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Non-Disclosure Agreement (Mutual)
Queensland Legal’s online Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) service offers a quick, efficient way to secure mutual confidentiality for business dealings. This service provides an instantly downloadable,
Ten Questions
About Legal Costs
Feel free to reach out with your enquiry, question or request. We’d be happy to have a quick chat if you are not sure what you need and let you know if we can help.
Queensland | Sunshine Coast | Brisbane
Disclaimer: This is only an Article!
The information contained on this page is just general and provided for information purposes only (or even just entertainment!).*
It is not legal advice, it is not provided to be legal advice in any way.
Read it, enjoy it, think about it, but then contact a lawyer to deal with your legal issues so they can address your specific needs and circumstances.
*or even just for Google search engine points!!
In 2013, the Legal Services Commission published a document aimed at consumers to encourage them to raise the issue of legal costs with lawyers and be better informed about the basis upon which you will engage (and pay for) a lawyer.
Here is a link to the publication ‘Ten questions to ask your lawyer about costs‘ if you would like to read the document in full.
We have provided our answers to those question below to be as upfront, transparent and open about our legal costs and how we charge our clients.
Question 1.
Will I be charged for a consultation?
Yes. We offer a no obligation initial consultation for all new enquiries we receive. Take a look at our dedicated page regarding what to expect at that first consultation.
If, after our first consultation, you engage us, then we will charge you for any telephone calls or face-to-face meetings we are engaged in when providing you with our legal services, unless a fixed fee applies to that service.
Question 2.
How do you cost your service?
Almost all matters that present to us are different in some way or another. However, some are largely similar and where we can, we offer fixed fees to carry out the legal work.
If you have a complex legal issue, we provide estimates of fees. It is always difficult to provide very accurate estimates, but we strive to be as accurate as possible from the outset. Sometimes, an unforeseen issue might arise which might require further work or attention that might add to the costs incurred.
We hope to provide basic estimates of costs during our first consultation.
Question 3.
Can you tell me more about the way you charge?
As a general rule, we have a standard hourly rate for any legal work we undertake and will charge on a time basis at 6-minute intervals for the work we perform on your behalf.
For some matters, we provide a fixed fee service for certain items of work that we may carry out.
Any remaining work is then charged on a time-basis and performed in the most efficient manner we can. For example, we will generally charge you for reading an email communication and responding to it at the same time, such that it attracts only one portion of time.
We do not charge uplift fees and do not take matters on a ‘No Win No Fee’ basis, unless it involves a Personal Injury Claim.
Question 4.
What is a fixed fee and what does it cover? Will I be charged for any other costs?
If we provide a fixed fee to you it will cover everything required by us to achieve that particular item of work that we offer to do on a fixed fee basis.
Any additional charges might relate to third-party costs that may need to be incurred (lodgement fees, courier costs) and these would be discussed and agreed beforehand.
Question 5.
You charge an hourly rate, but I’d like an estimate for the cost of the whole service. What will my final bill look like?
We will always provide you with an estimate of the legal fees you will incur regarding your matter. Of course, it is very difficult to provide very accurate estimates and in some cases, there may be a need to update the estimate as we progress with a matter.
If that is required, we provide you with an updated estimate of the fees as soon as we can after we realise our initial estimate may have been too low and we provide you the reason why our initial estimate might be exceeded.
Usually, the reasons for the need to update an initial estimate are because of new legal issues that have been raised during the work that were not anticipated, or the legal issues raised are such that it requires a greater level of service than could have been anticipated.
Your final bill you receive should not be a ‘shock’ to you and should not contain a level of charges that you were not prepared for or could have anticipated earlier.
Question 6.
Could my costs change? How will you let me know if they do?
If we provide a fixed fee, then no, the costs will not change.
Any estimate of fees provided is merely an estimate and is subject to change if the circumstances of our retainer and the work required ventures outside what we might have reasonably anticipated at the outset of your matter.
You should understand that our initial estimates are usually given at the very outset of your matter. We use our experience of dealing with other matters to provide you with the best and most realistic estimate of legal fees we can at the time, using your first instructions and information that you provide to us.
Should some of that information change or new information come to light that substantially changes the direction or course of the matter, then your costs may change as a result.
Equally, if your matter turns out to be simple and is not as time consuming as first thought, your legal costs will be lower than estimated by us.
