In April 2024, a client came to us after being hit with an excessive legal bill of over $66,000 from their former lawyer. They had already paid around $39,000, but something wasn’t right—so they turned to us for help.
Upon reviewing the case, we discovered major red flags. The law firm had failed to update the client on the total legal costs, making their costs agreement void. Even worse, they didn’t provide the costs agreement until three years later - a clear breach of professional obligations.
We first attempted to negotiate a fair settlement with the former lawyer, but they refused to budge. Undeterred, we escalated the matter by filing a costs assessment in the Supreme Court of New South Wales, Costs Division, challenging $27,000 of the fees. We meticulously prepared a notice of objections, outlining why the charges were unfair and unreasonable.
The result? A Certificate of Determination was issued, assessing the total costs at $43,449.43 - a massive reduction from the original $67,000 bill. Our client only had to pay a further $2,491, as a significant portion of our fees were also covered!
This was an outstanding win for our client, who was relieved and thrilled with the outcome.