Key points
- You can ask for a lawyer in the Gold Coast today. Call 1800 577 015 at any hour: the free line gives general legal information straight away, and a 60-minute consultation with a lawyer who practises in Queensland is a fixed $295, by phone, video or in person. Urgent requests are taken at any hour; how soon the lawyer can see you depends on who is free, so a particular time cannot be promised.
- What lawyers cost on the Gold Coast: firms that publish their prices offer a free first call of 15 to 20 minutes, or a free first consultation, and charge $440 including GST to $500 plus GST for a first in-person hour; published hourly rates run from $350 to $550 (read on the firms' own websites, 23 October 2026). Our consultation is $295 for 60 minutes, and the lawyer tells you what any further work would cost before you commit.
- Free legal help: Legal Aid Queensland on 1300 65 11 88, 8:30am to 4:30pm Monday to Friday; a free duty lawyer at most Queensland Magistrates Courts on your court day; and the Gold Coast Community Legal Centre in Southport, (07) 5532 9611.
- Due in court? The Gold Coast courthouse is on the corner of Davenport and Hinze Streets, Southport (not Scarborough Street), phone 1300 516 700. The Magistrates Court and the District Court both sit there, so serious cases are heard in Southport, not Brisbane. Every court is listed below, checked on 23 October 2026.
- In danger now: call 000. Domestic or family violence: DVConnect Womensline on 1800 811 811 (24 hours), DVConnect Mensline on 1800 600 636 (9am to midnight) and 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 (24 hours).
On the Gold Coast, the Magistrates Court and the District Court sit in the same Southport courthouse, on the corner of Davenport and Hinze Streets (1300 516 700), and the Magistrates Court hears civil claims up to $150,000; Go To Court Lawyers arranges 60-minute consultations with Queensland lawyers for a fixed $295, with requests taken at any hour on 1800 577 015.
Gold Coast Practice Areas
Our Gold Coast lawyers cover all major areas of law. Select your area for local information, court details and immediate help.
Lawyers in Gold Coast
Go To Court Lawyers is a national legal service, running since 2010, that connects people with lawyers who practise in their state. In the Gold Coast and across Queensland that means lawyers who practise in Queensland and appear in the courts listed below. Call 1800 577 015 at any hour and Jen, our AI legal information assistant, gives general legal information about your situation and takes your details. Jen is not a lawyer and does not give legal advice about your case. If you want advice, request a consultation on the call or at the booking page: your request goes to lawyers in our network who practise in your area of law and location, the first to accept it contacts you to set a time, and our team steps in if nobody does. The consultation is 60 minutes for a fixed $295, by phone, by video, or in person where the lawyer you are matched with offers it. In the twelve months to 22 October 2026, people in Queensland came to us most often about criminal charges (371 matters), family law (339), civil disputes (198), traffic offences (150), domestic violence (121), drink driving (117), property (72), wills and estates (68), compensation (62) and employment (60).Local Courts in Gold Coast
Checked against each court's own website on 23 October 2026. Where your matter is heard depends on the charge or the amount in dispute; the court named on your paperwork is the one to attend. Court lists and calendars are on courts.qld.gov.au.
