PERTH OFFICE: Suite 156B, Level 1, 22 St Georges Terrace, Perth, WA, 6000
JOONDALUP OFFICE: Unit 9, 10 Reid Promenade, Joondalup, Perth, WA, 6027
Legal Costs
Initial Consultation
Wise Family Lawyers is committed to being transparent in our costs to you. Your first, no-obligation 60-minute consultation is a fixed fee of just $400 (plus GST) at our Joondalup or Perth CBD offices. Depending on the complexity or urgency of your matter, you may require extra consultation time, and, in this instance, our normal hourly rates will apply after 60 minutes. Please call us for our hourly rates. Your first appointment with Wise Family Lawyers is critical. This is the time we sit down with you and listen to your story. We assess your current family issues, your financial and/or parenting situation, and what you would like to achieve. We then provide you with options and advice on the best way to move forward with your case.
We will also provide you with:
- Verbal and written information about the rates we charge for our work.
- Initial estimates of the overall cost of your case if your matter proceeds to court or if your matter settles at an earlier stage.
- What will the next step be if you decide to engage Wise Family Lawyers?
- Our lawyers can meet with you at our Joondalup and Perth CBD offices or at a convenient and mutually agreed place.
Fixed Fees
Unlike many other law firms, Wise Family Lawyers is happy to provide fixed fees for some standard work. We know from experience that even though everybody's personal situation is unique, many of the processes we undertake to resolve specific issues are the same for all clients. This means that we can offer set fees for certain tasks so that you know exactly what you will have to pay.
Hourly Rates
Aside from the fixed fees of services listed above, our work is otherwise undertaken on an hourly rate basis. Unlike most law firms, Wise Family Lawyers do not bill in 6-minute increments (or 1 unit). Wise Family Lawyers will bill for the actual time spent on tasks and consultations; for example, a 3-minute task will be billed 3 minutes, not 6 minutes (or 1 unit).
What to Expect From Us
We will:
- Send you itemised interim bills so that you are regularly informed of your ongoing legal costs.
- Discuss any substantial disbursements (out-of-pocket expenses such as barrister's fees, accounting, valuation and witnesses' fees) with you before they are incurred.
- Provide you with written information about your rights in relation to legal costs.
- Provide prompt responses to any queries about your costs or bills.
Regarding Your Legal Costs
- You will be asked to sign a written costs agreement and disclosure statement which sets out the way we charge for our services.
- You will be expected to pay your bills promptly.
- You will be asked to provide money to be held in our trust account for the payment of your legal costs and disbursements (out-of-pocket expenses).
- If you cannot pay your costs regularly as the matter proceeds or from your assets, income or funds borrowed from relatives, you will need to apply for a loan or litigation funding if you want us to continue to act for you.
- Generally speaking, in family law matters, each party shall bear its own costs for the proceedings. In limited circumstances, you may be successful in applying to the court for an order that allows for costs to be paid from within the asset pool to enable you to pay your legal costs and disbursements and continue with the court case. This is known as a "Barro Order" or sometimes a "Hogan Order".