You can budget for it
The same number every month, in the accounts as a line item rather than a contingency. No bill arrives that you did not know was coming.
Business Law Services
Businesses call a lawyer late because nobody will say what it costs
So here is what it costs. A one-off Legal Risk Audit at $2,970, and three fixed monthly retainers with everything that is in each one set out in full.
Fixed monthly fee, no hourly billing6 or 12 month termsResponse time is part of the tier
The bill you cannot predict is the one you avoid
Hourly billing does not only cost money. It costs the questions you did not ask.
On an hourly rate
A meter you cannot see
You do not know what the call costs until after it. So the small question waits, and the contract gets signed unread, and the invoice goes another month. By the time it is worth paying for advice, it is a dispute.
On a retainer
A line item
The same figure every month, already budgeted. Asking costs nothing, so things get raised while they are still small and cheap. That is the whole mechanism.
A retainer is not automatically the right answer. One problem is one problem, and it should be quoted as one. The arrangement earns its keep when legal questions come up often enough that you have started not asking them. If you are not sure which of those you are, the Legal Risk Audit is what answers it.
Three retainers, and what is in each one
All three run on 6 or 12 month terms, with longer commitments available where a business needs priority support. The rows line up across the cards so you can read across them.
Ongoing legal support for growing businessesEssential Support
$3,300per month
Small and medium established businesses who need consistent legal advice and contract protection.
Consults2 x 30-minute consults per month
Contract reviewsUnlimited basic contract reviews, up to 15 pages
Disputes2 letters of demand per month included
Additional work15% discount on additional work
Response timePriority email support, 24-hour response
Your legal team on demandBusiness Shield
$4,950per month
Medium businesses wanting to scale and needing reliable ongoing support.
Consults4 x 30-minute consults per month
Contract reviewsUnlimited general contract reviews, up to 25 pages
DisputesFull dispute management, excluding legal proceedings
Additional work20% discount on legal proceedings in QCAT or court
Response timePriority support, 12-hour response
Full legal protection for serious operatorsComplete Legal Shield
$10,000per month
Medium to large businesses with $10M or more in revenue, ongoing disputes, complex contracts or high legal risk.
ConsultsUnlimited consultations and phone calls
Contract reviewsUnlimited contract reviews, drafting and compliance
DisputesFull dispute management including legal proceedings, limited to three at once
Additional work30% discount on additional work
Response timeSame-day priority access
Not sure yet? Start with a Legal Risk Audit
A one-off piece of work that tells you where the business actually stands, and commits you to nothing after it.
One-time investment$2,970
Business owners who want to know where they stand, companies preparing for growth or investment, builders who have never had a contract properly reviewed, and businesses already in a dispute who need clarity before they spend anything else.
Book the auditA review of your most-used contracts and agreements.
A compliance audit covering QBCC, employment law, consumer law and privacy requirements.
A risk assessment covering disputes, debts, defamation exposure and insurance gaps.
Written advice identifying the issues and what to do about each one.
A post-audit consultation to walk through the findings and decide what happens next.
Why a retainer beats hourly billing
You get answered first
Retainer clients hold priority in the queue, and the response time is part of what you are buying: 24 hours, 12 hours, or same day depending on the tier.
Problems get raised early
The whole cost of hourly billing is the question you did not ask because the meter was running. When asking is free, the small things get raised while they are still small.
We already know your business
By the third month we are not reading your contracts for the first time. That shows up as faster turnarounds and advice that fits how you actually operate.
The work is preventative, not reactive
Contract reviews, compliance checks and early intervention in a dispute cost a fraction of the same matter after it has been running for six months.
What the retainer actually covers
Six areas, and the page that deals with each one in depth. The retainer is the arrangement; these are the matters it runs on.
Contracts and agreements
Supply, subcontract, services and shareholder agreements, terms of trade, and the special conditions somebody has asked you to accept.
Residential building contract reviewGetting paid
Overdue invoices, letters of demand, payment claims and the recovery ladder when an account stops moving.
Debt recoveryBuilding and construction
Payment claims, variations, defects, delay and QBCC matters, on the statutory timeframes that decide most of them.
Building and construction disputesReputation
Google reviews, social posts and former employees. The concerns notice process is mandatory, technical, and fatal to get wrong.
