Local lawyers
you can trust.
Serving the Manly and Northern Beaches community with practical, straightforward legal advice for individuals and businesses, whatever life brings your way.
Local roots.
Modern practice.
We're a Manly firm through and through, built on real relationships, plain language, and genuine care for the people we work with. We've combined that community spirit with a modern, efficient practice so you get the best of both: a lawyer who knows you, backed by a firm that's always improving.
People before paperwork
We take the time to understand your situation before we talk law. You'll always speak directly with your solicitor. No call centres, no runaround.
Modern tools, timeless values
We use the latest technology to work more efficiently, so your matter moves faster and your fees stay fair. Modern tools, timeless values.
Local and accountable
We live and work on the Northern Beaches. Our Manly office is opening soon. Watch this space.
Real advice.
Right here in Manly.
Manly Lawyers is a local firm with deep roots in the Northern Beaches community. Most of our clients come to us through word of mouth from neighbours, friends, and local businesses.
We believe good legal advice shouldn't feel intimidating. Our team takes the time to understand your situation, explain your options clearly, and guide you to the best outcome, whether that's protecting your family's future or helping your business grow.
From our office on the Manly waterfront, we handle everything from straightforward wills to complex commercial matters, always with the same honest, practical approach.
Supporting local
businesses to thrive.
From sole traders to growing companies, we're the legal partner that Northern Beaches businesses rely on. Practical advice, clear language, and fair fees.
Business Structures & Start-ups
Starting or restructuring a business? We advise on the right legal structure (sole trader, partnership, company or discretionary trust) and set it up properly from day one. That means constitutions and trustee arrangements that actually reflect how the business works, shareholder or unitholders agreements that address what happens when things change, and an eye on tax efficiency and asset protection from the start. We also advise on restructures as businesses grow, bring on new partners, or prepare for a sale.
Corporate & Commercial Law
From shareholder agreements and director duties to commercial contracts, supplier terms and franchise arrangements, we handle the legal groundwork that keeps your business running and protected. We also advise on investment vehicles and capital raising, including unit trusts, joint venture structures, investor agreements, and the legal requirements around issuing securities and raising funds from investors under the Corporations Act.
Tradespeople
We act for builders, contractors, subcontractors and trades across the Northern Beaches. Whether you need construction contracts reviewed, a building dispute resolved, payment claims enforced under the security of payment legislation, or help with licensing and liability issues, we provide practical advice for the realities of working on-site.
Commercial Leasing
Whether you're a landlord or tenant, we review, draft and negotiate commercial leases for retail, office and industrial properties across the Northern Beaches and greater Sydney. We advise on rent reviews, make-good obligations, assignment and subletting rights, options to renew, and early termination, and flag the terms that look standard but aren't. For retail leases, we ensure compliance with the Retail Leases Act and provide the mandatory lessor's and lessee's disclosure statements where required.
Business Sales & Acquisitions
Buying or selling a business is one of the most significant transactions you'll undertake, and the legal groundwork matters. We guide buyers through due diligence, review of financial and operational records, structuring the acquisition, and negotiating and documenting the sale agreement. For sellers, we advise on deal structure, warranties and indemnities, restraint of trade provisions, and managing risk through the transition. We also handle the associated arrangements that often come with a sale: employee entitlements, lease assignments, supplier and customer contract novations, and any regulatory approvals required to complete.
Dispute Resolution
Business disputes rarely resolve themselves, and the longer they run the more they cost. We act for clients across a range of commercial disputes including contract breaches, partnership and shareholder disagreements, debt recovery, leasing disputes, and claims against directors or advisers. Our first priority is always to find a practical resolution without going to court, whether through direct negotiation or formal mediation. Where litigation is unavoidable, we prepare thoroughly and represent clients in the NSW Local, District and Supreme Courts and relevant tribunals. We give you a clear-eyed view of your prospects early, so you can make informed decisions about when to push and when to settle.
Helping individuals
and families.
Life's most important moments often come with legal questions. Whether you're planning for the future, dealing with a family matter, or navigating the legal system, we're here to help, plain and simple.
Criminal Law
Facing a criminal charge is stressful. Our experienced criminal lawyers provide honest advice and strong representation in Local, District and Supreme Courts.
Wills & Estates
We help you plan ahead with confidence, drafting wills, setting up powers of attorney, and administering estates to protect what matters most to your family.
Family Law
We guide you through separation, divorce, parenting arrangements and property settlements with sensitivity and a focus on practical outcomes.
Property & Conveyancing
Buying or selling a home on the Northern Beaches? We handle all the legal work so your transaction goes smoothly from exchange to settlement.
Family Trusts & Asset Protection
We establish and advise on family discretionary trusts, unit trusts, and other structures designed to protect your assets, manage tax, and preserve wealth across generations. Whether you're setting up a new trust, reviewing an existing one, or restructuring ahead of a significant event, we make sure the structure works the way it's intended to.
Traffic & Licensing
From speeding fines to licence disqualification matters, we represent clients in traffic matters and work to protect your driving record and livelihood.
Lawyers who know
your community.
Connor Barham
Principal Solicitor
Connor Barham is the founder and principal of Manly Lawyers, a boutique NSW practice he built on a simple idea: careful legal work doesn't need to come from a big-end-of-town letterhead. He acts for individuals, owner-operated businesses, and Northern Beaches families, handling commercial, property, and dispute work with the kind of attention that disappears at scale.
Connor's practice centres on the legal matters that actually move the needle for a business: company and trust structuring, commercial contracts, employment, and transactions. He gives clients clear advice they can act on rather than theory, works directly with every client from intake through resolution, with same-day responses on urgent items and a written summary at the end of each matter.
That commercial work is built on a strong foundation in funds management and financial services, where Connor spent several years advising fund managers and institutional investors on complex legal structures, governance, and regulatory compliance, including registered managed investment schemes and unit trusts through to licensing and fund establishment. It's experience that shapes how he approaches structure, risk, and compliance for every client, whatever their size.
Connor holds a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Business from the University of Technology Sydney and was admitted to the Supreme Court of New South Wales in 2022.
Talk to a local
lawyer today.
Not sure if you need a lawyer? Just give us a call or send us a message. We're happy to have a quick chat and point you in the right direction — no obligation.
Call or Email
+61 449 822 033
info@manlylawyers.com
Office
Manly NSW, Australia
Office to be announced
Office Hours
Monday – Friday: 8:30am – 5:30pm
Saturday: By appointment
Send an Enquiry
We'll get back to you within one business day.