Fees and Prices

Family Law - Fees and Prices

Fixed fees apply when we are certain of the scope of work that needs to be done and the time involved to do it. We have fixed fees for Divorce Applications, Post Orders work - transfers of property titles, and for drafting simple Consent Orders when parties have reached an agreement. Details of the work we do for a fixed fee is set out below.

First Appointment - First Appointments for family law advice are for a fixed fee of $330 (inc gst)

Hourly rates apply for all work that is not 'fixed fee' work. Our hourly rates are:

Senior Associate Family Lawyers: $450 - $550  (+gst)

ParaLegal work: $250  (+gst)

While we have hourly rates, we focus more on how much it costs to get your matter progressed to a certain stage or to complete certain work for you.  We give written estimates for work we are retained to do.  For example, we will give an estimate for negotiation, then for drafting consent orders or if agreement hasn't been reached, we will estimate for mediation or for preparing court documents etc. 

Because our lawyers are so experienced, the work we do becomes less about the hourly rate and more about how much it costs to progress through the stages required to obtain agreement.  This is set out clearly in our Costs Agreement and discussed with you every step of the way.

We believe that negotiation, and court work cannot be offered for a fixed fee as it's impossible to know how long the work will take. Lawyers who advertise they will do this type of work for a fixed fee, more often than not, revise their fees regularly and charge an increased amount, soon after work commences. We charge an hourly rate and electronically record time taken and details of what we do on your matter so our clients receive an itemised invoice.   

Quotes and estimates are given in advance of any work we do and are based on how much time we think something will take as per our past experience.

Costs Agreements are provided to all of our clients. These contain details of our hourly rates and set out quotes and estimates for all types of work we do.

Retainer. Our usual retainer is $2,500. This is paid to our trust account after the initial appointment, once you decide to retain one of our lawyers. If your circumstances requires urgent and substantial work to be done immediately, the amount will be more. This will be discussed with you fully, in advance of you making any decisions about retaining us. 

Regular Communication. We regularly communicate with clients about fees. Legal fees can become very relevant to settling your family law matter. Court hearings are expensive, so costs incurred and fee estimates about what a matter may cost if it is litigated in court for 5 days needs to be factored into making offers and deciding if an offer of settlement is appropriate or not.

How to manage family law fees and progressing my matter as quickly as possible.

1. Provide documents in an organised manner - If you are asked to provide documents (bank statements etc for a property settlement negotiation) - provide documents in an organised manner: in chronological order, completely and named so we can easily identify what each document is. Doing this saves us time and saves you fees.
2. Provide accurate information quickly - If we ask for information or documents from you, it means we need them to progress your case.  Actioning our requests accurately and promptly means we don't need to spend time sending reminders or chasing up correct information.
3. Use your appointments wisely - Use your appointments to get to the bottom of legal problems. Make a list of your questions and take notes of key things your lawyer tells you.
4. Manage emails and phone calls efficiently - We charge for time spent on your matter which includes reading your emails and responding to them; and speaking to you on the phone. We want to know about all relevant issues, but use your discretion. Don't run up fees relaying information to us that is not relevant. And think about how you relay information. There may be times when its better to bundle emails/texts/social media posts from your ex and send them to us in one email - so they can be dealt with at one time - rather than on several occasions. Sending them through piecemeal in several emails can increase your fees, as we read every email you send us.  If you are unsure, call and speak to one of our family law secretaries. 
5. Value the advice given by your Lawyer - Rest assured our lawyers are working to achieve the best possible outcomes for you. It is their job to protect you and they take this seriously. Our family lawyers are experienced professionals. They appear in Court regularly; they are aware of all the relevant laws and possible outcomes; they know when to prioritise an urgent issue; and they completely understand all of your issues. They also understand the consequences of various actions, or failing to act. You are paying a lot of money for their advice and representation, please value it appropriately. Some of the decisions you need to make along the way to settlement or Court are difficult and do take time, but clients who need to receive/hear advice multiple times before making a decision or giving instructions, will run up unnecessary costs, as each time you speak with your lawyer, you are paying for their time.

Conversations with your lawyer about fees are never charged for.

While a court hearing is sometimes unavoidable, the quicker people can come to an agreement, the lower their fees with be.

Call Us  Contact us with your Questions

Divorce Applications

A Sole Application - Court Appearance from Lawyer is required

- usually applicable when there are children under 18. Fees include:

• Our professional fee of $1980 (inc gst)
• Court filing fee of approx $1,100
• Bailiff fee to Serve the Application and
• Fee for the Marriage Certificate.

A Sole Application - Court appearance from a lawyer is not required

- usually when there are no children under 18. Fees include:

• Our professional fee of $1320 (inc gst)
• Court filing fee of approx $1,100
• Bailiff fee to Serve the Application and
• Fee for the Marriage Certificate. 

First Appointment - $330

Your first meeting with us is a low fixed-fee of $330 (including gst) payable when you book your appointment.

We keep the cost of your first appointment low so you get to meet us before you choose to retain us. This fee gives you a one hour appointment with an experienced lawyer, plus a 15 minute follow up phone call from that lawyer a week later, so you have time to thinks about what you want to do next.

To speak with an experienced family lawyer about your situation is the best thing you can do. It really is worth finding out as much as you can about what happens in a separation. Do not put off coming to see us because you don’t think it’s worth it. It is always worth discussing your situation and your options with an experienced family lawyer.

By the end of your first appointment, you will know your options and have an idea of what to do next. We will also give you an estimate of what it will cost to retain us to represent you.  

Call Us  Contact us with your Questions