Who we bring claims against
We act for individuals, business owners, trustees and lenders across Australia whose professional adviser failed to exercise reasonable care and skill.
- Accountants and tax agents — ATO assessments, penalties, negligent structuring and SMSF errors
- Lawyers and conveyancers — missed limitation dates, defective contracts, title and easement problems
- Valuers and building inspectors — overvaluations, missed defects, termite and structural damage
- Financial advisers and mortgage brokers — unsuitable products, inappropriate leverage, undisclosed commissions
- Insurance brokers — cover placed on the wrong terms, or never placed at all
- Architects, engineers and project consultants — defective design and certification
The legal routes available
An Australian claim is rarely limited to common law negligence. Depending on the facts, the same conduct can also give rise to a breach of contract, a breach of the statutory guarantees in the Australian Consumer Law, misleading or deceptive conduct under section 18 of the ACL or section 1041H of the Corporations Act, or a breach of fiduciary duty.
Pleading the strongest combination matters, because the causes of action carry different limitation periods, different defences and, in the case of the statutory claims, no requirement to prove a duty of care.
How the process works
We begin with a free assessment of what happened and what it cost you. If the claim has merit we obtain the professional's file, identify the breach precisely, and quantify the loss — using an independent expert in the same discipline where the standard of care is contested.
The claim is then presented to the professional's indemnity insurer. Where the respondent is a licensed financial firm, an AFCA complaint is frequently the faster and cheaper route, and we will tell you if it is the better one for your circumstances.
Signs something has gone wrong
- An unexpected ATO assessment, penalty or audit traced back to how your affairs were handled
- A deadline passed and your claim, application or objection can no longer be run
- A second opinion contradicts what you were originally advised
- A property, business or investment turned out to be worth materially less than you were told
- Your adviser has become evasive, or has stopped responding altogether