Understanding our legal fees

How much will I have to pay for legal advice?

So that you have a clear understanding of legal costs, before we start work on your behalf we will explain to you in detail:

  • How we calculate our fees
  • The likely costs involved to prepare and run your case
  • Any additional costs that may be incurred
  • How fees can be minimised
  • Any costs that may be recoverable from, or payable by you to, another party

How are legal fees decided?

Jim Brooks’ fees will usually be decided using an agreed hourly rate or by using official court scales or other statutory scales which set out what should be charged for a particular task.

Jim Brooks’ hourly rate is probably what you would expect for a legally-qualified practitioner with more than two decade’s post-admission experience and unique professional history.

Will there be any extra expenses?

In most legal matters, you will be required to incur expenses for services incurred on your behalf. These expenses are called disbursements.

All reasonable disbursements that cannot be recovered from the other party will form part of the legal costs payable by you. Examples of disbursements include fees charged by courts, doctors, experts and barristers, travel or accommodation.

We will usually require you to make a contribution towards the disbursements incurred or to be incurred on your behalf.

No disbursements will be made by Jim Brooks without your prior approval.

A written costs agreement will usually be prepared for you.

What about the costs of going to court?

Jim Brooks is committed to providing you with clear and complete information about your likely legal costs before you commit to taking any court action. We will explain, discuss and negotiate legal costs with you before starting your claim or other action.

It can be difficult to predict whether a case will settle early or proceed to a court hearing. Some court hearings can be short and others lengthy. It is also very difficult to predict the time required to resolve some disputes, or conduct some investigations.  If we cannot predict the likely direction your matter will take, we will provide you with information about the potential costs at each stage of your matter.

You can be assured that your case will be continually monitored and assessed to ensure you are not exposed to an unreasonable risk of having to pay the other party’s costs.

Jim Brooks always applies a discount rate for Indigenous individuals and organisations, and many community groups.

Jim Brooks undertakes substantial pro bono work, that is, work for which the firm does not charge. On average, the firm provides more than 300 hours per year on a pro bono basis.  The decision to provide pro bono service is Jim Brooks’, based on the client’s circumstances.

Talk to me

If you would like more information about legal costs, please don’t hesitate to get in touch either by email or by calling Jim Brooks direct on 0412 353 735.