At Justice Crew Legal Services we understand that clients want certainty about their legal fees. When you engage our firm we will provide you with an estimate of your initial legal fees.
If you decide to move forward with us, you will receive a letter of engagement setting out the work we will do for you and the anticipated costs. As your matter progresses, if any further costs are anticipated, we will communicate and discuss these with you.
We have always aimed to keep our fees at a rate that is accessible to everyone. Due to recent increases in expenses we have had to increase our fees modestly.
We offer one-hour initial consultations for a reasonable price of $440.00 including GST. If we are then engaged for ongoing work in relation to the same matter, a credit of $220.00 will be applied to the next invoice.
In order to make the most of your initial consultation you should ensure you have all relevant paperwork ready and have any specific questions you want addressed written down.
Often legal matters can be confusing, use a lot of unfamiliar words, or cause heightened emotions. You are welcome to take notes, bring a support person or ask additional questions as they arise.
We will try to help you to keep focused on the legal issues at hand to make the most of your time. Sometimes the things that seem important to you may not be things that we are qualified to assist with and we will provide appropriate referrals where we can.
After your initial consultation you will be provided with a letter of engagement outlining the work we propose to do for you and the expected cost for that stage of your matter.
You will receive ongoing, updated letters of engagement for each new stage that your matter progresses to, allowing you to choose to continue with or without our assistance, and ensuring that you aren’t incurring large lump sum invoices without notice.
We understand that most people can’t afford unexpected bills. Wherever possible we will provide “fixed fees” for the work we do. The cost provided to you will usually cover our preparation, communication, and a Court appearance for a designated step (usually up to a Court date).
If you are experiencing financial difficulties you can ask us about our payment plans. The earlier you seek our assistance the better the payment options will be.
If our total estimated fees are over $750.00 we are legally obliged to also provide you with a Costs Disclosure Statement.
A Costs Disclosure is an overall estimate of anticipated legal costs for the entirety of your matter, including all Court appearances and preparation work. In most cases, fees will not reach the overall anticipated costs on a matter.
There are some matters and circumstances where Legal Aid will fund us to act on your behalf. We can help assess your eligibility and prepare an application for Legal Aid on your behalf.
Legal Aid doesn’t provide funding for all matters. For example, they won’t generally assist with traffic offences such as drink driving or speeding.
Legal Aid tests applications on both means and merit. This means that you must be eligible based on income and assets as well as whether your matter has reasonable prospects.
For Criminal Matters Legal Aid is only available if you are at risk of immediate imprisonment. Read more about Legal Aid funding for Criminal Matters here, or find out more information about privately funded criminal matters here.
For Family Violence Intervention Order Matters, Applicants are only eligible for a grant from Legal Aid once the matter has been listed for a Contested Hearing and where we have assessed that the Intervention Order is more likely than not to be granted.
Respondents to Family Violence Intervention Order Matters are only eligible for a grant from Legal Aid if they are under 18, deprived of an important right by the proposed order or in custody as a result of the alleged family violence offending. They must also be assessed by us as more likely than not to be successful in contesting the Intervention Order Application.
Any preparation work such as Further & Better Particulars, or Court appearances such as Mentions or Directions Hearings will require you to self-represent, use the Duty Lawyer Service available at Court on the day, or pay for a lawyer privately.
You can read more about our fees for privately funded Intervention Order Matters here.
Legal Aid do not provide funding for Personal Safety Interventions Order Matters at all. You will be required to self-represent, or pay for a lawyer privately for these matters. You can read more about our fees for privately funded Intervention Order Matters here.
You can always contact our office for more information and a brief assessment to determine if you will be eligible for Legal Aid funding.