Disputes resolved with a clear head
Contract, debt, property and consumer disputes for individuals and small businesses. We tell you what a claim is worth running, and what it is not.
Advice on cost and proportionality from the first conversation
Is it worth pursuing?
Can you prove it?
Not only what happened, but what you can establish with documents and witnesses. The merits of a claim and the evidence for it are different things, and a claim is run on both.
Can they pay?
A money judgment against someone with no assets may cost more to enforce than it returns. Whether a judgment could be recovered is worth checking before you spend anything.
Is it proportionate?
The cost and time of running a claim can exceed what is in dispute. Sometimes the commercial answer and the legal answer differ.
Civil disputes
Breach of contract, termination, unpaid work and disputes about what was agreed.
Recovering money owed, and defending claims where the debt is disputed.
Claims under the Australian Consumer Law about goods, services and misleading conduct.
Disputes about land, leases, co-ownership and sale contracts.
Claims for loss caused by another party’s failure to take reasonable care.
Advice on publication, concerns notices and defences, for both sides.
From documents to a decision
Start with a short message
A few sentences about the dispute, who it is with, and any deadline. We ask for the contract, the correspondence and the invoices once a conflict check is done.
Get a merits and costs assessment
We set out the strength of the claim, what it will take to prove, the realistic range of outcomes and what each step costs.
Try to resolve it
A letter of demand or a negotiation can resolve a matter without proceedings. We start there unless there is a reason not to.
Run it if it needs running
If the matter has to go to court, we prepare it properly and keep telling you whether continuing still makes sense.
Read before you act
What a letter of demand should and should not say
Why the first letter matters, and the lines that make a matter harder later.
Which court hears your claim
How the amount in dispute and the type of claim decide where it goes.
Limitation periods in New South Wales
Civil claims are subject to time limits. What starts the clock, and what stops it.
Common questions
How long do I have to bring a claim?
Civil claims in New South Wales are subject to time limits. A limit can apply under the Limitation Act 1969 or under other legislation, and which one applies depends on the type of claim and on when it arose. If you think a deadline may be close, raise it in your first message.
Will I have to go to court?
Not necessarily. A civil matter can be resolved through correspondence or mediation without a hearing. Court is one option among several, and it has its own costs.
If I win, do I get my legal costs back?
A successful party may recover some of its costs. What is recovered depends on the court’s orders and on the other side’s ability to pay, and it may not cover all of what you have spent. Never assume costs will come back.
What if I have already sent letters myself?
Bring them. Earlier correspondence forms part of the record and can help or hinder. We would rather see it at the start than be surprised by it later.
Real conversations.
Clear next steps.
Explain where you are now, ask the questions that matter to you, and understand what to prepare next.
Recognition of
Jameson Law.
Recognition received by Jameson Law and its team. My Civil Lawyer is a service of Jameson Law. Award years and categories are shown on the original badges.
Tell us what the dispute is about
A few sentences is enough to start. If a deadline is running, say so first.