Maximise your visit

Retaining legal services can be expensive and it is easy to forget important points while attending your first meeting with us.

There are many things you can do in preparation of your appointment with us that will not only maximise your visit but also reduce the time involved for us to determine our opinion and advice. Efficient preparation can result in significant cost saving to and accelerate the timeframe of achieving your desired outcome. Some things you can do include:

1. Ensure you bring in photo identification of yourself and at least one other form of identification. Usually a driver licence, passport, proof of age will suffice as your primary form of identification. We will require sight your original and retaining a copy on your file at the time of your first meeting.
2. Determine how you would like to pay for your initial consultation either by cash, cheque or any credit card. We accept MasterCard, Visa and American Express. An initial consultation of up to 45 minutes can be provided to you for $300.00 (excluding GST). If you do not have sufficient funds to pay for your initial consultation please advise our reception before your meeting or perhaps make an appointment at our next obligation free First Saturday chats.
3. If you require Legal Aid, ensure you bring in copies of your payslips, bank account statements and any Centrelink statements to prove your entitlement for a grant of funding to pay your legal costs.
4. Prepare a chronology of important dates and events relevant to your matter – this can be extremely useful when later trying to remember dates from months past and will assist us if obtaining a quick documented overview of your matter.
5. Prepare a typed or written statement of what happened from your point of view – this should “flesh out” your chronology. Provide quotes as to what was said during important conversations and greater detail about what you saw, heard, smelt, tasted or physically felt in relation to the circumstances of your matter.
6. Collect all relevant documents and organise them in a clear and easily navigated manner. Documents that collaborate and provide proof of your version of events may increase your chances of success.
7. Collect the names and contact details of any opponent and witnesses to the incident(s) or events.
8. In the case of any matter involving an injury to you, collect the names and contact details of any Doctors, therapists or other medical practitioners you have been treated by in the past as well as your previous employers and their details.
9. In relation family law property, parenting and divorce matters and de facto relationship matters, ensure that you bring in particulars of your superannuation, bank accounts, pay slips, last 3 x years of tax returns, copies of birth certificates of your children, particulars of any shares that you own, car registration papers, mortgage statements, credit card statements, and particulars of any property or business that you may own or have an interest in. Please also provide to us your marriage certificate which we will hold in safe custody. It is also useful for you to bring in some recent family photos that may be kept with your file identifying each of the people that will be the subject of your matter.
10. For Wills and Estate planning ensure you have the full names, addresses, occupation and contact phone numbers for your appointed guardian and attorney and for your proposed executor/ executrix or trustee/s.