Four areas of law, and what we charge for each.
Fees below are our standard published rates. Anything unusual gets a written estimate before it starts.
How each area actually works
The parts clients tell us they wish someone had explained at the beginning.
Property
Most residential conveyancing runs four to eight weeks, and the delays are usually building and pest reports or finance rather than solicitors. We give you a fixed fee, a list of the disbursements that sit on top, and a weekly update whether or not anything has moved.
Family
We will always look at mediation and negotiated settlement first, because they are usually faster, cheaper and less damaging. Where court is necessary we will tell you plainly what it is likely to cost and how long it may take.
Wills, probate and powers of attorney
A straightforward will is a fixed fee and one appointment. Estate administration is charged by time with an agreed cap, and we will happily do the parts you cannot face while you handle the rest yourself.
Four things people ring us about
Smaller matters, often resolved in a single appointment.
Employment advice
Settlement agreements, contract reviews and grievance support. Settlement agreement fees are frequently paid by the employer.
Body corporate matters
Disputes and advice for owners in a body corporate, including by-law issues and dispute resolution before it reaches QCAT.
Powers of attorney
Health and welfare, and property and finance. Best done long before anybody thinks they are needed.
Small business matters
Partnership agreements, commercial leases and debt recovery for local businesses under about twenty staff.
What our standard work costs
Fixed fees include GST; disbursements such as search and registration fees are listed separately in your quote. Hourly work is capped at a figure you agree first.
A single will
One appointment, drafted and stored. Mirror wills for a couple are charged at less than two singles.
Residential conveyancing
Sale or purchase of a freehold house. Leasehold and shared ownership carry a supplement, quoted before you instruct us.
Hourly work
Family, employment and disputes, where the scope cannot be known up front. Always capped, and reviewed with you before the cap is reached.
What people ask before instructing us
Yes, up to half an hour, in person or on the phone. It exists so both sides can work out whether there is a matter worth taking on. If there is not, we will tell you and there will be no invoice.
A fixed fee does not change unless the matter itself changes — a freehold purchase turning out to be leasehold, for instance. If that happens you will be told what the new figure is before any further work is done, and you can decide from there.
No, and nor can any firm that is being straight with you. What we can do is give you a realistic assessment of your position, the likely range of outcomes and what each route would cost, so you can make the decision.
Calls and messages are returned the same working day. During active conveyancing we send a weekly update regardless of whether there is anything to report, because silence is what people find hardest.
Our complaints procedure is in your client care letter and on request. It goes to a partner, in writing, with a response inside eight weeks, and you retain the right to take it further to the relevant ombudsman.
Tell us the situation. We will tell you the cost.
No obligation, no sales call, and a straight answer about whether you need us at all.