What you need to know 

For most complaints you must try to resolve the issue with the lawyer first. If you have tried and cannot fix the problem, or it's not reasonable for you to do so, we may be able to help.

Please consider the information below before making a complaint.

When you hire a lawyer in Victoria they charge professional fees for their services.

How much they will charge you depends on a few things such as:

• how much time you need them for
• how complex the work is
• who works on your legal matter, and
• the type and quality of legal services they offer.

There are several billing methods that lawyers may use to charge for their services.

Their fee for service must be ‘fair and reasonable’ or you can dispute their bill within your rights under the Uniform Law. 

You can choose how often you are billed and how your costs are listed. Some legal bills only include the total amount due, others list all (or part) of the cost per item of work. Please discuss these options with your lawyer. 

You can receive a bill for a part of the legal services that your lawyer will provide. For example, you can ask to pay your bill monthly or during set stages. 

Your bill should reflect the estimate given to you in your costs disclosure for any legal work that will cost more than $750 in total.

A costs disclosure is a written estimate of the costs you can expect to pay for your lawyer's professional services. Amongst other things, it should explain your rights as a consumer, including how to dispute the bill and any time limits that may apply. 

Example: 

Here is an example of what your lawyer may include in their costs disclosure:

A lawyer’s bill is in two parts.

1. Professional services - a fee for performing the actual work. 
2. Other expenses - these are fees or other charges the lawyer may incur on your behalf. They are known in legal terms as disbursements. They may include, court filing, barrister’s fees and other expert’s fees, bank charges, travel expenses, stamp duty, courier’s fees,  attendance fees (to serve or collect documents), photocopying fees and company or other search fees.

When you are looking for a lawyer it’s important to find someone who’s right for you and your situation. You can use our register to search for a registered lawyer. The Law Institute of Victoria also offers consumers a legal referral service.

Make a list of lawyers you are interested in. Call their office for an introductory meeting. It helps to know how much a lawyer will charge you for their professional services before you hire them.

Here is a list of 6 questions you should ask the lawyer.

This list is also available in Easy English or you can use our translate button on the top right hand corner of this page for different languages.

Your lawyer must give you a bill before they ask you to pay your account. 

They cannot charge you for preparing or giving you their bill.

Refer to our Before making an enquiry or complaint page.