Complaint About a Lawyer or Conveyancer (Costs or Conduct)
Unhappy with your lawyer's or conveyancer's bill, service or conduct? A clear complaint letter to the law practice or conveyancer setting out what happened, your concerns about the bill or the service, and what you want done, plus a complaint statement ready for you to lodge with the body for your state or territory, such as the Legal Services Commissioner, if it is not resolved. You review it first. Ready in about 5 minutes.
What this document does
- A clear complaint letter to the law practice or conveyancer: what happened, your concerns and what you want done.
- For a bill you dispute, asks for an itemised bill and an explanation, and sets out the amount you dispute in your own figures.
- A complaint statement for the body for your state or territory, such as the Office of the NSW Legal Services Commissioner or the Victorian Legal Services Commissioner, ready for you to lodge.
- Names the separate conveyancer regulator where your state or territory has one.
- A complaint, not a negligence claim: it asks for an explanation, a review of the bill or a change, never damages.
- Delivered as PDFs you download and send or lodge yourself. You review it first.
What we'll ask you
Plain-English questions, one at a time. No legal knowledge needed — if you don't know an answer exactly, your best estimate is fine.
- Who is the complaint about?
- Is the complaint about a barrister?
- What is the complaint about?
- Is the legal matter itself still before a court or tribunal?
- The name of the law practice or conveyancing business, and the lawyer or conveyancer you dealt with.
- What did they act for you in, and when? For example a property purchase, a family law matter, a will or estate, a dispute.
- Were you given a costs agreement, a costs estimate or a quote at the start? What did it say about fees? You can skip this.optional
- If the bill is part of the complaint: the date of the bill, the amount, whether you have paid it, and the amount you dispute. Skip this if it is not about the bill.optional
- Do you have an itemised bill?
- Tell me what happened, in order, with dates where you have them. Include what was said and who said it, where you can remember.
- List your main concerns, one per line.
- Have you raised this with them yet?
- If you have raised it: when, with whom, and what they said. Skip this if you have not.optional
- What would you like to happen? For example an itemised bill, an explanation, a reduction of the bill by a stated amount, a refund of a stated amount, an apology, your file handed over.
- What documents do you have? The costs agreement or estimate, bills, emails, letters, your own notes. You can skip this.optional
- A phone number for the reply. You can skip this.optional
- You review it first · Nothing is sent to anyone else
- 2 free amendments included
- All Australian states and territories
- Stripe secured · 256-bit encrypted
Who takes complaints about lawyers, state by state
Each state and territory has its own body for complaints about lawyers, and some have a separate regulator for conveyancers. The statement is addressed to the body for your state or territory.
New South Wales
Complaints about lawyers in New South Wales go to the Office of the NSW Legal Services Commissioner (OLSC), which deals with disciplinary complaints, consumer matters and costs disputes under the Legal Profession Uniform Law.
Complaints about lawyers: Office of the NSW Legal Services Commissioner (OLSC)
Legal costs: Costs dispute: within 60 days after the costs become payable, or 30 days after an itemised bill you asked for.
Complaints about conveyancers: NSW Fair Trading
Victoria
Complaints about lawyers in Victoria go to the Victorian Legal Services Commissioner, part of the Victorian Legal Services Board + Commissioner, under the Legal Profession Uniform Law.
Complaints about lawyers: Victorian Legal Services Commissioner (the Victorian Legal Services Board + Commissioner)
Legal costs: Costs complaint: within 60 days of the costs becoming payable, or 30 days after an itemised bill you asked for.
Complaints about conveyancers: Consumer Affairs Victoria
Queensland
Complaints about the conduct of lawyers in Queensland go to the Legal Services Commission under the Legal Profession Act 2007 (Qld).
Complaints about lawyers: Legal Services Commission (Queensland)
Legal costs: Costs: ask for an itemised bill (free, within 28 days); 12 months to apply for a costs assessment.
Western Australia
Complaints about lawyers in Western Australia go to the Legal Practice Board of Western Australia under the Legal Profession Uniform Law (WA).
Complaints about lawyers: Legal Practice Board of Western Australia
Legal costs: Costs dispute: within 60 days of the invoice, or 30 days of an itemised invoice you asked for. Conduct: generally within 3 years.
Complaints about conveyancers: Consumer Protection (Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety)
South Australia
Complaints about lawyers practising in South Australia go to the Legal Profession Conduct Commissioner.
