---
title: "Review a proposed release before the client signs"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/practice/personal-injury-and-compensation/review-a-proposed-release-before-the-client-signs"
type: "task"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A21-AB20261023-10"
practice_area: "Personal Injury & Compensation (workers compensation, CTP/TAC, medical negligence)"
tier: "yellow"
lawyer_review: "required"
last_reviewed: "2026-10-25"
---

# Review a proposed release before the client signs

> From the draft release the other side has sent, extract any confidentiality clause, any apology, any admission or denial, the defendants released, the amount, and any prior-payment warranty.…

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/practice/personal-injury-and-compensation/review-a-proposed-release-before-the-client-signs  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-25

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

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Personal Injury & Compensation (workers compensation, CTP/TAC, medical negligence)](https://ailawframework.com/practice/personal-injury-and-compensation.md) |
| Human involvement | Yellow: Lawyer and AI draft together |
| How AI is used | From the draft release the other side has sent, extract any confidentiality clause, any apology, any admission or denial, the defendants released, the amount, and any prior-payment warranty. Do not rewrite the deed and do not advise the client to sign. |
| What the lawyer must review | The client signs this deed. The lawyer checks every release, confidentiality clause and apology. Do not treat a settlement made now as a historical agreement the set-aside sections describe. Do not promise that the deed can be reopened under those sections. Keep the file in the firm's system. Confidentiality, APP 11 and a notifiable-breach check apply. |
| Written for / versions | 3 jurisdiction versions below |

## Checking plan

**Source-by-source verification**

Trace relied-on content to the linked sections and check for a definition or exception the output has missed.

- What the AI does: From the draft release the other side has sent, extract any confidentiality clause, any apology, any admission or denial, the defendants released, the amount, and any prior-payment warranty. Do not rewrite the deed and do not advise the client to sign.
- What the lawyer does: The client signs this deed. The lawyer checks every release, confidentiality clause and apology. A settlement made now is not one of the historical agreements the set-aside sections describe. Do not promise that the deed can be reopened under those sections. Keep the file in the firm's system. Confidentiality, APP 11 and a notifiable-breach check apply.
- Who reviews: Responsible lawyer with competence in the matter
- Basis: Practical workflow informed by the linked primary sources; the traffic light and working checks are editorial guidance, not a court classification.
- Why: The level reflects what the work is, the consequence of an error, and how much of the output the lawyer must independently re-derive.

## Checks the lawyer makes

1. Read the names of the people and bodies released. Compare them with the defendants who are actually sued.
2. Mark any clause that stops the client speaking about the abuse or the claims process, and put the State's published position beside it where the defendant is the State.
3. Do not tell the client the deed can later be set aside under the historical sections. Those sections describe older agreements.
4. Leave Medicare, Centrelink and NDIS clearances to the firm's existing compensation-recovery work. Do not calculate them here.

## Notes

- These are suggested working checks. Confirm the required checking with the responsible lawyer before work starts; the checking approach does not establish permission to use AI.
- Before any output is used in a court document, read the forum's generative AI rule: Victoria, Supreme Court Practice Note SC Gen 25; New South Wales, Practice Note SC Gen 23; Queensland, the courts' generative AI page and Supreme Court Practice Direction 5 of 2025.

## Sources

- [Limitation of Actions Act 1958 (Vic) s 27OA, definitions for the child-abuse division](https://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/vic/consol_act/loaa1958226/s27oa.html) (checked 2026-10-23)
- [Limitation of Actions Act 1974 (Qld) s 48, transitional provision for previously barred and settled actions](https://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/qld/consol_act/loaa1974226/s48.html) (checked 2026-10-23)
- [Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW) s 7C, meaning of affected agreement](https://classic.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/nsw/consol_act/cla2002161/s7c.html) (checked 2026-10-23)
- [Victorian Government, Common Guiding Principles for child sexual abuse civil claims](https://www.justice.vic.gov.au/justice-system/laws-and-regulation/common-guiding-principles-child-sexual-abuse-civil-claims) (checked 2026-10-23)
- [Queensland Government, whole-of-government guidelines for civil litigation involving child abuse (November 2022 v1)](https://www.justice.qld.gov.au/about-us/services/general-counsel/legal-services-coordination-unit/legal-service-directions-and-guidelines/whole-of-government-guidelines-for-responding-to-civil-litigation-involving-child-abuse) (checked 2026-10-23)
- [NSW Government Guiding Principles for agencies responding to civil claims for child abuse](https://dcj.nsw.gov.au/documents/legal-and-justice/lsc/nsw-government-guiding-principles-for-government-agencies-responding-to-civil-claims-for-child-abuse.pdf) (checked 2026-10-23)
- [National Redress Scheme, redress payments](https://www.nationalredress.gov.au/apply/what-offer-redress/redress-payments) (checked 2026-10-23)
- [Legal Profession Uniform Law Australian Solicitors' Conduct Rules 2015 (NSW) r 9.1, confidentiality, compiled to 1 July 2026](https://legislation.nsw.gov.au/view/html/inforce/current/sl-2015-0244) (checked 2026-10-23)
- [Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, APP 11, security of personal information](https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/australian-privacy-principles/australian-privacy-principles-guidelines/chapter-11-app-11-security-of-personal-information) (checked 2026-10-23)

## Forms and precedents for this task

| Form or precedent | Kind | AI level | Summary |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [National Redress Scheme and a civil claim: comparison checklist](https://ailawframework.com/precedents/personal-injury-and-compensation/checklist-redress-scheme-versus-civil-claim.md) | Checklist | Yellow | A comparison, for a survivor and the lawyer, of a National Redress Scheme offer and a civil claim: components, the six-month decision, the release, a decline, and a Victorian set-aside limit. |

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

## Jurisdiction versions

| Jurisdiction | Level |
| --- | --- |
| [New South Wales](https://ailawframework.com/practice/personal-injury-and-compensation/review-a-proposed-release-before-the-client-signs/new-south-wales.md) | Yellow |
| [Victoria](https://ailawframework.com/practice/personal-injury-and-compensation/review-a-proposed-release-before-the-client-signs/victoria.md) | Yellow |
| [Queensland](https://ailawframework.com/practice/personal-injury-and-compensation/review-a-proposed-release-before-the-client-signs/queensland.md) | Yellow |

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