ESTABLISHED IN 2018 MEETING ONLINE, AT HEIDELBERG & BALLARAT
TERMS & CONDITIONS OF ENGAGEMENT
Our Contract With You
Good Communication = Good Relationships
We're upfront with you about how and when we work for you, so there's no confusion when it comes to billing and payments. Good communication builds great working relationships - and that's what we want with you.
Our Engagement
You engage us to perform legal work for you. Legal work is thinking, reading, writing and talking.
That work includes providing legal advice and representation for you. We do that based on these general terms and conditions, and any further terms and conditions we add to reflect your unique matter.
You may negotiate with us about billing to meet your needs however we may not be able to meet your request. We will tell you if we cannot meet your request as soon as we can reasonably make and communicate the decision.
Billing & Payments
We bill monthly in arrears for the work we have done, or as appropriate in the case we may bill you earlier than at the end of the month if the matter ends. Your bill will include legal work and disbursements. Disbursements are file operation costs like phone calls, emails, express or registered post, couriers, barristers, Court/Tribunal fees, or fees for third party services like paralegals or transcription/recording/photocopying services.
You must pay each tax invoice in full within 14 days of receiving it. If you have a question about the bill, you must raise it promptly to allow us to manage your concerns.
If you do not pay on time, we may charge you interest on the tax invoice at a rate of 2% per annum higher than the cash target rate set by the Reserve Bank of Australia.
If you fail to pay your bill, we will list your failure to pay with a credit reporting agency. You accept this as notice of our intention to make the listing in accordance with the Privacy (Credit Reporting) Code 2014 (Cth).
If you have a concern that we cannot address, you may seek independent legal advice from a private lawyer at your own cost or through a community legal service, or talk with the Victorian Legal Services Commissioner.
You expressly consent to communications by email including receipt of tax invoices and costs disclosure as required.
If you are a director of a company or an individual in a partnership, we will hold you personally responsible for paying our tax invoices to the extent the law allows.
Working Together
You agree to communicate with us professionally and courteously at all times. We will treat you in the same way.
You accept responsibility for checking email, reading and responding to correspondence including email, and acting quickly to ensure your instructions to us are provided in a timely manner.
You accept responsibility for the costs incurred when you require us to chase you for information including if you fail to follow through on your promises to us.
You agree to keep us informed about developments in your matter, especially where we could not know about the development from anyone but you. This happens when there is not a solicitor on the other side, or where the Courts are not involved.
You agree not to act contrary to our advice including about with whom we authorise you to discuss our advice to you, especially in litigation/court matters.
You agree to be honest, candid and to provide whatever information we need. You accept responsibility for the consequences of not meeting this obligation.
Ending Our Relationship
If we consider that our working relationship is no longer viable, we will stop working for you. We will tell third parties like your business partner on the other side of a case, opposing solicitors, experts and other professionals involved in the case, and the Courts/tribunals that we have stopped acting.
When we stop working for you, subject to the exceptions in the law, we will not release your file until we are paid in full.
If we must engage a debt recovery firm, you accept that we will pass those costs on to you.
If you breach any of the above rules, we reserve the right to terminate our relationship and exercise our right to keep your file until all of our fees and disbursements are paid. Our discretion is singular and we may not be able to provide reasons to you.
Working Together In Your Interests
