Key points
- Go To Court: a 60-minute initial consultation with a qualified lawyer is a fixed $295; any further work is quoted separately.
- A price in writing: in NSW, Victoria and WA a lawyer must disclose how costs will be calculated and an estimate of the total once costs are likely to exceed $750; the threshold is $1,500 in Queensland, SA, the ACT and the NT.
- Your rights: a negotiated costs agreement, an itemised bill (ask within 30 days), free progress reports, and no charge for a bill.
- No win, no fee is allowed except in criminal and family law cases; any uplift is capped at 25% of the legal costs, and fees based on a share of your compensation are banned.
- Disputing a bill: in NSW, Victoria and WA, complain to the regulator within 60 days (30 days after an itemised bill); a court costs assessment is generally within 12 months (6 months in SA).
- Official court scales (what a winner can recover from the loser) run from $459 to $918 an hour in Victoria's Supreme Court and $308 to $902 in WA.
- Call 1800 577 015 at any hour for free general legal information from Jen, our AI assistant.
In NSW, Victoria and Western Australia a lawyer must disclose how costs will be calculated and an estimate of the total once legal costs are likely to exceed $750 ($1,500 in Queensland, South Australia, the ACT and the Northern Territory), and a client can dispute a bill with the state regulator, in NSW, Victoria and WA within 60 days of it becoming payable.
Checked on 23 October 2026 against the Legal Profession Uniform Law, the legal profession Acts of Queensland, South Australia, the ACT and the Northern Territory, the court costs scales of Western Australia and Victoria, and the costs regulators.
Legal fees depend on the lawyer, the work required, the complexity of the matter and how it develops. A single nationwide hourly-rate estimate is therefore rarely useful.
Go To Court’s initial consultation fee
A 60-minute initial consultation costs $295. It is with a qualified lawyer and may take place by phone, video or in person, depending on the matter, location and lawyer availability.
The consultation gives you time to explain the matter, ask questions and discuss possible next steps. The lawyer’s ability to give a concluded view depends on the information and documents available.
What the initial fee does not cover
The $295 consultation fee does not automatically include court appearances, letters, negotiations, document preparation or other ongoing work. If further work is appropriate, ask the lawyer to explain:
- the proposed scope of work;
- the basis on which fees will be charged;
- likely disbursements or third-party costs;
- what could cause the estimate to change; and
- the next decision point before more costs are incurred.
Above the amounts below, the law requires much of this in a costs disclosure.
When a lawyer must tell you the cost
| Where | No disclosure needed if costs are not likely to exceed | Above that |
|---|---|---|
| NSW, Victoria and WA | $750 | Up to $3,000, the lawyer may use a short standard disclosure form; above $3,000, a full written disclosure of how costs will be calculated and an estimate of the total |
| Queensland | $1,500 | Up to $3,000, disclosure may be made orally but must then be confirmed in writing; above $3,000, detailed disclosure in writing |
| South Australia, the ACT and the NT | $1,500 | Disclosure is required |
The amounts exclude GST and disbursements (costs such as court filing fees, barristers' fees and the cost of reports). Under the Uniform Law that applies in NSW, Victoria and WA, a written disclosure must be given when, or as soon as practicable after, you first give instructions, and again if there is a significant change. The Legal Services Council has consulted on raising the $3,000 figure to $10,000; the higher figure was not in force when we checked.
Your rights about costs and bills
- Fair and reasonable: a lawyer must charge no more than fair and reasonable costs in all the circumstances.
- A costs agreement: you have the right to require a negotiated costs agreement.
- Bills: a bill can be a lump sum or itemised. You can ask for an itemised bill within 30 days after the costs become payable, and the lawyer must give it within 21 days. The lawyer cannot charge for preparing a bill.
- Progress reports: on reasonable request, the lawyer must give you a written report of the costs so far, free of charge.
- Time to pay: a lawyer cannot sue you for fees until at least 30 days after giving you the bill (or the itemised bill you asked for), or while a costs dispute is with the regulator.
- If the lawyer did not disclose properly: any costs agreement is void, and you do not have to pay until the costs are assessed or the dispute is decided. Queensland's Act has the same rule: you need not pay unless the costs have been assessed.
These are the Uniform Law's rules for NSW, Victoria and WA; the other states and territories have their own Acts with similar protections.
No win, no fee
- Allowed in most matters: a conditional costs agreement, where you pay only if the case succeeds, is allowed except in criminal matters and Family Law Act cases (NSW, Victoria, WA, Queensland and the ACT; under the Uniform Law, also some others named in its rules). South Australia also excludes child protection, custody, guardianship and adoption matters.
- The uplift cap: any extra fee for success is capped at 25% of the legal costs, excluding disbursements, in court matters (NSW, Victoria, WA, Queensland, SA and the ACT; in the NT, a percentage set by regulation). It is a percentage of the fees, not of your compensation.
