HOW WE CHARGE

FIRST MEETINGS

We charge a discounted fee for our first meeting with new clients. That way, you can get to know us at an affordable cost. During this meeting, we aim to give you advice about your entitlements, what pitfalls to look out for, and how to reach your desired outcome. To find out more about the discount, please call us on 03 9803 5673 or email us at office@rsfamilylawyers.com.au.

DRAFTING SETTLEMENT AGREEMENTS

If you and your partner have already reached an agreement, we will offer you a fixed fee quote to draft a settlement agreement to document the terms of the agreement in a legally binding manner, so that your partner can’t change his or her mind and seek a further division in the future. Some types of settlement agreements can also enable you to avoid capital gains tax and stamp duty when transferring assets between former spouses.

FIXED FEE DIVORCES

From 1 January 2024, if you retain us to assist you with your property settlement and or custody agreement, we will reduce our fixed fee for drafting and filing a Joint Application for Divorce to $895 plus GST. In addition, there is a fee payable to the Court, the cost of which will depend on your personal circumstances.

NEGOTIATIONS OR GOING TO COURT

If you require us to assist you to negotiate an agreement or represent you in Court, where possible, we will provide a fixed fee quote so you can engage us with peace of mind. We will usually provide a fixed fee quote for attending mediation and certain stages of court proceedings such as drafting court documents and appearing in a specific court hearing. In some situations, we will give you a fee estimate for a scope of works instead.

PAY-AT-THE-END FEE ARRANGEMENTS

If you have limited funds with which to pay your legal fees, we are happy to discuss an arrangement where your fees are paid from an interim property settlement or from your final property settlement. We usually agree to these types of arrangements if there is an asset against which we can secure the payment of our fees. If there are third-party costs such as court fees, barrister fees, or valuer fees, you will still need to pay those costs upfront as third-party service providers do not usually accept a pay-at-the-end arrangement.

VALUE FOR MONEY

To reduce your overall costs, we will arrange for an associate level lawyer to complete the simpler aspects of your case. For example, arranging for the exchange of financial documents, drafting basic correspondence, and arranging valuations. The overall strategy and direction of your case will be set by a senior lawyer, with input from you. Key correspondence, settlement agreements, and court documents will always be reviewed by a senior lawyer and approved by you, before they are finalised. We do not charge you for basic administration tasks such as photocopying, unless there is a large volume of documents to be processed. Simple tasks such as compiling financial indexes and collating documents for barrister briefs are usually done by our administrative assistant, at a much lower rate than a lawyer’s rate, to save you costs.