Standard Costs Disclosure Form for Clients

Schedule 1 Form 1 of the Legal Profession Uniform Law (NSW & Vic)

Legal Profession Act 2007 (QLD).

Simple Separation collects payment from you and remits fees for the following legal services providers on your behalf: 

• Parting Ways Law

• Onside Family Lawyers

• Ticli Conveyancing

• Tas Conveyancing

• Polglase And Papasavas

• Umbrella Family Law

• Tick Box Conveyancing

• Qld Law Group

• Elan Legal

• Velocity Conveyancing

• View Legal

Should you require details for any of these practices regarding fees, please contact Christina Salvo on following contact details:

1300 285 698
christina@simple-separation.com.au

Services provided by the above legal services providers will include some or all of the following:

• Independent Legal Advice

• Legal advice and Certification of a Binding Financial Agreement

• Drafting of Consent Orders, Binding Financial Agreement and Binding Child Support Agreements

• Divorce applications

• Family Court filing

• Superannuation split and transfer 

• Conveyancing services (buying, selling, sub-dividing or transferring of property)

• Wills and Estate Planning advice and legal documentation

How much we estimate you will need to pay (maximum) - Simple Separation will pay the legal services on your behalf

The basis for calculating costs:

These are the maximum estimated fixed legal fees, forming a portion of the amount quoted by Simple Separation.

This is an estimate only. We will inform you if anything happens that significantly changes this estimate. If (the third party legal professional fees) are likely to be more than $3000 (before GST and disbursements are added) we will provide you with a full disclosure of costs in writing.

Your rights include to:

• Ask for an explanation of this form

• Negotiate a costs agreement

• Negotiate the billing method (e.g. timing or task)

• Request a written progress report of costs incurred

• Receive a written bill for work done

• Request an itemised bill

• Contact your local regulatory authority.

• Seek independent legal advice about costs.

• If charge professional fees other than the fixed fee (if the fee is fixed) you have the right to have your legal costs reviewed before you pay them.

Notification of Client’s Rights for Invoices

If this bill is not itemised, you are entitled to request a fully itemised bill within 30 days of the bill becoming payable. If the itemised bill exceeds the amount specified in a lump sum bill, the additional costs may be recovered from you only if the costs are determined to be payable after a costs assessment before the Supreme Court Costs Court or after a binding determination by the Legal Services Commissioner in the relevant state.

1. If there is a dispute or you are unhappy with this bill you can discuss your concerns with Christina Salvo, who will put you in touch with the appropriate person at the legal services provider, who is designated as responsible principal for this bill, or apply for costs assessment before the Supreme Court Costs Court within 12 months of receiving the bill, or a request for payment being made, or when the bill was paid. An application can be made outside of this 12-month period if the court considers it just and fair, having regard to the reasons for the delay.

2. You may also seek the assistance of the Legal Services Commissioner in the relevant state in the event of a dispute about this bill within 60 days of the bill becoming payable or, if you requested an itemised bill, within 30 days of receiving that bill. The Legal Services Commissioner may waive the time requirement if the complaint is made within 4 months after the required period and it is just and fair to deal with the complaint having regard to the reasons for delay.

3. If an interim bill is provided it may be assessed at the time of the interim bill or at the time of the final bill whether or not the interim bill has previously been assessed or paid.

4. Interest will be charged on unpaid legal costs in accordance with the terms of our costs agreement. Should the costs agreement not deal with the charging of interest, we will charge interest on legal costs which remain unpaid 30 days after giving you this bill, in accordance with s 195 of the Legal Profession Uniform Law. The rate of interest is the Cash Rate Target stipulated by the Reserve Bank of Australia as at the date of issue of this bill plus 2 %.

5. As to any discount applied to this bill, it is applied in good faith. In the event that you are late in making payment, request an itemised bill, dispute our bill with Legal Services Commissioner and/or apply for a costs assessment before the Supreme Court Costs Court, all rights are reserved in relation to withdrawing any discount which has been applied to this bill in good faith.

6. If we hold money in our trust account for you, we will apply it towards payment of our legal costs that are owing at the expiration of 7 business days from the date this bill was issued, unless you authorise us to do so earlier or an objection is made.

7. For more information about your rights, please read the fact sheet titled ‘Your right to challenge legal costs’. You can ask us for a copy, or obtain it from your local law society or law institute (or download it from their website).