How does Northside Lawyers keep your costs down?

At Northside Lawyers, we prioritise keeping legal costs low through a
commitment to efficiency and client-centric practices. Bill Morris was a Magistrate in South Australia for about 8 years, and he has seen firsthand how expensive access to justice really is. In his view, legal costs need to be actively considered and reviewed by the lawyer at all material times to see how they can be reduced or expenses avoided.

With over 35 years of experience, we have only increased our fees twice by minimising overheads, such as avoiding expensive advertising and credit card fees, which allows us to pass the savings directly to you. Our skilled team utilises advanced software to streamline processes, reducing the time spent on your files. By requiring clients to deposit funds into a trust account for estimated costs, we maintain steady cash flow without costly reminders, enabling us to offer affordable legal services while ensuring the highest quality representation.

Lawyers are legally obligated to provide clients with an estimate of legal costs, an explanation of how those fees are calculated, and important consumer information regarding rights and obligations. Northside Lawyers ensures this information is given upfront.

It’s important to understand that estimates are not fixed quotes and can vary based on several factors. Costs may exceed estimates due to unforeseen circumstances such as the other party’s defence strategies, court availability, the need for expert testimony, communication demands, and changes in the scope of work. Therefore, while experienced lawyers can offer reliable estimates, actual charges will depend on the complexity and developments of each case.

Before engaging a lawyer, it’s crucial to obtain a written estimate of your expected total legal fees, especially if costs will be high. At Northside Lawyers, we encourage open discussions about legal costs and offer a free initial consultation to help you understand how we can keep expenses down.

Our current hourly rate is $440 plus GST, but we utilise our skilled non-legal staff who charge lower rates to do non-legal work wherever possible, which keeps your costs down.  Be sure to review the terms of service document, which outlines how fees are charged and the conditions under which they may exceed initial estimates. All lawyers are required to provide clear terms and cost estimates.

Choosing the right lawyer involves more than just considering their hourly rate. A lawyer with a low rate may end up costing you more in the long run if they require many hours to resolve your case. At Northside Lawyers, we combine our extensive experience with the latest technology and efficient work practices to provide cost-effective legal solutions. Our modern office utilises advanced tools, including speech recognition software, to minimise billable hours while achieving the best outcomes for our clients. Take advantage of our free initial consultation to discuss how we can help keep your legal costs down.

  • It is the usual business practice of Northside Lawyers, as it is of many lawyers, to ask for funds to be deposited into our trust account in advance of commencing to do legal work on a client’s matter. (As explained elsewhere in these FAQs, this is one of the ways we have of keeping our hourly rates to you as low as possible.)
  • When a client deposits funds into our trust account an entry is made in the trust ledger showing the amount of funds which are now held in trust in that client’s name.
  • Northside Lawyers cannot deal with that money held in trust for a client unless the client first expressly or impliedly approves of the transaction.
  • At certain stages of the work being done for you, Northside Lawyers will send you a detailed invoice for the legal costs to date for that work done. If you do not have an issue with the invoice, then the funds held in our trust account in your name will be applied to pay that invoice.
  • If you do have an issue with the invoice, or a query about it, we will not transfer the funds to pay that invoice until the query has been resolved between us.
  • If there are funds remaining in our trust account held in your name once your matter is finalised then we will refund those unused funds to you.
  • All lawyers are obliged by law to provide an invitation for you to consider the terms of the services they are offering to you. This is often called a ‘terms of service’ document (also called a retainer or a costs agreement).
  • It is an invitation to consider the terms of our services, and you are not obligated to agree to it unless you wish to do so.
  • The main feature of the terms of service we supply at Northside Lawyers is that even if you have signed or indicated by email that you have accepted our terms of service, you can still change your mind at any time and cancel the agreement. You will only be asked to pay for the legal services we have provided up to that point. There are no penalties for cancelling our services.
  • There are other documents that will be attached to the email, which we will usually send you our terms of service. These other documents are consumer-type information that is worthy of reading, as they set out your rights in relation to legal costs.
  • Whilst the terms of service document is lengthy, please do not let this deter you from reading it. Much of it consists of disclosures which we are obliged to make to you because of legislation designed to protect your interests. You are not charged for the preparation of the terms of service document.
  • If there are any matters in our terms of service that you disagree with or do not understand, please feel free to contact us. You are, of course, entitled to obtain independent legal advice as to the contents of our terms of service if you choose to do so.

At Northside Lawyers, we do not offer ‘No Win, No Fee’ arrangements. Instead, we may provide a ‘deferred payment arrangement,’ which is often more cost-effective for clients.

While some lawyers do offer ‘No Win, No Fee,’ it’s crucial to understand that if you lose, you may still incur costs, including the legal fees of the other party and various disbursements like court fees and expert report costs. Furthermore, almost all ‘No Win, No Fee’ agreements include an additional ‘uplift factor’ or success fee, typically around 20%, increasing your overall costs.

A deferred payment arrangement can be on the basis that we agree you will pay our fees only when you get paid as part of the settlement that we achieve together in relation to your matter.

Unlike the No Win, No Fee arrangement, there are no extra costs to you and no uplift factors.

This is straightforward: if you don’t have the funds to proceed with your matter, discuss with us whether it is suitable for a deferred payment arrangement.

There are no additional costs to you beyond our standard low fees.

The best way to sort this out is to schedule a free first consultation with us.

Can’t find the answer you’re looking for? Contact our friendly team, and we’ll be happy to help!