| Court | What it hears | Address | Phone | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southport Magistrates Court | Most criminal and traffic cases, domestic violence orders, and civil claims of $150,000 or less (disputes up to $25,000 generally go to QCAT). A Specialist Domestic and Family Violence Court sits here; Childrens Court sittings are on Mondays and Wednesdays; a custody court sits on Saturdays and public holidays at 8:30am | Corner of Davenport and Hinze Streets, Southport | 1300 516 700 | 8:30am to 4:30pm Monday to Wednesday and Friday; 8:30am to 4pm Thursday |
| Southport District Court (same building) | Serious criminal trials with juries, civil claims from $150,000 to $750,000, and most appeals from the Magistrates Court. The Childrens Court of Queensland (serious youth cases) and the Planning and Environment Court also sit here | Corner of Davenport and Hinze Streets, Southport | 1300 516 700 | 8:30am to 4:30pm Monday to Wednesday and Friday; 8:30am to 4pm Thursday |
| Supreme Court of Queensland | Murder, manslaughter, attempted murder and major drug offences, and civil claims over $750,000. Its registry is in Brisbane; its criminal trials are sometimes listed at Southport. The Court of Appeal, in Brisbane, hears appeals from the District Court and the Supreme Court | Registry: QEII Courts of Law Complex, 415 George Street, Brisbane | 1800 497 117 | Phones 8:30am to 5pm; counter 8:30am to 4:30pm (both from 9:30am on Wednesdays) |
| Coolangatta Magistrates Court | Magistrates Court work on set sitting days, as a Southport circuit court: arrests and remands, traffic, domestic violence applications and other listed matters | 136 Musgrave Street, Coolangatta | (07) 5513 9700 | 8:30am to 4:30pm Monday and Wednesday to Friday; 8:30am to 4pm Tuesday |
| Beenleigh Magistrates Court | Magistrates Court work in Logan, north of the Gold Coast, with a Specialist Domestic and Family Violence Court | Corner of Kent and James Streets, Beenleigh | (07) 3081 2100 | 8:30am to 4:30pm Monday and Wednesday to Friday; 8:30am to 4pm Tuesday |
| Federal Circuit and Family Court of Australia, Brisbane | Family law: divorce, separation, children and property. There is no Gold Coast registry | Harry Gibbs Commonwealth Law Courts Building, 119 North Quay, Brisbane | 1300 352 000 (also for urgent after-hours applications) | Family law counter 8:45am to 4:30pm; phones 8:30am to 5pm |
| Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) | Minor debt disputes up to $25,000, tenancy, building, guardianship and reviews of government decisions. People outside Brisbane may attend at their local courthouse | Registry: Level 8, 259 Queen Street, Brisbane | 1300 753 228 | Counter 8:30am to 4:30pm weekdays; phones 8:30am to 3pm Monday to Thursday and 8:30am to noon Friday |
| Southeastern Coroner (Coroners Court of Queensland) | Coronial investigations and inquests for the south-east Queensland region | Level 3, Southport Magistrates Court, Hinze Street, Southport | (07) 3738 7050 | 8:30am to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday |
| Tweed Heads Local Court (NSW) | The nearest New South Wales Local Court, across the border | 50-52 Recreation Street, Tweed Heads NSW | 1300 679 272 | Registry 9am to 1pm and 2pm to 4pm; phones 8:30am to 4:30pm; Monday to Friday |
Legal Aid Queensland says there is a duty lawyer at most Queensland Magistrates Courts, free, on your court day: ask the court staff when you arrive, or, if you are held in the watch-house, ask to see the duty lawyer before you go into court. Duty lawyers can help with a guilty plea in a less complex matter, an adjournment and bail, but not with a first or second drink or drug driving charge on its own (unless jail is likely), traffic offences such as speeding or careless driving, a committal hearing or a trial. At Coolangatta, the court's own calendar lists a duty lawyer on Mondays and Fridays. The Specialist Domestic and Family Violence Court at Southport has specialist duty lawyers for domestic violence cases. Southport's Court Link program offers bail support, on (07) 5675 7150. During Schoolies, 20 to 27 November 2026, no criminal trials or committal hearings will be held at Southport Magistrates Court. If you want a lawyer of your own before the day, request a $295 consultation or call 1800 577 015.
Free and low-cost legal help on the Gold Coast: who answers, and when
Numbers, hours and addresses checked against each service's own website on 23 October 2026. Most of these services help people who meet a means test or fall into a particular group, and they run in business hours. For general legal information at any hour, our free line is 1800 577 015.
