At Cooper Family Law, our fee arrangements are designed to be clear and predictable, so you can make decisions with confidence and without unnecessary stress. We also recognise that cost pressure can arise unevenly during family law matters.
Many law firms charge by time. Under this model, work is recorded in set time units — often six minutes at a time — meaning that even brief tasks can result in a minimum charge. Over the course of a matter, this can make it difficult for clients to anticipate costs or understand how fees accumulate.
Our approach is different. We primarily use a fixed, task-based fee structure rather than traditional hourly billing. Legal work is broken down into defined tasks, each with an agreed fee. Subject to the scope of work set out in a costs agreement, this allows you to see in advance what particular steps are likely to cost, rather than fees increasing solely by reference to time spent.
This structure is designed to provide greater transparency and to help clients understand how legal costs relate to progress in their matter.
We also recognise that in some circumstances, paying legal fees upfront may not be practical. Where appropriate, we can discuss deferred fee arrangements, which may allow some or all of the firm’s fees to be paid later in a matter — for example, from settlement funds or at another agreed time. Deferred fee arrangements are not suitable for all matters and are considered on a case-by-case basis. Any such arrangement is discussed in advance and documented in writing.
Once you decide to proceed and a costs agreement is in place, we will provide a more specific outline of the tasks likely to be involved in your matter and the associated fees. This allows you to plan ahead and understand how costs may arise as your matter progresses. If circumstances change or additional work becomes necessary, this will be discussed with you before further fees are incurred.
We do not charge for routine office-based disbursements such as telephone calls, postage, copying or administrative processing. Where external disbursements are required — such as court filing fees, expert reports or mediation costs — these will be explained to you before they are incurred.
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