Complaints about lawyers: Legal Profession Conduct Commissioner
Legal costs: Overcharging: complain within 2 years of the final bill; binding costs determinations up to $50,000 in dispute.
Complaints about conveyancers: Consumer and Business Services (CBS)
Tasmania
Complaints about lawyers in Tasmania go to the Legal Profession Board of Tasmania.
Complaints about lawyers: Legal Profession Board of Tasmania
Legal costs: Complaints more than 3 years after the conduct may be out of time. One complaint form for each lawyer.
Complaints about conveyancers: Director of Consumer Affairs and Fair Trading (Consumer, Building and Occupational Services)
Australian Capital Territory
Complaints about solicitors in the Australian Capital Territory go to the Law Society of the Australian Capital Territory, whose Council deals with them under the Legal Profession Act 2006 (ACT).
Complaints about lawyers: Law Society of the Australian Capital Territory
Legal costs: Complaints within three years of the conduct. The complaint can cover the charging of legal costs.
Northern Territory
Complaints about lawyers in the Northern Territory go to the Law Society Northern Territory, the first tier of regulation under the Legal Profession Act 2006 (NT) (then the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Tribunal and the Supreme Court).
Complaints about lawyers: Law Society Northern Territory
Legal costs: Complaints must be in writing, on the Society's complaint form.
Complaints about conveyancers: Agents Licensing Board of the Northern Territory
From your answers to a finished Lawyer or Conveyancer Complaint in three steps
Answer 16 quick questions
Who it’s about, what happened and what you want. Plain English, one question at a time.
We draft the letter and the statement
Your complaint letter to the law practice or conveyancer and your statement for the regulator are drafted from your answers, then formatted as professional PDFs. Usually ready within about five minutes.
Review, confirm, receive
The draft lands in your dashboard for you to read. Change anything that isn't right (two free amendments), confirm it, and we email you the final PDF. Nothing is sent to anyone else.
Ready? Start now.
No card required until the end. No account needed to start.
Start My Complaint — $49 →$49 flat fee · You review it first · 2 edits included
Everything about the Complaint About a Lawyer or Conveyancer (Costs or Conduct)
How much does the Lawyer or Conveyancer Complaint cost?
A flat $49 AUD, including GST. There is no card required to start, no subscription and no hourly rate — you see the full summary of your answers before you pay.
How long does it take?
There are 16 questions, which take a few minutes to answer. The draft is usually ready in about 5 minutes after payment, any time of day.
When do I get the document?
The draft of your Complaint About a Lawyer or Conveyancer (Costs or Conduct) is usually ready in about 5 minutes. You read it on your dashboard and can change the wording; once you confirm it, the final PDF is available to download and emailed to you.
What if I need changes?
You read the full Lawyer or Conveyancer Complaint on your dashboard first. You can change the wording or ask for a redraft, with 2 edits included, then confirm it and the final PDF is yours to download and keep.
Does it work in my state?
Yes. The statement is addressed to the body that deals with complaints about lawyers in the state or territory where the lawyer practises, or the conveyancer regulator where that state has one.
How long do I have to complain about a legal bill?
In New South Wales and Victoria, a costs complaint must be made within 60 days after the costs become payable, or 30 days after an itemised bill you asked for (a late complaint may be accepted within four months after that). Western Australia uses the same 60 and 30 days. In South Australia, overcharging complaints are made within 2 years of the final bill. In Queensland you have 12 months to apply for a costs assessment.
Do I have to complain to the lawyer first?
Most bodies ask you to try. The Queensland Legal Services Commission says to talk to your lawyer or someone more senior first, and the Legal Practice Board of Western Australia says your first option is to talk to them. That is why this pack includes the letter as well as the statement.
Is this a negligence claim?
No. It is a complaint about the bill, the service or conduct. It asks for an explanation, an itemised bill, a reduction or a refund of a stated amount, and it never claims damages.
What about conveyancers?
Licensed conveyancers who are not lawyers have their own regulator in some states, such as NSW Fair Trading, Consumer Affairs Victoria and Consumer and Business Services in South Australia. In Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory, this pack covers lawyers only.
Other government & complaints documents
Put it in writing today.
A few quick questions and your Complaint About a Lawyer or Conveyancer (Costs or Conduct) is drafted for your state. No card required until the end.
Start My Complaint — $49 →