DefamationCompanies that will not pay
Statutory demands, the 21 days that follow one, and what a presumption of insolvency is worth as leverage.
Statutory demandsWhen it has to go further
Commercial litigation, insolvency and tax debt disputes, run by the same people who advised on the contract in the first place.
Commercial litigationWhy Odyssey Legal
The price is on the page
Three monthly figures and a one-off audit price, published. Across twenty results on the Brisbane SERP for this term, two firms mention fixed fees at all and none of them publishes a number.
The adviser is the litigator
The same practice runs building, debt, defamation and commercial disputes through QCAT, the QBCC and the courts. The contract you are handed to sign is read by someone who has had to argue one like it.
Written for how trades and operators work
Construction, trades and commercial operations are the bulk of this firm's work, so the advice arrives in plain English and on the timeframes a job actually runs to.
A term you can leave
Retainers run on six or twelve month terms, with longer commitments available where a business needs priority support. The tier can move as the business does.
Fast-Track Assessment
Find the tier that fits, in about a minute
Four questions. It tells us the size of the business and what is already on foot, which is most of what decides the answer.
If a matter is already running, start here and say so in the last question. Or call (07) 5370 8759 if you would rather talk it through first.
Which retainer fits your business? Take the Fast-Track Assessment
Who are we speaking to?
So the recommendation goes back to the right person.
01 / 04
Or call (07) 5370 8759 and speak to our experts directly.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a business lawyer in Brisbane?
Almost nobody will tell you, which is why the question is on the first page of Google results and unanswered by every firm on it. The honest answer for hourly work is that it depends on who does it and how long it takes, and neither is known when you ask.
The prices on this page exist to remove that. A one-off Legal Risk Audit is $2,970. The three retainers are $3,300, $4,950 and $10,000 a month, and what is in each one is set out above.
Where can I get free business legal advice in Queensland?
Several places, and it is worth using them before you pay anyone. The Queensland Small Business Commissioner offers free dispute support and mediation assistance. Business Queensland publishes guidance on your legal obligations. The Australian Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman helps with disputes involving larger businesses and government.
None of them will draft your contract, act for you in QCAT or send a letter of demand on your letterhead. They are the right first call for general guidance and the wrong one for a matter that has a deadline on it.
Do I have to commit for a long time?
Retainers run on six or twelve month terms. Longer commitments are available where a business wants priority support, and the tier can move up or down as the business does.
If you are not sure a retainer is right at all, the Legal Risk Audit is a one-off and commits you to nothing further.
What happens if I use more than the retainer covers?
It is billed as additional work, at a discount that scales with the tier: 15% on Essential Support, 20% on Business Shield and 30% on Complete Legal Shield. On the upper two tiers that discount also applies to legal proceedings in QCAT or a court.
Nothing is charged without being agreed first. The point of the arrangement is that you stop being surprised by invoices.
Is a retainer worth it if I only have one problem right now?
Probably not, and we will say so. One matter is one matter, and it should be quoted as one. A retainer earns its keep when legal questions come up often enough that you have started not asking them.
If you are not sure which of those you are, that is exactly what the Legal Risk Audit answers.
What is actually covered by business law?
For a Queensland operator it is mostly four things: the agreements you sign, getting paid for work you have done, the disputes that arise from either, and the obligations that sit on you as a director. Employment, privacy and consumer law run underneath all of it.
What that means in practice is set out section by section above, with a link to the page that deals with each in depth.
Related information
Debt recoveryThe four-rung ladder, and why most debts resolve on the first twoBuilding and construction disputesQBCC, QCAT, adjudication and the BIF Act deadlinesLetter of demandWhat has to be in one, and the mistakes that cost you the caseStatutory demandsThe 21 days, and what a presumption of insolvency is worthBankruptcy and insolvencyDirector duties when a company is under real cash-flow pressureTax debt disputesThe ATO's own enforcement powers, including against a director personallyQueensland Small Business CommissionerFree dispute support and mediation assistance for small businessBusiness Queensland: legal obligationsThe state's own guidance on what the law requires of youAustralian Small Business and Family Enterprise OmbudsmanHelp with disputes involving larger businesses and government