Fees & FAQs
We know that great legal advice should be clear, practical, and delivered in a way that works for you. We offer fixed fees and retainers and partner with our clients to really understand how they work, what they need, and how we can best work together.
Questions about Fees
You let us know what you need, we scope the task and provide a fixed fee and time estimate for the work. Simple!
All of our fixed fees include all discussions with you and amendments to the documents until you’re happy with the result. That means no worrying about picking up the phone, or how many emails you’ve sent.
For some matters, we can provide fixed fees for various stages of work.
Retainers are generally fixed monthly rates, for a lawyer on tap.
They can work really well for businesses without their own in-house lawyer, who need reliable access to advice and assistance. It might be that you’re negotiating a big contract or going through a growth phase, or you’re at the point where you just need a lawyer in your pocket.
We can provide a set number of hours of legal assistance per month, and scale it up or down, depending on your needs.
If you’re not quite sure what you need, it’s virtually impossible to know what the scope of a matter really is, or you just like hourly rates – we can do hourly rates!
Standing hourly-rate agreements can work really well as an alternative to a retainer, for clients who want to be able to call or email for advice, and pay as they go.
Whether it’s one off advice, or an ongoing relationship, our clients appreciate our down to earth, friendly approach to legal advice, and sometimes even like calling us!
Employment Law FAQs
Yes. As a specialist commercial and employment law firm, all of our clients are businesses and employers.
Yes, all the time! Most employment related legislation is national, so geographic location generally isn’t relevant, and most Fair Work proceedings take place online or over the phone.
In the unlikely scenario where our location is going to be an issue, we can let you know early and work out a plan, or refer you to a great law firm that’s closer to you.
For everyday, business as usual employment relations matters, HR advisers are excellent. Even when it comes to managing performance, misconduct, termination and redundancy – many are great. Some of our longstanding clients are HR advisers, and people managers!
But not all HR advisers have legal experience or training, and a bungled termination process can land you in Fair Work and cause irreparable damage to your team and culture. We have mopped up many messes caused by well meaning people, which could have been avoided by even a single phone conversation.
Get in touch quickly. There are usually very tight timelines for responding to an employee claim (most often 7 days), and the sooner you get in touch, the better. We’re used to these timelines, but every day counts, and more time to prepare is always better.
Any kind of legal claim or letter can be stressful and devastating, but we can help you respond, understand your position, and either represent you or help you to represent yourself effectively.
Commercial Law FAQs
As early as possible, and before you sign anything! Even a “non-binding” Heads of Agreement or Expression of Interest can lock you in to commercial terms which might not be in your best interests.
The sooner you contact us, the better placed we are to help you to understand the contract, what it is you’re buying or selling, and negotiate on the finer points.
Once you sign a lease, you’re locked in to those terms for years. The lease document itself is one thing, but the critical thing is how it applies to your business, and whether the arrangement you reached with the agent or landlord is actually reflected in the documents. Are you able to run your business from that location? What kind of outgoings do you need to pay, and is the landlord legally able to pass those on to you? Are the rent increases sensible?
Before you sign, we can check the terms and any special conditions, ensure that it’s compliant with the law, and make sure you understand your obligations.
We’re lawyers, so of course we’ll tell you you need a contract. Even if you don’t have a written contract, you’ve probably got a contract – it’s just verbal, or implied.
Nobody signs a contract expecting to end up in a dispute, but disputes happen when people aren’t clear about their rights and obligations. Contracts provide clarity, a roadmap, and a process for resolving disputes.
