Dispute Resolution and Litigation
You’re in a dispute in Australia. What you do in the first fortnight shapes what is recoverable later.
Information, not advice
This page is information, not legal advice about your matter. A retainer begins only when a lawyer confirms it.
Start here
Save the evidence and check your deadlines
Documents, messages and any on-chain trail, before anything is deleted in the normal course of business. Time limits differ by state and by claim, and they decide what you can still bring.
What to work through, in order
Limitation periods
Limitation periods vary by state and by cause of action, commonly six years for contract and tort but shorter for some statutory claims. Identifying the earliest applicable date is the first thing to establish.
Preserving evidence and freezing assets
Document preservation obligations arise once litigation is reasonably anticipated. Freezing orders are available where there is a real risk of dissipation, and require full and frank disclosure.
Costs and funding
Costs generally follow the event, and security for costs may be ordered against an impecunious plaintiff. Litigation funding is well established and regulated.
Recovery scams
Anyone who contacts you promising to recover your funds for an upfront fee is running a second scam against the same victim. No legitimate firm guarantees recovery, and no legitimate firm asks for payment in crypto to start.
Next steps
What happens if you go ahead
Scoping call
Written scope and fixed-fee quote
Engagement, once a lawyer confirms
Who would handle it
Offices
Melbourne
Level 17, 31 Queen Street, Melbourne VIC 3000
Sydney
Unit 3, 55 Pyrmont Bridge Road, Pyrmont NSW 2009
Gold Coast
Level 5, 33 Elkhorn Avenue, Surfers Paradise QLD 4217