Understand this area of law
A dispute may be at the complaint, negotiation, mediation, tribunal, court or enforcement stage. Describe what has happened, what response is required and any process already underway. The word litigation should not be used to assume court is the only or appropriate next step; the lawyer you approach needs to assess the available pathways.
Define the work before comparing firms
Ask whether the law firm handles the relevant subject matter, court or tribunal and whether it acts at the current stage. Clarify if the proposed work includes early advice, correspondence, evidence review, mediation, filing, advocacy or enforcement. Barristers, experts and other specialists may require separate engagement and costs.
Prepare a safer, more useful first enquiry
Create a private chronology, preserve relevant documents and record every date in notices or orders. Verify the recipient before providing confidential material. Ask the firm to explain the first decision it can help with, the information it needs, possible cost exposure and how settlement or alternative dispute resolution will be considered.
Work that may sit within this category
Use these examples to describe the enquiry, not to diagnose the legal issue or assume that every law firm performs the work.
- Early advice before formal proceedings
- Negotiation, mediation and other dispute-resolution processes
- Tribunal or court proceedings and interlocutory steps
- Judgment enforcement or responding to enforcement
Information to organise before making contact
- A chronology and the agreement or event underlying the dispute
- Letters, claims, orders and filed documents
- Every hearing, response and limitation date already identified
Court orders and procedural notices require direct attention. This website cannot interpret an order, calculate a deadline or obtain an extension.
Take to the conversation
Three questions for a lawyer
- Does the firm handle this subject matter in the relevant court or tribunal?
- What should the first stage decide, and are other resolution options in scope?
- How will legal fees, disbursements and possible adverse costs be discussed?
Official background
business.gov.au: prevent, manage and resolve disputes ↗Source checked 25 September 2026. It provides general background within its own scope; it does not select a lawyer or assess your circumstances.