We want to deliver more in your pocket at the end of the day.
We are always upfront and clear about your total legal costs. Across all areas of our practice we will keep your costs down by…
Keeping you out of court.
We know that working collaboratively to achieve out of court solutions whenever possible, will save you not only money, but time and stress.
Not charging administration fees.
Most other firms will charge you an ‘admin. fee’ for every phone call they make, every email they send or receive and every page they photocopy or scan on their printers. They consider these charges Outlays on your matter. You will also be charged Fees for these same tasks. At Donaldson Law we are happy to cover all our office running costs ourselves and not pass them on to you as Outlays.
Depending on the type of work we are doing for you, we will offer you one of the following costs agreements…
No win, no fee.
Donaldson Law, along with almost all law firms helping people with compensation claims, offer No Win, No Fee agreements.
No Win, No Fee agreements can sometimes attract negative publicity, but without No Win, No Fee many people could not afford to access the legal system and achieve the justice they deserve. What does vary between law firms is the details of the No Win No Fee costs agreement you sign up to. At Donaldson Law our No Win, No Fee agreements are different to many other law firms, here’s how:
30% cap on our fees.
All compensation claims, in our specialist areas, have a cap on our professional fees of 30% of the amount of compensation (damages) you are awarded. We have had caps in place since Donaldson Law was founded, we are happy to see some other firms following our lead, but most firms do not have any caps on fees, unless they are imposed by Government legislation.
No added ‘uplift’ or ‘success’ fee.
Most law firms who offer No Win, No Fee agreements charge an extra ‘uplift’ fee of up to 25% if your claim is successful. That is 25% on top of the regular legal fees they have already charged you. Donaldson Law will never charge an ‘Uplift’ fee.
No pay as you go for outlays and no litigation lenders.
In addition to Fees, all lawyers will charge you what are known as Outlays or Disbursements. Outlays are necessary expenses on your claim that are paid to other people, for example for a Doctor’s report. Some firms will require you to pay Outlays as they arise, even under No Win, No Fee agreements. If they don’t want upfront payment of Outlays they may sign you up to a ‘Litigation Lender’ who will pay for your Outlays throughout your claim, but if your claim is successful they will be repaid for the Outlays plus interest of up to 25%-30%. Donaldson Law will carry the costs of your Outlays throughout your claim and we never charge you interest.
Deferred payment.
We can offer Deferred Payment to many of our Family Law clients. Deferred Payment means our Fees and Outlays will only be payable at the end of your matter. They will be charged regardless of the outcome.
Fixed fee.
Many of our straightforward services such as Family Law Mediations and Defence Reparation Scheme applications, are charged as a one-off fee. This fee may be charged beforehand, for Mediations or only at the end of your claim if it is successful, for DRS applications.
Pay as you go.
This type of agreement, for Family Law clients means you will be billed monthly for any Fees and Outlays. Outlays of greater than $3000 may need to be paid in advance.