We will let you know, in writing, that we anticipate your estimated legal fees will increase and that will be done as soon as we can after we realise our initial estimate may have been too low, and we will provide you the reasons why our initial estimate might be exceeded.
Question 7.
Are there any extra costs?
We have a standard hourly rate for legal work we undertake and any fee we quote to you will be inclusive of GST, unless we specifically state otherwise.
Our hourly rate includes all costs, expenses or fees that may be charged to us, as a business, to provide our own services to clients.
That is, we do not charge you for printing, photocopying, basic postal services, telephone charges, which are often referred to as ‘postage and petties’ or ‘sundries’.
If we engage the services of a barrister, expert, or other consultant on your behalf then you will be charged the costs of those 3rd party services, at cost, and without any margin, or uplift.
You will also need to reimburse us for any fees, charges or expenses that may be payable to deal with your matter as may be necessary, or any searches we may need to perform (ASIC, Bankruptcy, Property, etc), and once again, that will be at cost.
We will inform you of these fees (or an estimate of them) before they are incurred by us.
Question 8.
Can I get help with the cost of my legal services?
The type of legal services we offer are not usually funded by any government agencies or charitable organisations.
If you are unable to afford a lawyer, and have a legal issue they cover, then you may be able to obtain help from Legal Aid Queensland for advice and they provide funding for certain Criminal, Family, and Civil Law Claims that meet their funding criteria.
Visit Legal Aid Queensland or give them a call to obtain more information about Legal Aid.
You may also wish to contact a local community legal service centre to obtain some free legal advice and information.
The Sunshine Coast is served by the Suncoast Community Legal Service and they can be contacted for an appointment at one of their centres in Maroochydore, Caloundra, Landsborough, Noosa, Pomona, Melany or Nambour, for a free advice session.
For the rest of Queensland, visit Community Legal Centres Queensland to find your nearest service, in the rest of Queensland.
Question 9.
When will I be billed and how long will I have to pay? Do you offer payment options?
We do not have a set time period in which we bill every client as each matter we take on is unique.
Instead, we bill our clients periodically and generally in line with major steps taken to advance the matter along the way.
Our standard billing terms are seven (7) days for payment of our bills. Interest may be charged if payment is not made within those terms of payment.
We do not normally offer any deferred payment terms and prefer that we hold monies in advance as security for payment of your fees, expenses and disbursements within our trust account.
In some cases, we must insist on holding monies in our trust account as security.
Question 10.
What happens if I disagree with the amount I’ve been charged?
We try and provide every client with a service that they consider valuable and worthwhile and certainly hope never to receive a complaint about the amount of fees we have charged.
However, if you are not happy then we would encourage you to speak to us or email us and express your disappointment in the fees charged.
We would be happy to review our bills and your reasons for complaint and see if we can address your concerns or come to some amicable resolution of your complaint.
If you remain unsatisfied then ask us for an ‘itemised bill’ for the item of work or invoice you dispute, and we will provide one to you.
If you remain dissatisfied, then you have a right to challenge our legal costs by having an independent cost assessor evaluate the charges through a process of cost assessment and an application to the Court.
For more information on that process see the information brochure produced by the Legal Services Commission entitled ‘Your Right to Challenge Legal Costs‘.
Lastly, if you believe we have not acted appropriately towards you then you can make a complaint about our conduct to the Legal Services Commission to assist you in redressing your complaint. They can be contacted on 1300 655 754 or visit them at www.lsc.qld.gov.au.
DISCLAIMER: The content on this page was written at a specific point in time in the past and is provided as general guidance only. It is not intended to be specific legal advice to any person’s particular circumstances who may be reading it. We do not recommend you use this article as a replacement for obtaining proper legal advice on your issue and encourage anyone reading this content to obtain legal advice to ensure the above information and guidance remains valid and suits your particular circumstance. In our experience, there is no ‘one size fits all’ to any legal issue!
Why Choose Queensland Legal
Queensland Legal is proudly operated by Michael Turner, the Principal Lawyer and Solicitor.
My ambition extends beyond mere legal representation; I am committed to fostering enduring partnerships with my clients, built on a foundation of trust and mutual respect.
It is my objective to continually deliver exceptional value to your business, ensuring prosperity and growth for years to come.
Let Queensland Legal be your partner in navigating the complexities of the legal landscape, securing a successful future for your business.
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