Fees and engagement
What private defence costs, and why.
Honest information about price. Most firms refuse to discuss fees on a website. We think that wastes your time and ours.
How we charge
Three models, chosen to fit the brief.
We use fixed fees, capped fees, or hourly rates depending on the work. Most clients prefer fixed fees because they remove the surprise. Some matters, particularly trials, do not lend themselves to a single fixed price and are run on stage-based fees instead.
Whatever the model, the costs agreement spells out the scope, the price, and what triggers a fee variation. Nothing is changed without written agreement.
Indicative ranges
What private clients usually pay.
| Work | Indicative fee (ex GST) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| First conference | No charge | Up to 30 minutes, by phone or in chambers. Confidential whether or not we are retained. |
| Bail application | $3,500 to $9,500 | Includes preparation, conference, and appearance. Higher end where evidence and surety arrangements are complex. |
| Local Court / Magistrates Court summary defence | $8,000 to $25,000 | Plea or contested hearing. Brief size and number of witnesses drive the variation. |
| Committal-stage representation | $10,000 to $30,000 | Including written representations to the prosecution and any cross-examination application. |
| District Court / Supreme Court trial | $60,000 to $250,000+ | Stage-based. Counsel fees additional. Settled by reference to brief size, length of trial, and number of witnesses. |
| Appeals (conviction or sentence) | $15,000 to $60,000 | Subject to a written advice on prospects, given before fees are taken. |
| Pre-charge advice and regulator response | $5,000 to $40,000 | ASIC, ATO, AUSTRAC, police fraud, and similar. Often the best money a client spends. |
These are indicative only. The cost agreement signed at engagement is what governs your fees.
Trust account and disbursements
Where the money sits.
Fees are held in our regulated trust account and drawn down as work is done. You receive an itemised tax invoice at each draw. Counsel fees, court fees, expert fees, and other disbursements are passed through at cost.
If a costs agreement turns out to be too generous to us, the unused balance is refunded. If it turns out to be too tight, we tell you well before it becomes a problem.
Legal Aid and pro bono
When private fees are not the right model.
Good Legal Lawyers takes a limited number of legally aided briefs and pro bono matters each year. We are honest about which clients those are for, and which clients should engage privately. If a private fee will stretch you, we say so at the first call and help you understand alternatives, including the Legal Aid grant process and duty lawyer schemes.
Talk before you pay
Discuss fees on the first call.
Bring the charge sheet, any Court Attendance Notice, and a rough idea of how long the matter has been on foot. We will give you an estimate before you walk into our office.
Request a fee estimate →After your first call
What happens next.
Five steps from the first call to the first court appearance. The same sequence on every matter; the work inside each step depends on the brief.
Confidential first conference.
Thirty minutes by telephone or in person at the Wollongong office, or by arrangement in Sydney or Canberra. The matter is set out, the paperwork is read, and the realistic options are identified. The cost agreement for the first conference is signed at the start of the meeting.
Indicative fee letter within 24 hours.
A written letter setting out the scope of work proposed for the next stage of the matter and the fixed fee or estimated fee for that scope. The fee letter is your decision point. No further work is undertaken until you decide to proceed.
Retainer and cost agreement signed if you proceed.
A formal cost agreement for the full scope of the next stage. The agreement is sent before any further work is undertaken. The firm does not open a file or commit to a court date until the agreement is in place.
File opened, brief retrieved, key dates diarised.
The brief is requested from the police prosecutor or the DPP, the court mention date is confirmed, any bail or pre-trial dates are diarised, and a working chronology is started. Counsel is briefed where the matter calls for it.
First court appearance prepared with you.
A pre-court conference walks through the order of events on the day, the script the firm will use at the bar table, and the realistic outcomes for the first mention. You attend the court appearance with the firm; the lawyer who took the first call is the lawyer who stands at the bar table.