Disclose Victorian legal costs under the Uniform Law
MaintainedLast reviewed
Key facts
- Human involvement
- YellowClose supervision
- How AI is used
- From the scope and the estimate the lawyer names, draft a disclosure that states the basis of charging and the total-costs estimate, and list the section 174(2) rights still to be completed from the firm precedent. Mark any figure the lawyer has not supplied.
- What the lawyer must review
- Confirm section 174 applies and give the disclosure when, or as soon as practicable after, instructions
- Check the estimate and that the client understands and consents to the course of action
- Update the disclosure if there is a significant change
Rules that apply
The document starts from the task name. Change it if this piece of work is different.
The work product
Forum. Legal Profession Uniform Law as applied in Victoria
Produce. A draft costs disclosure for the client, with unset figures marked.
Have ready. Matter scope; Estimate or scale the lawyer names; Firm disclosure precedent.
Example of the limit. Illustrative example: The lawyer names an estimate for a personal injury claim. The draft states that estimate, the basis of charging, and the section 174 rights. It marks the billing interval as not yet instructed. The lawyer checks the client's understanding before the disclosure is given.
Stop and hand it back when
- No estimate has been named by the lawyer.
- The matter may be outside section 174 and the exception has not been checked.
Sources for this task were checked on 2026-10-23.
Who does what
| Role | What they do |
|---|---|
| Assistance | From the scope and the estimate the lawyer names, draft a disclosure that states the basis of charging and the total-costs estimate, and list the section 174(2) rights still to be completed from the firm precedent. Mark any figure the lawyer has not supplied. |
| Lawyer | Set the scope, supervise the work closely, verify every part relied on, resolve omissions and exceptions, and approve the exact output. |
Checklist
- Section 174(1) requires the basis on which legal costs will be calculated and an estimate of the total legal costs, when or as soon as practicable after instructions.
- Include the section 174(2) rights: to negotiate a costs agreement, to negotiate the billing method, to receive a bill and request an itemised bill, and to seek the help of the designated local regulatory authority.
- A significant change must be disclosed, with enough information about the impact on legal costs for the client to decide the future conduct of the matter.
- The practice must take all reasonable steps to be satisfied the client has understood and consented to the proposed course of action.
Forms and precedents for this task
| Form or precedent | Kind | AI use | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| New matter checklist | Checklist | AI use 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 | Agreement | AI use Yellow | A Queensland conditional costs agreement for a speculative personal injury claim, where fees are not worked out from the settlement. |
| Who pays records, experts and barristers | Letter | AI use 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 | Checklist | AI use Yellow | An internal worksheet for the figures that go into the first costs disclosure. |
| Disclosure to an associated third party payer, and of another law practice | Letter | AI use 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 | Letter | AI use 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. All precedents.
Sources
- Legal Profession Uniform Law s 174, disclosure obligations of a law practice · 2026-10-23
- Legal Profession Uniform Law s 177, disclosure before settlement of a litigious matter · 2026-10-23
The section text opened is the Legal Profession Uniform Law compilation. Victoria applies that Uniform Law. Confirm the Victorian application instrument.
The client signs or receives this disclosure. It is not a document filed in court.