Cease and Desist Letter Australia: Cost and Your Options

If someone will not stop — harassing you, spreading false claims, using your name, photos or
work, breaching an agreement, or interfering with your property — a cease and desist letter formally demands they
stop by a deadline and warns of the steps you will take if they do not. You have three real options: write it
yourself, have it drafted for a flat $49, or use a lawyer. This page sets out what each costs and
when a cease and desist is the right tool.

What a cease and desist letter is for

A cease and desist is a formal demand that someone stop a specific course of conduct. People use one to stop:

• harassment, repeated unwanted contact or intimidation;
• false or damaging statements about you or your business;
• someone using your name, logo, photos, written work or other content without permission;
• a breach of a contract, a restraint or a confidentiality obligation; or
• a nuisance or interference with your property.

The letter identifies the conduct, demands it stop (and, where relevant, that material be taken down or returned)
by a deadline, and states what you will do next if it continues.

Your three options, compared by type

1. Write it yourself

A cease and desist is a letter, so you can write your own: identify the conduct, demand it stop by a date, and
set out what you will do if it does not.

• Cost: free.
• Good for: a straightforward situation where you are comfortable setting out the conduct
  clearly and firmly yourself.
• Trade-offs: a letter that overstates your position, makes a threat you cannot back, or gets
  the basis wrong can weaken your position or escalate things. Getting the tone and the demands right matters.

2. Cease and desist drafted — Claim Done ($49 flat)

You answer a few plain-English questions about what is happening. Claim Done drafts a firm, professional cease
and desist letter from your answers that identifies the conduct, demands it stop by a deadline, and sets out your
next steps — without overstating your position. You read it and approve it before it is sent.

• Cost: a flat $49, shown before you pay. No subscription. Email delivery is
  free; registered post, signed for on delivery, is $29 extra.
• Exact deliverable: a finished, ready-to-send cease and desist letter addressed to the other
  person, drafted from your facts, with a clear demand and a deadline.
• Turnaround: usually ready about five minutes after you finish the questions.
• What you supply: who is doing it, what they are doing, the key dates and any evidence, and
  what you want them to stop or take down. You do not need to know the law.
• What happens after you approve it: the letter is delivered to the other person, and you get a
  copy and the delivery confirmation. A firm letter on the record often stops the conduct without going further.
• Good for: most situations where you want a correct, firm letter that may stop the conduct,
  without paying lawyer rates.

3. Lawyer (quote-based)

A lawyer can advise you, send a cease and desist on its letterhead, and act for you if the matter goes to court.

• Cost: quoted by the firm, usually at an hourly rate; ask for a written quote first.
• Good for: serious matters — defamation, intellectual property, a significant breach, or
  anything likely to end in court — where a lawyer’s letterhead carries weight and you may need advice.
• Trade-offs: the highest cost of the three, and usually not necessary to simply put someone
  on notice to stop.

When a cease and desist is the right tool — and when something else fits better

A cease and desist is a good first step to put someone on notice and create a record. But for some situations
another tool fits better:

• Defamation: before suing for defamation you generally need to send a concerns notice,
  which is a specific form of letter, not a general cease and desist.
• Threats, violence or stalking: that is a matter for the police, and you may be able to apply
  for a protection or intervention order — do not rely on a letter alone if you feel unsafe.
• A debt: if you are chasing money owed, a letter of demand is the right document, not a cease
  and desist.

What a cease and desist is — and is not

A cease and desist is a formal demand to stop. It creates a dated record that you objected and gave a deadline,
which helps if you escalate. It is not a court order and has no automatic legal force by itself, so it cannot compel
anyone to do anything — its weight comes from making your position clear and credible, and from the steps you set out
if it is ignored.

Where Claim Done fits

Claim Done is a document drafting service, not a law firm, and does not give legal advice. It drafts your cease and
desist letter from your answers for a flat $49, you approve it before it is sent, and it does not act for you in court.
Start your cease and desist
letter.

Frequently asked questions