lender acceptance or settlement outcome.
What if I have already signed?
Please tell us and send the relevant documents so we can assess how we may assist. We do not promise retrospective certification.
Does the advice tell me whether the loan is financially suitable?
Our review explains legal obligations, material risks and commercially practical recommendations. It is not financial suitability advice.
What happens to uploaded documents?
Your document copies and supplied details are emailed to our banking team for quotation and assessment. The application retains submission and notification metadata, not document bytes. Attachment copies remain in the designated mailbox and email provider under their existing controls. Submission itself does not create an engagement or start legal work.
For lenders & brokers
Making a referral?
Share this page with the proposed advised client, or select “Lender or broker” in the form and identify who needs the advice. Share documents only with authority. Baystone’s independent advice engagement is with the advised client—not the lender—and is subject to conflict checks.