What We Can Do For You
We can provide you with objective and considered legal advice from a position of many years of experience and study.
To best serve you, we need complete instructions from you including copies of all relevant documents. If we are not given complete instructions or all the relevant documents, our advice to may be incomplete or wrong or we may not provide advice about the best solution available to you.
If you are not sure whether something is relevant or important, let’s talk about it. Our legal advice may change if new information and documents come to light.
Your matter is important to us as we will respond to your questions in writing or orally as soon as possible. It is important to understand that we must make judgements about what work must be given priority.
When appropriate, you will be the client receiving that priority as we are fortunate to have numerous clients given our reputation for exceptional client service.
What happens when our lawyer is away
If your usual lawyer is on leave or is otherwise unavailable and cannot respond to your questions in the time frame you would like, let us know and we will have another lawyer from our office assist you.
What We Can’t Do For You
We cannot predict or control the behaviour of other parties involved in negotiations or disputes. If you’re in Court proceedings, we can’t control how the Court manages cases or its decisions.
While we may not always be able to make you feel better during stressful times, we can guide you through the process. This usually helps clients feel more at ease with what’s happening.
Our role is not to make decisions for you. We need your instructions to:
- Complete documents
- Negotiate on your behalf
- Resolve disputes
We are bound by professional duties under:
- The Legal Profession Act 2008
- The Legal Profession Conduct Rules
- Our duties as officers of the Court
Because of this, we take care when writing documents, letters, and emails. We assume anything we write could be:
- Reviewed
- Used as evidence in Court
This careful approach may take time but leads to better results for you.
We cannot simply be a mouthpiece for you, nor can we act in a way that could mislead another party or the Court.
What Work Do We Charge For?
We charge for the following services:
- Meeting with you (including the first meeting)
- Attending Court (if proceedings are required)
- Reading emails and letters received from you, the other party, or their solicitor
- Reviewing documents sent to us by you or the other party
- Drafting documents
- Amending documents
- All telephone calls to or from you or the other party
Our charges are based on the Costs Agreement that we ask you to enter into. We do not accept instructions unless it’s under this agreement.
We provide the applicable rate under the relevant costs determination (the maximum charge allowable by law without an agreement), so you can compare it to the rate in our Costs Agreement.
If we think you may be eligible for legal aid, we will inform you. We may also assist in making the application.
Cost estimates are not fixed fees. If we believe costs will exceed our previous estimates, we will notify you.
In special circumstances, we may agree to act for a fixed fee.
If You Go To Court
We understand that going to Court is a stressful experience for most people. It can be helpful to have moral
support from a friend or family member when you attend. Talk to us about what to expect as we find that being
forewarned about what to expect removes much of the stress from the experience.
Your Obligations as a Client
We need to identify you to proceed with your instructions. The law requires us to do this to prevent identity fraud. If we have recorded any of your personal details incorrectly, please let us know and we will correct our records as soon as we can.
You can help us do the best job possible for you by:
- Responding to our requests for instructions and information promptly;
- Giving and continuing to give full and frank disclosure of relevant information and documents. If we become aware that you are concealing information that ought to be disclosed , we have. a duty to cease representing you.
Our aim is to help you through what can be a difficult and expensive process. We will try to achieve the outcome you require. In exchange we ask you to treat us and our staff courteously. If you have a concern or complaint, speak to your lawyer or ask to speak to the supervising partner.
Communicating With The Other Party’s Lawyer
Lawyers have professional obligations not to communicate directly with people who are represented by lawyers. If you have your own lawyer, the other party’s lawyer will not be able to communicate directly with you if you contact them.
Confidentiality
What you tell us is confidential. We cannot even advise somebody else that we represent you, or discuss your case with anyone, unless you authorise us to do so.