Can solicitors use confidential client information to recover unpaid legal costs?

In short: no. Solicitors are subject to professional obligations that govern the handling of client information—even where fees remain unpaid.

The responsibilities of renewing your practising certificate

It is essential that all solicitors renew their practising certificates before 30 June each year.

Protecting your clients’ claim to client legal privilege

Protecting your clients’ claims to privilege requires you to be well-informed on the elements of privilege and how it might be waived.

Costs and conduct: a lesson from White House (No. 2)

This case illustrates how a party’s outcome for costs orders can be impacted by procedural missteps in appealing costs orders in NCAT.

Message Undeliverable: how trauma impacts client communication

Many solicitors likely relate to the feeling that, no matter how deliberately they communicate throughout a matter, some clients just won’t cooperate.

Crossing the line: pitfalls for solicitors acting in loan and guarantee matters

Since 1996 there have been rules in place in New South Wales in relation to the evidence that a solicitor for a lender may require…

Supervised Legal Practice – breaking down the border walls of interstate supervision

Remember the feelings of stress and anxiety that dominated during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19)pandemic, when the roads connecting neighbouring states and territories were suddenly blocked?…

To be or not to be engaging in legal practice?

Lawyers frequently encounter the question whether the work they do is considered engaging in legal practice and therefore requires them to hold a current practising…

What can I do if another solicitor is being difficult?

Don’t worry, we get asked this a lot.

Where in the world is my ‘principal place of practice’?

To be eligible to apply for an Australian practising certificate in a particular state or territory, a lawyer must principally or reasonably intend to principally…