1. Why is engaging with a lawyer in the early stages important for both personal and business matters?
Quite regularly, we see clients who think they can deal with a legal matter on their own. The truth is, they’re entering into an environment, procedures and issues that they’re not familiar with. Like any profession or industry, law is very technical. Therefore, we always recommend seeking professional legal advice in the early stages to resolve an issue, rather than risking it escalating.
2. So, can a member of the public just pick up the phone, talk to a lawyer, and start to solve their problems?
At Becker Watt Lawyers, we do an initial consultation, either through Zoom or in person. In that consultation, we discuss the issues and get the relevant documents that are involved in the matter.
Although, we’re not there to solve the issue in that first consultation, we will get an understanding of the problem, then go away to research, read the documents and come to a legal understanding.
Our role is to dive deep into the matter and distinguish between a legal understanding and your general understanding of the situation.
However, engaging with a isn’t as simple as picking up the phone and solving the problem – there is a lot of paperwork involved.
3. Why do lawyers provide so much paperwork before they do any work on a matter?
We simply have to. Paperwork is essential for us to get an understanding of the matter, provide you with cost estimates, and provide disclosure documentation that is required by legislation.
We’re now using DocuSign, which allows you to sign all documents electronically. This is designed to make the process easier and reduce the burden of the paperwork.
4. What happens if the consumer is not happy with the advice?
Our obligation is to provide a legal opinion based on legislation; however, it is your choice to accept or reject a lawyer’s advice. If you do reject legal advice, you may receive a letter from your lawyer entailing that you received and rejected the advice, and that any consequences that may arise can be due to that rejection.
5. Once the work is done, can a consumer have a lawyer’s invoice reviewed?
As a client, you absolutely have a right to seek a review of invoices via a cost accessor. However, we’re also happy to have a quick conversation about any concerns about the costs, before you seek a review.
For legal representation, book a consultation with a Trusted Law Advisor in Brisbane. Contact us at 1300 AT LEGAL, info@beckerwatt.com.au or book online.
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