A lawyer’s bill is in two parts.

1. Professional services - a fee for performing the actual work. 
2. Other expenses - these are fees or other charges the lawyer may incur on your behalf. They are known in legal terms as disbursements. They may include, court filing, barrister’s fees and other expert’s fees, bank charges, travel expenses, stamp duty, courier’s fees,  attendance fees (to serve or collect documents), photocopying fees and company or other search fees.

When you are looking for a lawyer it’s important to find someone who’s right for you and your situation. You can use our register to search for a registered lawyer. The Law Institute of Victoria also offers consumers a legal referral service.

Your lawyer must give you a bill before they ask you to pay your account. 

They cannot charge you for preparing or giving you their bill.

Refer to our Before making an enquiry or complaint page.

Thank you for your email/query.

At this stage you are not required to do anything further. In the meantime, if you would like further information about how we can assist you, please visit our website at: https://lsbc.vic.gov.au/consumers/how-we-can-help 

Privacy Collection Statement

We're here to help. Make your enquiry now.

If you have a problem with a lawyer, or have concerns about their professional standards, you can contact us to discuss your issues.  

We are committed to providing an accessible, responsive service to all Victorians. While the majority of people communicate with us in a courteous manner, a small number of individuals can sometimes be angry, frustrated or distressed or act in other ways that may be challenging.

We recognise that people who demonstrate challenging behaviour often have a legitimate grievance and we will continue to deal with complaints on their merits. Our officers will treat people who contact us with courtesy, and we expect this courtesy to be returned.