book a lawyerAustralian legal information
Guides to Choosing and Working With a Lawyer
Understand what to check, what to ask and how to prepare. Start with the decision in front of you, then follow the relevant guide.
Understand your legal issue
Read 101 legal topic guides across 12 categories, from family arrangements and estate planning to business disputes and government decisions. Each guide includes a topic explanation, important distinctions, preparation prompts and official resources.
Choosing a lawyer
How to Choose a Lawyer in Australia
Learn how to choose a lawyer in Australia by checking credentials, relevant experience, legal fees and scope. Build a shortlist based on the work you need.
Read the guide →Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Lawyer
Use these questions to ask before hiring a lawyer: relevant experience, the work included, fees, communication, responsibility and decisions needing your approval.
Read the guide →Check a Lawyer’s Practising Status in Australia
Find official lawyer registers and professional-body contacts for every Australian state and territory, with a checklist for matching the right person and firm.
Read the guide →Changing Lawyers in Australia
Plan changing lawyers in Australia: summarise the matter, discuss file transfer and new fees, and confirm responsibility for current work and known dates.
Read the guide →Verify Lawyer Contact and Payment Details
Verify lawyer contact and payment details before sending money or documents. Check changed instructions independently and agree a secure communication channel.
Read the guide →Limited-Scope Legal Advice
Understand limited-scope legal advice: define the task, exclusions, fees and follow-up. Confirm responsibility for dates before assuming full representation.
Read the guide →Getting a Second Legal Opinion
Prepare for a second legal opinion with a defined question, consistent documents and clear responsibilities. Compare reasoning, scope and the cost of further advice.
Read the guide →Regional and Remote Legal Help
Compare legal help by relevant experience, access and total appointment costs. Plan remote meetings, document handling, local attendance and assistance pathways.
Read the guide →Costs and preparation
Legal Fees in Australia
Understand legal fees in Australia: hourly and fixed charges, scope of work, GST, disbursements and changing estimates. Compare what each proposal includes.
Read the guide →First Legal Consultation
Prepare for your first legal consultation with a short brief, organised documents and clear questions. Confirm the meeting’s purpose, fees and agreed next steps.
Read the guide →Free and Low-Cost Legal Help in Australia
Find free and low-cost legal help in Australia through legal aid, community legal centres and specialist services. Check eligibility, scope and availability.
Read the guide →No Win No Fee Agreements
Compare no win no fee agreements by checking fees, disbursements, the definition of success and exit terms. Understand the work covered before signing.
Read the guide →Interpreters for Legal Appointments
Plan a legal appointment with language, disability or communication support. Ask about interpreters, accessible formats, support people, privacy and costs.
Read the guide →How to Write a Brief for a Lawyer
Learn how to write a brief for a lawyer with a clear question, factual timeline and document list. Separate known facts, uncertain dates and missing information.
Read the guide →Itemised Legal Bills
Review an itemised legal bill alongside your costs agreement. Identify charges to query, changes in the work and the relevant legal-costs review pathway.
Read the guide →Organising Documents for a Lawyer
Prepare a usable legal document bundle with a dated index, clear versions and preserved originals. Ask about secure delivery, missing records and reading scope.
Read the guide →Areas of law
Building Dispute Lawyer: Prepare Your First Enquiry
Prepare for a building dispute lawyer in Australia: organise defects, payments and contract records, compare the proposed work and check state pathways.
Read the guide →Strata Dispute Lawyer: Documents and Questions to Prepare
Prepare a strata dispute enquiry with a clear role, meeting records and issue log. Compare legal scope and check state-specific owners corporation pathways.
Read the guide →Rental Dispute Legal Help: Prepare a Tenancy Enquiry
Find a useful starting point for rental dispute legal help in Australia. Organise notices, rent records and repair evidence before contacting a service.
Read the guide →Buying a Business: Legal Due Diligence Questions
Prepare for legal due diligence when buying a business in Australia. Identify the proposed purchase, missing documents and the lawyer’s review scope.
Read the guide →How to Prepare for Mediation
Learn how to prepare for mediation: confirm the process, organise an issue list and records, get legal advice and plan attendance and follow-up questions.
Read the guide →Reviewing a Settlement Offer
Prepare for advice on a settlement proposal. Identify the full terms, release, costs, payment arrangements and response date before comparing the headline amount.
Read the guide →Commercial Lease Review Checklist
Use this commercial lease review checklist to prepare the lease, premises information, rent and outgoings, proposed use and questions about changes or exit.
Read the guide →Employment Contract Review Checklist
Make an employment contract review useful: gather the offer and policies, describe the actual role and ask about pay, hours, location, restrictions and changes.
Read the guide →Executor’s First Lawyer Meeting
Prepare for an executor’s first lawyer meeting: list estate documents, information gaps, administration tasks and questions about responsibility and legal costs.
Read the guide →Unpaid Business Invoices
Organise an unpaid-invoice enquiry with the contract, delivery records, payment history and dispute details. Compare advice, collection and enforcement as separate tasks.
Read the guide →How to Choose a Family Lawyer
Choose a family lawyer by the help you need, relevant experience, safe communication and clear scope. Prepare questions about children, property and next steps.
Read the guide →How to Choose an Employment Lawyer
Find an employment lawyer suited to your workplace issue. Compare employee or employer experience, document-review scope, availability and consultation costs.
Read the guide →How to Choose a Wills and Estates Lawyer
Choose legal help for a will, estate planning, estate administration or a dispute. Compare relevant experience, appointment stages, inclusions and document handling.
Read the guide →Property Lawyer vs Conveyancer
Compare property lawyers and conveyancers by registration, transaction experience, scope and costs. Know what to ask before arranging a contract review.
Read the guide →How to Choose a Criminal Lawyer
Find suitable criminal-law assistance by jurisdiction, matter type and availability. Prepare an enquiry about representation, court dates, scope and fees.
Read the guide →How to Choose a Small Business Lawyer
Choose a business lawyer for a defined task, from a contract review to a dispute. Compare sector experience, deliverables, costs and ongoing support arrangements.
Read the guide →Prepare for your appointment
Family Lawyer Consultation Preparation
Plan a family-law consultation around priorities, safe communication and a manageable document list. Know what to confirm before an appointment is agreed.
Prepare for the meeting →Employment Lawyer Consultation Preparation
Turn a workplace concern into an organised appointment brief: key dates, your questions, relevant records and the limits of a first consultation.
Prepare for the meeting →Wills and Estate Planning Appointment Preparation
Organise a first wills or estate-planning meeting with clear questions about existing documents, appointment needs, costs and what happens afterwards.
Prepare for the meeting →Legal Consultation Fees
A short set of questions for comparing initial consultation prices with an understanding of the work included, possible expenses and later stages.
Read the practical note →Video Lawyer Consultation Preparation
Prepare the practical side of a telephone or video legal appointment, from a private place and document access to a fallback contact arrangement.
Read the practical note →Lawyer comparison tools and legal-topic guides
Compare lawyer fees and scope with a private worksheet, or prepare your first enquiry using a topic-specific script.