Business
Best Lawyer for Website Terms and Conditions
In the dynamic realm of online commerce, clear and fair website legal documents are the foundation of success. And you should only hire the best lawyer that not just offers
How much does a lawyer cost? That’s often the first thought people have when they need to hire a lawyer.
The answer is – it depends. Further down in this article, we’ve set out some specific amounts to answer the question – how much is a lawyer?
The price of a lawyer will vary greatly depending on the seniority, practice area, and type of work you require the lawyer to do. The gap can be as much as $150 per hour for a junior lawyer to $1,100 per hour for a barrister or partner!
This article breaks down the different legal costs charged by lawyers in Australia.
Author: Farrah Motley. Farrah is the Director of Prosper Law and an experienced commercial contracts lawyer. Unlike many law firms, Prosper Law provides legal services for an upfront, fixed fee. Our clients know how much they will pay upfront and before we start work.
The cost of a lawyer can extend beyond the hit to your wallet. Hiring a lawyer can be seen as a ‘grudge purchase‘. But depending on what you need a lawyer to help you with, they can add significant value.
This value can be indirect, for example, the unwanted costs you might have incurred had you not hired a lawyer. Alternatively, the value a lawyer can add can be more obvious. This value might include helping you to secure a better commercial deal through skilful negotiation.
The table below summarises the range and average hourly rate for the various levels of seniority in the Australian legal profession.
How much you can expect to pay to a lawyer will of course depend on your individual circumstances. It may also depend on how large and complex your legal matter is.
You can see that there is a large range in the hourly rates among lawyers.
The reasons for the large price range for the different levels of seniority include:
It’s important for anyone thinking of engaging a lawyer to understand that a higher hourly rate doesn’t necessarily mean that you are dealing with a ‘better’ or more experienced lawyer. This is because the hourly rate that a lawyer is charged isn’t only dependent on their level of experience.
It’s common for larger law firms to charge a higher hourly rate.
Large, international law firms are equipped to help large clients with complex and/or high volume legal matters, because they have large legal teams which can service those types of clients.
This also means that those law firms will have higher operating costs and need to pass overheads on to clients through their charge-out rates.
A law firm generally works out its hourly rates by building up the cost as follows:
Even if a lawyer provides you with a cost to use their services, you can negotiate. If there is a different payment method, frequency or amount that suits you better, you can ask the question.
The cost of a lawyer is no different from any other professional consultant; it’s open for discussion.
Now let’s dive into the different types of lawyers and how much, on average, you can expect to pay.
Junior lawyers usually cost between $200 – $300 (plus GST) per hour. Law firms generally use junior lawyers for simpler, time-consuming legal tasks.
Therefore, although the hourly rate of a junior lawyer is lower when compared to their more expensive colleagues, the cost of a junior lawyer may make up a large portion of a client’s bill.
Associate lawyers are a rank higher than junior lawyers. Mid-level experience, associate lawyers are generally charged anywhere between $250 to $400 (plus GST) per hour.
Senior associate lawyers are just that – senior. Their high-level experience and technical skills mean that they can project manage a client’s legal matters. And because of this, they are charged out anywhere between $300 to $500 (plus GST) per hour.
A partner of a law firm oversees the day-to-day work of employed solicitors. They also guide the overall legal strategy of a matter and are the final ‘quality check’ for legal work. Because of this, partner charge out rates are high – as much as $500 to $1000 (plus GST) per hour.
A barrister is a highly specialist legal advocate. They are engaged directly by solicitors and charge between $250 to $1,000 (plus GST) per hour. For a full day in court, the daily rate is typically 8 to 10 times the hourly rate. Anyone engaging a barrister for a full day of court can expect to pay between $2,500 to $10,000 (plus GST) per day.
Just like the cost of a lawyer, the cost of a barrister in Australia can vary greatly.
For a junior barrister who is undertaking pupillage or has recently passed the bar, their fees will be significantly lower than Queens’ Counsel or Silk (the very senior barristers).
Members of the judiciary are typically selected from the ranks of barristers. So, it’s no wonder that the senior (QC/Silk) barristers can command such a high price.
