---
title: "Disclose New South Wales legal costs under the Uniform Law"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/obligations/costs-billing-and-litigation-funding/draft-a-costs-disclosure-from-the-matter-scope-and-the-scale-or-estimate/new-south-wales"
type: "task_jurisdiction_version"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A42-T1-R1-NSW"
practice_area: "Costs, billing & litigation funding"
tier: "yellow"
lawyer_review: "required"
jurisdictions: ["NSW"]
last_reviewed: "2026-10-25"
---

# Disclose New South Wales legal costs under the Uniform Law

> From the scope and the estimate the lawyer names, draft a section 174 disclosure of the basis of charging and the total-costs estimate, and list the rights in section 174(2). Mark any figure the lawyer has not supplied.

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/obligations/costs-billing-and-litigation-funding/draft-a-costs-disclosure-from-the-matter-scope-and-the-scale-or-estimate/new-south-wales  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-25

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Costs, billing & litigation funding](https://ailawframework.com/obligations/costs-billing-and-litigation-funding.md) |
| Human involvement | Yellow: Lawyer and AI draft together |
| How AI is used | From the scope and the estimate the lawyer names, draft a section 174 disclosure of the basis of charging and the total-costs estimate, and list the rights in section 174(2). Mark any figure the lawyer has not supplied. |
| What the lawyer must review | Give the disclosure when, or as soon as practicable after, instructions Check the estimate and the client's understanding and consent Disclose a significant change, including its impact on the costs payable |
| Written for | New South Wales |
| Applies to | [Draft a costs disclosure from the matter scope and the scale or estimate](https://ailawframework.com/obligations/costs-billing-and-litigation-funding/draft-a-costs-disclosure-from-the-matter-scope-and-the-scale-or-estimate.md) |

## Checking plan

**Verify against sources**

Section 174 of the Legal Profession Uniform Law (NSW) requires an early disclosure of the basis of charging, the estimate, and the client's rights.

- What the AI does: From the scope and the estimate the lawyer names, draft a section 174 disclosure of the basis of charging and the total-costs estimate, and list the rights in section 174(2). Mark any figure the lawyer has not supplied.
- What the lawyer does: The lawyer fixes the estimate, decides that section 174 applies, and gives the disclosure.
- Who reviews: Lawyer competent in this practice area
- Basis: Checked against the linked sources on 23 October 2026. Confirm the current instrument before reliance.

## Checks the lawyer makes

1. Disclose under section 174(1) when or as soon as practicable after instructions are initially given, and again after any significant change.
2. Include the rights to negotiate a costs agreement and the billing method, to receive a bill and request an itemised bill, and to seek the help of the designated local regulatory authority.
3. A change disclosure must include enough information about the impact on legal costs for an informed decision about future conduct.
4. Take all reasonable steps to be satisfied the client has understood and consented to the proposed course of action.

## Notes

- Section 177 is a further disclosure if the matter later settles. It is not a substitute for section 174.
- The client receives this disclosure. Practice Note SC Gen 23 applies if a court document is later prepared from the same file.

## Practical guide

Jurisdiction: Legal Profession Uniform Law (NSW)

**Deliverable**: A draft section 174 costs disclosure with unset figures marked.

**Inputs**

- Matter scope
- Estimate the lawyer names
- Firm disclosure precedent

**Example**: Illustrative example: Instructions were taken yesterday and the lawyer has named an estimate. The draft uses that estimate and the section 174 rights. The lawyer checks it before it is given to the client.

**Stop and escalate when**

- The lawyer has not named an estimate.
- A significant change has occurred and the earlier disclosure is being reused unchanged.

Checked 2026-10-23.

## Sources

- [Legal Profession Uniform Law s 174, disclosure obligations of a law practice](https://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_act/lpul333/s174.html) (checked 2026-10-23)
- [Legal Profession Uniform Law s 177, disclosure before settlement of a litigious matter](https://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_act/lpul333/s177.html) (checked 2026-10-23)

## Forms and precedents for this task

| Form or precedent | Kind | AI level | Summary |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [New matter checklist](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/personal-injury-and-compensation/firm-new-matter-checklist.md) | Checklist | Yellow | Checklist for opening a plaintiff injury file: identity, conflicts, the diary, costs disclosure, authorities, and consent before health records go into a tool. |
| [Queensland speculative personal injury costs agreement](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/costs-billing-and-litigation-funding/qld-speculative-personal-injury-costs-agreement.md) | Agreement | Yellow | A Queensland conditional costs agreement for a speculative personal injury claim, where fees are not worked out from the settlement.… |
| [Engagement letter with a generative AI clause (United States)](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/costs-billing-and-litigation-funding/us-engagement-letter-generative-ai.md) | Letter | Yellow | Engagement letter stating the scope and the basis of the fee, and separating ordinary generative-AI use from any input of information relating to the representation, which needs a completed tool… |
| [Who pays records, experts and barristers](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/costs-billing-and-litigation-funding/disbursement-and-funding-disclosure.md) | Letter | Yellow | A letter saying who pays for records, expert reports and a barrister if the claim fails, and that interest on a disbursement loan is outside D in the Queensland section 347 definition. |
| [Opening costs estimate worksheet](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/costs-billing-and-litigation-funding/opening-costs-estimate-worksheet.md) | Checklist | Yellow | An internal worksheet for the figures that go into the first costs disclosure. It is not the later significant-change letter, and it is not a comparison of a draft bill. |
| [Letter when a flat fee should change because a tool did the work (United States)](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/costs-billing-and-litigation-funding/us-flat-fee-change-after-gai-use.md) | Letter | Yellow | A letter telling the client that a flat fee may no longer be reasonable because a generative AI tool has reduced the work, and asking agreement to a revised amount before further work is billed that… |
| [Disclosure to an associated third party payer, and of another law practice](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/costs-billing-and-litigation-funding/associated-payer-and-counsel-disclosure.md) | Letter | Yellow | Written disclosure to an associated third party payer of the costs that payer must pay, and a separate disclosure to the client of the costs of a barrister or other law practice the firm will retain. |
| [Progress report of legal costs incurred](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/costs-billing-and-litigation-funding/progress-report-of-costs.md) | Letter | Yellow | Written report, given without charge on a reasonable request, of the legal costs incurred to date or since the last bill, with the figures taken from the ledger. |

Signed-in accounts can read the full text of each one.

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*