| Service | Who it helps | Contact | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal Aid Queensland, Legal Information Line | Anyone in Queensland: legal information and referral. Legal aid itself depends on a means test; people who rely on full Centrelink payments pass the income test | 1300 65 11 88. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Information Line 1300 65 01 43. Under 18: Youth Legal Advice Hotline 1800 527 527 | 8:30am to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday (Legal Aid Queensland's page as read on 22 October 2026) |
| Gold Coast Community Legal Centre | Gold Coast residents, with priority for the most vulnerable: family law, domestic violence, consumer issues, minor civil claims, car accidents, neighbour disputes and minor criminal matters | 34 Railway Street, Southport; (07) 5532 9611. Also an office at Kirra Hill Community Centre, 1 Garrick Street, Coolangatta (book through Southport) | Office 8:30am to 4pm, phones 8:45am to 4pm, Monday to Friday; advice by appointment |
| Women's Legal Service Queensland | Women in Queensland: domestic and family violence, separation and divorce, parenting and child safety | 1800 957 957 (women outside South East Queensland: 1800 457 117) | 9am to 4:30pm, Monday to Friday |
| Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Service, Southport | Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people: criminal, family and civil law | Suite 8, First Floor, 19 Short Street, Southport; (07) 5532 6988; free call 1800 012 255 | Business hours; after hours, the free call number takes custody notifications only |
| Tenants Queensland | Renters across Queensland | 1300 744 263 | 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday |
| Community Legal Centres Queensland | Finds your nearest community legal centre | (07) 3392 0092; online finder | Not published |
| Queensland Law Society, Find a Solicitor | Anyone looking for a private solicitor: referrals only, no advice | Online search | Online |
| Domestic and family violence lines | Anyone in Queensland affected by domestic and family violence; Mensline also helps men who want to change | DVConnect Womensline 1800 811 811; DVConnect Mensline 1800 600 636; 1800RESPECT 1800 737 732 | Womensline and 1800RESPECT 24 hours, every day; Mensline 9am to midnight, every day |
If you are not eligible for free help, or you need an answer tonight, call 1800 577 015 for free legal information at any hour, or request a $295 consultation with a lawyer.
What a lawyer costs on the Gold Coast
Most Gold Coast firms charge by the hour or by fixed fee. Of the firms that publish their prices, read on their own websites on 23 October 2026: a Southport criminal, traffic and family firm offers a free 15-minute phone call (except for family law) and charges $440 including GST for an in-person first appointment, with fixed fees quoted in writing; a Southport family law firm offers a free 20-minute family law consultation, then $500 plus GST for a one-hour consultation, family law at $500 plus GST an hour and a divorce for $2,750 plus GST including the court filing fee; and a Helensvale family law firm offers a free first consultation, consent orders from $2,200 including GST and litigation rates of $350 to $550 an hour. A Legal Aid Queensland duty lawyer may be able to help at court on the day, free. Our 60-minute consultation with a lawyer who practises in Queensland is a fixed $295, by phone, video or in person. If you decide to go further, the lawyer sets out the cost of any further work before you commit.
Why Go To Court Lawyers for Gold Coast?
Go To Court Lawyers does not have a Gold Coast office. Consultations are by phone or video, or in person where the lawyer you are matched with offers it, and the lawyers in our network who practise in Queensland appear in its courts in person. For many people that is quicker than finding a firm, because you can make the request at any hour, including weekends, and you know the price before you start: $295 for 60 minutes. The service has run since 2010 and our reviews are published on ProductReview and Trustpilot.Common Legal Situations in Gold Coast
Based on our own records for the twelve months to 22 October 2026, the matters people in Queensland most often come to us about are criminal charges, family law (separation, children and property), civil disputes such as debts and contracts, traffic offences, domestic violence, drink driving, property, wills and estates, compensation and employment. Each practice area above has its own Gold Coast page.Fast Lawyer Matching in Gold Coast
When you request a consultation, lawyers in our network who practise in your area of law and location are notified, and the first to accept your request contacts you to arrange the time. If nobody accepts it, our team follows up personally. Requests are taken at any hour; appointment times depend on which lawyers are available, and urgent matters are given priority.Frequently Asked Questions — Gold Coast Lawyers
How quickly can I speak to a lawyer in the Gold Coast?
How much does a lawyer cost on the Gold Coast?
Where is the court on the Gold Coast?
Do serious cases from the Gold Coast go to Brisbane?
Where is the family court for the Gold Coast?
Can I get free legal help on the Gold Coast?
Is there a duty lawyer at Southport court?
Need a Lawyer in Gold Coast?
Call our information service any time. Jen is an AI assistant, not a lawyer. If you need advice about your circumstances, request a $295 consultation with a suitable qualified lawyer; availability depends on your matter, location and requested time.