Fees and payment policy
Our fees are set out up front so you can make an informed decision before anything begins.
What it costs.
Commencement fee
$3,300 including GST, paid up front to open your matter. This is not a separate charge on top of our fees — it is funds held on account, and our work is drawn down against it.
How the commencement fee is applied
Administration fee — $300 + GST
The first draw-down from your commencement fee. A one-off amount covering file setup and administration. It is not an additional charge.
Investigative work — $250 + GST per hour
Drawn down against the balance. After the administration fee, $2,700 + GST remains — approximately 10.8 hours of investigative work.
Before the balance runs out
We tell you before your funds on account are exhausted, and nothing substantial continues without your agreement.
A worked example
- Commencement fee paid
- $3,300.00 (incl GST)
- Less administration fee
- −$330.00 (incl GST)
- Balance available for work
- $2,970.00 (incl GST)
= $2,700 net ≈ 10.8 hours at $250 + GST per hour.
All fees exclude GST unless stated.
How we bill
- Work is recorded in six-minute increments.
- Invoices are issued monthly, or at the conclusion of a matter, whichever is sooner.
- Invoices are payable within 7 days.
Disbursements
- Third-party costs such as searches, records requests and travel are charged at cost, and agreed with you in advance where material.
Estimates
- We provide an estimate of likely cost at the outset, and tell you before work would exceed it.
- An estimate is not a fixed quote.
Refunds
- Time already worked is never refundable.
- The administration fee is non-refundable once your matter is opened.
- Anything not yet applied to work, disbursements or the administration fee is refunded on request.
What we don't offer
- We do not offer pro-bono work, “no win, no fee” or deferred-fee arrangements, and we do not take large retainers.
No guarantee of outcome
- We cannot guarantee a result. What we guarantee is that we work as hard as we lawfully can to find the evidence that fairly supports your objective.
Rate reviews
- Rates are reviewed annually. Any change is notified in writing before it applies, and does not change the fees agreed in a signed letter of engagement for an existing matter.
Questions
If anything here is unclear, contact us.
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