Frequently Asked Questions
Q: I just want good legal advice about my situation, and I am
prepared to pay for this professional service. What should I do?
If you want a legal opinion about your rights,
or your situation, or an assessment of the likely outcome of any
potential case, we offer a fixed fee advice service which is very
popular. You should also complete the
online
application form, with an indication of whether your enquiry is
urgent. Our fees for this service are shown on the
Advice
page under the heading Fixed-fee advice.
Q: Does MAX LEGAL provide NO WIN NO CHARGE (also known as No Win No
Fee*)?
A: In many unfair / unlawful dismissal, wrongful dismissal, sexual
harassment and discrimination cases, we offer full or partial “no
win no charge” arrangements for employees that we represent. These
arrangements are offered at our discretion, to assist people who
could otherwise not afford to access the legal system.
You will appreciate that because we carry a risk of not getting paid
for the professional services we provide, if there is a successful
outcome costs can be higher than otherwise. In some longer cases we
can be working unpaid for over 12 months.
Naturally the “no win no charge” option is very popular, and several
conditions necessarily apply. More details are on the
Enquire Now
page.
Strict time limits apply to many cases, so do not delay taking
action. You should come to us right from the start, before filing
any claim.
Q: What costs are covered by the NO WIN NO CHARGE (also known as No
Win No Fee*)?
The “no win no charge” arrangement covers the
professional legal work
we perform (e.g. lawyer’s time), but does not cover overhead costs
and "disbursements" (which are expenses we may have to pay to others
on your behalf).
To commence your case we will normally request payment of an
Administration/Filing Fee of $350 which is designed to offset some
of our out of pocket expenses (such as court fees) and fixed
overheads (including professional insurance, advertising, file
storage and retention, staff costs and office and business
infrastructure).
Q: How do I apply for NO WIN NO CHARGE?
Simply complete our
online application form.
We attempt to respond to applications within a few days.
Sometimes we may ask for more information before we make a decision
about whether we will offer a “no win no charge” arrangement.
If we do accept your application for a “no win no charge”
arrangement, we shall then of course provide you with a full
assessment of your rights and likely outcomes of potential cases. We
keep all clients fully informed about their cases as they progress.
If we are unable to offer you a “no win no charge” arrangement we
shall attempt to let you know as soon as possible. In these cases we
generally do not give reasons or case assessments. If you require
feedback, advice, a case assessment or reasons we did not offer a
“no win no charge” arrangement, we can normally provide this through
our “fixed-fee advice” service.”
Q: Will I be given an estimate of total fees if I am offered a NO
WIN NO CHARGE agreement?
You will be provided with documents including a proposed fee
agreement. This will set out the likely range of costs in the event
of a successful outcome.
Q: Does MAX LEGAL work for employers?
We only represent employees in legal disputes, and therefore avoid
potential conflicts of interest. We are not "anti-boss" as some have
suggested - probably based on the title of Terry McHugh's book.
However, we are definitely "anti bad boss" - and dedicated to
improving the quality of workplace relations for all parties.
*No Win No Fee is a trademark owned by Slater & Gordon, Solicitors. No Win No Pay and No Win No Charge are similar arrangements. We refer to our such arrangements as No Win No Charge.
Useful links
Fair Work Australia
1300 799 675
Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission
1800 134 142
Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT)
Sexual Assault Crisis Line
1800 806 292
WorkCover 1800 136 089
Law Institute of Victoria Referral Service 9607 9550
Evelyn Field (Psychologist - bullying) 9523 0300
Lame joke corner
What the boss thinks
"The beatings will continue until morale improves."
What the employees thinks
"He would be out of his depth in a car park puddle."