Local Court fee scales

Family law matters

			Commonwealth
Solicitor	Local Court Stage 2A Initiating court proceedings up to conclusion of directions hearings	Taking instructions for application or response and for affidavits, communications, preparing court documents, attending to filing and service, all court appearances including directions hearings and mentions, preparing and filing consent orders	$825 (PF19)
	Local Court Stage 2B Initiating court proceedings up to conclusion of directions hearings, including application for interim relief filed at the same time	Taking instructions for application or response and for affidavits, communications, preparing court documents, attending to filing and service, all court appearances including directions hearings and mentions, preparing and filing consent orders	$825 (PF20)
		Appearance at defended interim hearing, per hour to maximum 5 hours	$165 (PF20)
	Local Court Stage 2C Interim or summary hearing as a discrete event	Taking instructions for application or response and for affidavits, communications, preparing court documents, attending to filing and service, all court appearances including directions hearings and mentions, preparing and filing consent orders	$825 (PF21)
		Appearance at defended interim hearing, per hour to maximum 5 hours	$165 (PF21)
	Local Court Stage 2D Application for recovery order where there is an existing court order	Taking instructions for application or response and for affidavits, communications, preparing court documents, attending to filing and service, all court appearances including directions hearings and mentions, preparing and filing consent orders	$495 (PF24)
		Court appearance, per hour, to maximum 3 hours	$165 (PF24)
	Local Court Stage 3 Preparation for hearing	Taking instructions, interviewing witnesses, preparing documents including affidavits, preparing client for family or expert report process, issuing subpoenae, preparing trial documents, preparing and delivering brief to counsel, reading family or expert report, conference with counsel, preparing and filing consent orders	By negotiation (PF25)
	Local Court Stage 4A Final hearing	Court appearance, per hour	$165 (PF26)
	Local Court Stage 4B Taking judgment	Taking judgment and explaining orders, if judgment listed on a separate day	$165 (PF91)
	Local Court Stage 5 Transfer from Local Court to Federal Circuit and Family Court	Where previous funding has been approved in the Local Court this stage covers the transfer of the proceedings to the Federal Circuit and Family Court including taking instructions for application or response and for affidavits, communications, preparing court documents, attending to filing and service, all court appearances including directions hearings and mentions, preparing and filing consent orders	$825 (PF3)

Date last published: 1 July 2024