And if your barrister is working in a highly specialised field like defamation, they might charge as high as $25,000 per day in Court.
Legal Counsels are in-house lawyers. This means they are employed directly by their one and only client to provide legal advice.
Because a legal counsel (much like a solicitor employed by a law firm) is provided with a guarantee of work through their employment contract, their “charge out” rate to their client is considerably lower than a private law firm lawyer.
Effectively, the hourly rate of a legal counsel can be measured by dividing their salary by the number of hours worked. The charge-out rate of a legal counsel, therefore, differs considerably. Companies that employ legal counsel can expect to pay between $35 to $480 per hour.
Many law firms still charge their lawyers out in six-minute intervals based on their hourly rate. Some even charge out at one-minute intervals!
To demonstrate an example, Lawyer A is charged out at $600 per hour. If the firm is charging in six-minute intervals (or a ‘unit’ as they are sometimes referred to), you will be charged $60 for every six minutes the lawyer works on your matter. If the lawyer works on your matter for, say, seven minutes then – you guessed it – you will be charged for two units ($120).
Alternatively, some law firms offer legal services on a ‘fixed fee’ basis. This means that the lawyer will cost you a set amount, regardless of how much time they spend on your matter.
Fixed-fee law firms are likely to cost less than law firms that charge out based on time, and clients have the certainty of knowing exactly how much they will be paying.
Clients have an increasing choice of fixed-fee lawyers in Australia. Fixed fees can be better for clients because they know how much they are going to spend on a lawyer upfront and don’t have any nasty surprises. Fixed fee billing can also be helpful for lawyers because they do not need to spend time monitoring and recording the time they have spent on your legal matter.
It may be difficult for a lawyer to provide you with a fixed fee quote if your legal matter is complicated. One way to get around this is by the lawyer breaking your matter down and telling you what the fixed fee will be for each ‘chunk’ of work.
Just be aware that if the work required falls outside of the work that’s been identified by the lawyer, you may be charged extra.
The legal fees that you may be charged by a lawyer may not only include the fees the lawyer charges. You may also need to pay for disbursements and court fees.
Disbursements will include costs the lawyer has incurred from third parties, such as barristers’ fees, taxis, accommodation and other travel costs, expert witness fees, private investigation costs, printing and other out-of-pocket expenses.
Court fees may include the cost to file documents at the court registry.
Your lawyer should tell you about these costs as soon as they become aware of them, and before they incur those costs on your behalf.
Comparing lawyers based only on the hourly rates they charge can lead to you getting less value than you thought you would. Even though hourly rates may differ between lawyers, if a lawyer charging less per hour is going to spend more time on your legal matter – it’s going to cost you more.
When you are comparing lawyers and to ensure you get the best bang for your buck, you should:
All of Prosper Law’s fees are fixed.
This means that we will let you know the price you will pay for your legal matter before you start work. Our fees are not based on hourly rates. Instead, we charge our clients based on the value of the work we do. Because of this, we have an incentive to always be on the lookout for ways to offer more efficient legal services to our clients, without compromising on quality.
Looking for an Australian lawyer that is reasonably priced and delivers high-quality legal services? Contact the team at Prosper Law today.
Contact us today for a no-obligation, fixed-fee quote from an Australian business lawyer.
Author: Farrah Motley | Director
PROSPER LAW – Australia’s Online Law Firm
M: 1300 003 077
A: Suite 99, Level 54, One One One Eagle Street, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
We provide legal advice to business and individuals across Australia, no matter which State or Territory you are located. Our easy-to-access, online legal services mean that you can talk to our lawyers wherever you are, at a time that suits you.
4.5
Google Reviews
Don’t hesitate – reach out for your free legal assistance today. Your peace of mind is just a click or call away!
In the dynamic realm of online commerce, clear and fair website legal documents are the foundation of success. And you should only hire the best lawyer that not just offers
Are you looking to buy legal services using cryptocurrency? Prosper Law is one of only a few law firms in Australia that accepts payment in the form of cryptocurrency. In