Before commencing work in your matter, we will require a personal consultation and the cost of this is $200 plus GST for a consultation.

First Consultation

Depending on the nature of the your inquiry, we may agree to provide you with an initial consultation without charge. In the event that we cannot do so, we would usually limit our charge for our initial conference with you to approximately $200.00 plus GST. Once it is established that you have a need for legal services then we charge the solicitor's rate of $300 plus GST.

At Logical Legal Solicitors, usually we charge you according to the time that we have spent dealing with your matter. There are some exceptions to this, including conveyancing and undefended debt recovery proceedings where we usually charge a lump sum.

Estimate of costs

In matters that are contested in Court, it is difficult to predict the manner in which the other side will conduct their case and for this reason, it is usually necessary for us to provide you with a range of estimates in cases that are litigated. We assess each case separately and we will assess, as best as we can at the outset.

1. The amount of work that is involved in your case.

2. We will give you a commitment that we will not exceed the estimate of costs which we have provided you without your knowlege and consent.

3. We will usually issue interim accounts to our clients.

In addition to the cost that Logical Legal Solicitors will incur, it is common in most cases for you to also incur what is known as "disbursements".

These are expenses which may be incurred in your case for payments to third parties. For example the most common disbursement are fees to be paid to barristers, doctors, or searching agents.

A typical disbursement can be $60.00 for a search and over $1,000.00 for expert reports such as doctors or builders. These people provide an expert opinion that can be used in court. A barrister may provide advice to you or appear at a hearing. We will advise you of an estimate of their costs.

Costs Agreements

The costs agreement that we give will address all of the above and you should read it carefully and return it to us signed. Call us if you have any questions.

Recovery of Costs 

lf you have a civil matter and you win or settle the matter. You can generally, have some of your costs paid to you. These are call "party/party" costs. This means that you only receive costs that are directly related to the litigation. If the other party is made an offer of compromise and your damages are close to what was offered to the other party and you win then you may able to obtain "indemnity costs". Which is close to all of your costs being recovered. However, in Local Court matters and some jurisdictions costs are fixed according to a schedule.

We will always strive to obtain your costs where possible.