Solicitors are required by law to inform their clients about how they are going to charge and tell them about their rights. This is called 'disclosure'. Your solicitor must inform you in writing about the costs of the work and the expenses that you have to pay.
When should my solicitor disclose?
In most cases, disclosure must be made before the solicitor commences to act for you. If it is not practical for disclosure to be made before work begins, it should be done as soon as the solicitor has the opportunity to do so.
How should disclosure be made?
Disclosure may be set out in a costs agreement or a letter.
If your solicitor is not able to tell you exactly what the costs will be, you must be told the basis for calculating the costs (for example, $350 per hour) and be given an estimate of the total costs or a range of costs.
Estimates are not firm quotes. Your solicitor will tell you as soon as practicable after becoming aware of any likely significant increase in any estimate previously given to you.
