Draft a New South Wales progress update without adding a time limit
MaintainedLast reviewed
Key facts
- Human involvement
- YellowClose supervision
- How AI is used
- From the file events the lawyer marks, draft a short progress update telling the client what has been done and what is waiting. State no time limit and no scheme outcome unless the lawyer has already written that sentence into the instructions.
- What the lawyer must review
- Give clear and timely advice, consistent with the engagement
- Mention alternatives to a contested hearing only as rule 7.2 requires
- Do not add a date, and do not say one claim replaces the other
Rules that apply
The document starts from the task name. Change it if this piece of work is different.
The work product
Forum. New South Wales
Produce. A short progress update for the client, with no time limit added.
Have ready. The file events the lawyer has marked; Any sentence the lawyer has already written about time or outcome.
Example of the limit. Illustrative example: The insurer has acknowledged a statutory-benefits claim. The update says that, and that wage records are still outstanding. It does not give a date by which a damages claim must be started.
Stop and hand it back when
- The update would state a time limit the lawyer has not written.
- The update would tell the client to drop one of the claims.
Sources for this task were checked on 2026-10-23.
Who does what
| Role | What they do |
|---|---|
| Assistance | From the file events the lawyer marks, draft a short progress update telling the client what has been done and what is waiting. State no time limit and no scheme outcome unless the lawyer has already written that sentence into the instructions. |
| Lawyer | Set the scope, supervise the work closely, verify every part relied on, resolve omissions and exceptions, and approve the exact output. |
Checklist
- Rule 7.1 requires clear and timely advice to help the client understand the relevant legal issues and make informed choices about action during the matter, consistent with the engagement. The update uses only the events the lawyer has marked.
- Rule 7.2 requires the solicitor to inform the client about alternatives to fully contested adjudication that are reasonably available, unless the solicitor believes on reasonable grounds that the client already understands those alternatives well enough to decide. The update does not invent an alternative.
- Do not state a limitation period. Section 50A(3) takes a Motor Accidents Compensation Act 1999 claim and a Motor Accident Injuries Act 2017 claim outside the personal-injury limitation Division. The length of any other period was not opened.
- Do not tell the client that a statutory-benefits claim replaces a workers compensation claim, or the reverse. Section 3.35 is about when statutory benefits are not payable. It is not an instruction to abandon a claim.
Sources
- Legal Profession Uniform Law Australian Solicitors' Conduct Rules 2015 (NSW), rules 7.1 and 7.2 · 2026-10-23
- Limitation Act 1969 (NSW), section 50A · 2026-10-23
- Motor Accident Injuries Act 2017 (NSW), in force from 10 June 2026, section 3.35 · 2026-10-23
Health and wage records stay in a firm-controlled tool. The lawyer applies ASCR r 9 and APP 11, and decides whether any breach is notifiable under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
The update is a letter the client receives. The lawyer reads it first.