The Costs Support Initiative empowers you and your practice by giving you control over your compliance with the Uniform Law.  

The program aims to: 

• help you understand your costs disclosure obligations 

• show you areas where you can improve how you explain costs 

• help you answer tough client questions about costs and deal with complaints made first to you and/or your law practice 

• build good habits for compliance with the Uniform Law 

• lower the chance of future complaints about you and/or your business to us. 

The program also has long-term benefits for you and your practice, including: 

• tailored guidance on best practice costs disclosure  

• more control over compliance and business practices  

• better client relationships and business reputation 

• fewer complaints about you to us and less time spent resolving disputes. 

You were invited to participate in the program because of patterns we saw in past complaints about your practice. Your invitation is not based on a single complaint. We believe you may benefit from working with us outside the formal complaint process to improve your services and comply with your obligations. 

All lawyers must follow costs disclosure rules. We want to support lawyers at all career stages, whether you’re a principal or new to the law, a sole practitioner or part of a practice. This approach helps the profession to improve overall. 

If you would like to participate in the Costs Support Initiative, contact costsupport@lsbc.vic.gov.au and a team member will be in touch to discuss the next steps. 

No. The program is separate from any open complaints we have about you. It looks at patterns in your complaint history about costs but does not affect or influence current cases. For those, you must speak with your VLSB+C case handler. 

The program is free and participation is voluntary.  

It involves:  

• Two meetings with our Senior Advisers (approximately 1 to 1.5 hours each). Meetings can be at your office, online, or at our Bourke Street office. 

• Before the first meeting, you’ll share your costs disclosure documents and some details about your disclosure processes. 

• In the first meeting, we give feedback and guidance about your costs disclosure practices, including complaint handling about costs. 

• You then have 6–8 weeks to make changes to your communications and business processes to ensure compliance with the Uniform Law. We are available to answer your questions as you make these changes.  

• In the second meeting, we check in to see what changes have been made, what has or has not worked for your practice, and advise you of any remaining improvements we recommend.  

• After the second meeting, generally your program is complete, but you can still contact us for support with costs at any time. 

No. The program is voluntary and designed to improve your practice, but it does not give CPD points.

If you are invited to participate but can’t take part now, we may invite another principal from your practice. 

You can also contact us when you’re ready to participate: costsupport@lsbc.vic.gov.au  

As the regulator of the legal profession in Victoria our role is to maintain and enhance public trust and confidence in Victorian lawyers and support the rule of law. 

One way we do this is to ensure lawyers are complying with the Uniform Law, including on costs.  

Costs issues are the single largest source of complaints we receive from consumers.  

We believe a proactive approach is an effective regulatory strategy, avoiding dispute resolution and in some cases disciplinary action.  

That’s why we created the Costs Support Initiative, allowing us to engage directly with lawyers or practices frequently at the centre of costs complaints and offer support to improve their practices. 

Since the program was trialled in 2024, we have received positive feedback from participating lawyers, including that they felt supported and more confident about compliance with their costs disclosures obligations.