General information only — not legal advice. Search Solicitors is a directory and information resource, not a law firm. Laws and procedures vary across Australia and may change. Seek advice from an appropriately qualified Australian legal practitioner about your own circumstances. A listing is not an endorsement or a guarantee of qualifications, availability or outcomes.
The practical takeaway
Can you show me where the agreed task and exclusions are described? Who can explain an invoice and the available process for raising a concern?
A costs agreement should help you understand the proposed purchase. Read it alongside the scope of work, and ask the firm to explain anything you cannot match to your expectations.
Match the document to the task
Check the client name, matter description and included stage. Ask whether the proposal covers advice only, drafting, negotiations or representation. If your first conversation covered several problems, check which ones the agreement actually includes. Do not rely on the title of a service to resolve an unclear description.
- Can you show me where the agreed task and exclusions are described?
Read the assumptions behind the price
Identify whether the amount is fixed, estimated or based on time. Ask how taxes, external expenses and additional people are treated. Clarify any assumed document limits or number of revisions. A figure is easier to compare once you know what work and circumstances it assumes.
- Which assumptions would make the eventual cost different?
Understand approval and updates
Ask how the firm will tell you about a changed scope or estimate and how it will seek instructions for further work. Ask who can authorise work if more than one person is involved in the client organisation. Keep a copy of agreed changes rather than relying only on a conversation you may remember differently later.
- When will you update me before additional costs are incurred?
Ask about billing and concerns
Clarify billing frequency, payment arrangements and whom to contact about an unclear item. Ask for an explanation before agreeing to terms you do not understand. Costs rules and complaint pathways depend on the circumstances and jurisdiction; local regulators provide consumer information, but this checklist does not assess your legal rights.
- Who can explain an invoice and the available process for raising a concern?
Worked example · hypothetical
The estimate excludes external expenses
Two proposals have the same headline figure but treat additional expenses differently.
The estimate excludes external expenses
Ask: Which expenses are reasonably anticipated, and how will they be approved?
Why it matters: Clarifying the proposed service prevents a comparison based on different assumptions.
The initial discussion leaves a task unclear.
Ask: Which assumptions would make the eventual cost different?
Why it matters: Record the answer so you can distinguish confirmed arrangements from an expectation.
Further work has not yet been agreed.
Ask: Who can explain an invoice and the available process for raising a concern?
Why it matters: A specific next step helps you understand who is responsible and what has been accepted.
Your next step: Write down the answer, ask for unclear terms to be explained, and compare the written proposal before engaging the provider.
Open the private comparison worksheet →Your private preparation
Turn this guide into your enquiry
Print this page using your browser, or copy the prompts into your own private notes. This page does not collect your answers.
- Can you show me where the agreed task and exclusions are described?
- Which assumptions would make the eventual cost different?
- When will you update me before additional costs are incurred?
- Who can explain an invoice and the available process for raising a concern?
Common questions
Is an estimate the same as a fixed fee?
They describe different pricing approaches. Ask the firm to explain the basis of its figure, the assumptions and exclusions, and when the amount or scope may change.
What should I do with an unclear billing term?
Ask the firm for an explanation before agreeing. Keep the clarified terms in writing and identify the contact and process for any later billing question.
Sources and further reading
Sources checked 2026-09-20. Read each source in its own jurisdiction and context. Examples and worksheets are original editorial aids, not actual client stories. How we prepare our content.
General information only — not legal advice. Search Solicitors is a directory and information resource, not a law firm. Laws and procedures vary across Australia and may change. Seek advice from an appropriately qualified Australian legal practitioner about your own circumstances. A listing is not an endorsement or a guarantee of qualifications, availability or outcomes.