Insight · Working with us
How Much Does a Lawyer Cost in Australia?
Published 18 August 2026
Real hourly ranges, what scoped commercial work should cost, and how to get a quote you can hold a firm to.
In short
In Australia, commercial lawyers charging hourly typically sit between about $350 and $900+ an hour depending on seniority and firm size. Fixed-fee firms price by deliverable instead — a contract review, a shareholders agreement, a business sale — so you know the number before work starts. Any practice charging you more than $750 must give you written costs disclosure and an estimate.
"How much will this cost?" is the first question most business owners want to ask a lawyer and the last one they actually ask. This page sets out the real numbers, what drives them, and how to get a quote you can rely on.
Typical hourly rates in Australia
Hourly rates vary far more by firm size and city than by skill. As a broad guide for commercial work in 2026:
- Junior solicitor, small firm — roughly $350–$450 per hour.
- Senior associate, mid-tier firm — roughly $500–$700 per hour.
- Partner, mid-tier firm — roughly $650–$850 per hour.
- Partner, national or top-tier firm — $900 per hour and upwards.
Rates are usually recorded in six-minute units, so a two-minute phone call is billed as a full unit. The headline rate is rarely the useful number — the useful number is the estimated total, and the assumptions sitting behind it.
What common commercial matters should cost
Priced by deliverable rather than by hour, the market range for scoped commercial work generally looks like this:
- Single contract review with written mark-up — around $800–$3,000 depending on length and whether negotiation is included.
- Set of standard terms (services or supply) — around $2,000–$5,000.
- Shareholders agreement — around $3,500–$8,000 depending on the number of holders and the complexity of exit mechanics.
- Commercial lease review (tenant side) — around $1,500–$3,500.
- Small business sale or purchase — around $6,000–$20,000 depending on deal value, due diligence and warranties.
- Employment contract suite — around $2,000–$4,500.
These are indicative market ranges, not our quotes. What matters when you compare them is scope: two quotes for "a shareholders agreement" can mean very different amounts of work.
What actually drives the cost
- Number of parties. Every additional party adds negotiation rounds, and negotiation is where hourly matters blow out.
- Whether you are on your document or theirs. Reviewing a counterparty's aggressive draft costs more than issuing your own.
- Deal urgency. Compressed timeframes cost more everywhere, in every profession.
- Regulatory overlay. AFSL, credit, privacy, franchising and security of payment issues each add a compliance layer.
- How organised your records are. Missing registers, unsigned documents and undocumented arrangements are usually the single largest avoidable cost.
Your legal right to a cost estimate
Under the Legal Profession Uniform Law (which applies in New South Wales and Victoria), a law practice must give you written costs disclosure — including an estimate of total legal costs — before or as soon as practicable after being retained, where costs are likely to exceed $750. If the estimate changes materially, the practice must tell you. You are entitled to request an itemised bill, and to dispute costs you consider unreasonable.
Practically, that means you should never receive a surprise invoice. If you have, that is a costs disclosure problem, not just a billing dispute.
Disbursements are separate
Disbursements are third-party costs — ASIC and PPSR searches, IP Australia trade mark filing fees, court filing fees, counsel's fees, title searches. They are passed through and should be itemised separately in any quote. A quote that folds unquantified disbursements into a "fee estimate" is worth questioning.
How to get a quote you can rely on
- Describe the outcome, not the document. "We're bringing in a fourth shareholder and want the exits locked down" produces a better quote than "we need a shareholders agreement".
- Ask for the scope in writing — what is included, how many rounds of amendment, and what triggers an additional fee.
- Ask what is excluded. Negotiation with the other side, stamp duty advice, and tax advice are common carve-outs.
- Ask for a fixed fee. If the firm cannot fix the fee, ask why — for most scoped commercial work the answer is habit rather than uncertainty.
- Ask who will do the work. A cheap hourly rate applied by someone learning on your matter is not a saving.
Why we price everything as a fixed fee
We quote a fixed fee for every scoped engagement before we start, so the cost of legal advice is a decision you make once rather than a meter you watch. It also removes the perverse incentive in hourly billing: you should be able to call your lawyer with a question without calculating what the call will cost.
Related reading
Talk to us
Ready to talk it through?
Send us a note about what you're working on. We'll respond within one business day and, if we're a fit, book a free 15-minute consultation with a senior lawyer.
Frequently asked
- How much does a commercial lawyer cost in Australia?
- Hourly rates for commercial lawyers in Australia typically run from around $350 an hour for a junior solicitor at a small firm to $900 or more an hour for a partner at a national firm. Fixed-fee providers price by deliverable instead, so a contract review or a shareholders agreement is quoted as a single number before work starts.
- Is a fixed fee cheaper than an hourly rate?
- Not always cheaper in absolute terms, but it is certain. With an hourly rate you carry the risk that the matter takes longer than estimated; with a fixed fee the firm carries that risk. For scoped work — contract drafting, reviews, structuring advice, a business sale — a fixed fee almost always produces a lower final invoice than an open-ended hourly engagement.
- Do lawyers have to give you a cost estimate?
- Yes. Under the Legal Profession Uniform Law, a law practice must disclose its costs to a client in writing before or as soon as practicable after being retained, where the total is likely to exceed $750, and must give an estimate of the total legal costs. If costs change materially, the practice must update the disclosure.
- What is a costs agreement?
- A costs agreement is the written contract between you and your lawyer setting out the scope of work, the basis of charging (fixed fee, hourly, or a combination), disbursements, and payment terms. You should read it before signing, and you are entitled to negotiate the scope and the fee basis.
- What are disbursements?
- Disbursements are third-party costs your lawyer pays on your behalf — ASIC and PPSR search fees, court filing fees, IP Australia trade mark application fees, barrister's fees, and similar. They sit outside the professional fee and should be listed separately in any quote.
- How much should a contract review cost?
- A single commercial contract review is commonly quoted between roughly $800 and $3,000 depending on length, complexity and whether negotiation of the counterparty's position is included. Ask for the quote to state exactly what is included — a written mark-up, a risk memo, or a negotiation round.
- Can I get a free consultation with a lawyer?
- Many commercial firms, including ours, offer a short no-obligation scoping call at no cost. The purpose is to understand the matter well enough to give you a fixed-fee quote — it is not substantive legal advice.