- No share of the winnings: a fee calculated as a share of what you are awarded is banned under the Uniform Law and in Queensland, SA and the NT. The Victorian regulator notes one exception: certain class actions, where the court must approve the arrangement.
- You can still pay if you lose: the Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner warns that no win, no fee "does not mean there is nothing to pay if you lose". You may have to pay disbursements, and part of the other side's legal costs.
- Queensland personal injury: on a no win, no fee personal injury claim, the lawyer cannot take more than half of what you receive after refunds and disbursements, unless the Law Society approves more.
What official court scales show
No regulator publishes an average hourly rate. Courts do publish scales: the most a winning party can recover from the losing side, not what your own lawyer must charge.
| Scale | Maximum hourly rates |
|---|---|
| Western Australia, Supreme and District Courts (from 21 September 2026, including GST) | Senior practitioner $660; junior practitioner $484; restricted practitioner $407; clerk or paralegal $308; counsel $660 ($6,600 a day); senior counsel $902 ($9,020 a day) |
| Supreme Court of Victoria (work from 1 January 2026, excluding GST) | Lawyer of 10 or more years $918; 5 to 9 years $663; under 5 years $459; non-lawyer employee doing legal work $398; clerical work $296 |
Hourly rates are most commonly charged in six-minute units, according to the Victorian regulator.
Disputing a lawyer's bill
| Where | Who handles complaints about costs | Time limits |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | Office of the Legal Services Commissioner, 1800 242 958 | Complain within 60 days after the costs become payable, or 30 days after an itemised bill you asked for (up to 4 months more in some cases). Court costs assessment: within 12 months of the bill. |
| Victoria | Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner, 1300 796 344 | The same 60 and 30 days. The regulator says a bill more than 6 months old is too old for it to formally consider. Costs assessment: within 12 months. |
| Western Australia | Legal Practice Board of WA, (08) 6211 3600 | The same 60 and 30 days, with up to 4 months more for a good reason. Costs assessment: within 12 months. |
| Queensland | Legal Services Commission, 07 3564 7726 (outside Brisbane 1300 655 754) | Costs assessment: within 12 months after the bill or request for payment. |
| South Australia | Legal Profession Conduct Commissioner | Overcharging complaints: the Commissioner need not investigate one received more than 2 years after the final bill. Supreme Court adjudication: within 6 months after the bill. |
| ACT | ACT Law Society, 02 6274 0300 | Complaints within 3 years of the conduct. Costs assessment: within 12 months after the bill. |
| Northern Territory | Law Society NT, (08) 8981 5104 | Costs assessment: within 12 months after the bill. |
| Tasmania | Legal Profession Board of Tasmania, (03) 6226 3000 (complaints are free) | Ask the Board; we could not read Tasmania's Act in its official form. |
- Which disputes the regulator can handle (NSW, Victoria and WA, 2026-27): a total bill under $314,330, or a larger bill where the amount in dispute is under $31,440. The NSW Commissioner can make a binding decision up to $31,440.
- Assessment costs: under the Uniform Law, the lawyer usually pays the costs of an assessment if the bill is cut by 15% or more.
- Try raising the bill with your lawyer first: the NSW Commissioner recommends it.
Free legal information and other services
Call 1800 577 015 at any time for general legal information from Jen, our AI assistant. There is no Go To Court consultation fee for that information service. Jen is not a lawyer, does not represent you and does not give legal advice.
If cost is a barrier, the Australian Attorney-General’s Department's legal assistance services page links to the legal aid commission in each state and territory, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander legal services and community legal centres. The Department says legal aid commissions' information and telephone advice are often free, but a grant of legal aid for representation depends on means and merits tests. Our legal advice page lists free legal help lines in every state and territory.
Request a consultation
Submit a consultation request online or call 1800 577 015. We check the area of law, jurisdiction, conflicts and availability before confirming a suitable lawyer. A particular lawyer, location or appointment time cannot be guaranteed.
General information only, not legal advice. Prices and service details checked 26 August 2026. The law on costs updated 23 October 2026: checked against the Legal Profession Uniform Law (Victoria's authorised version; the same law applies in NSW and WA), the Legal Profession Act 2007 (Qld), the Legal Practitioners Act 1981 (SA), the Legal Profession Act 2006 (ACT), the Legal Profession Act 2006 (NT), the Legal Services Council, the WA Legal Costs Committee's Determination 2026, the Supreme Court of Victoria's Scale of Costs, the Office of the Legal Services Commissioner (NSW), the Victorian Legal Services Board and Commissioner, the Legal Practice Board of WA, Queensland's Legal Services Commission, the Legal Profession Board of Tasmania, the ACT Law Society, the Law Society NT, the Supreme Court of NSW and the Attorney-General's Department, on 23 October 2026. Tasmania's Act could not be read in its official form that day.