Hefferan & Co. Solicitors

Used these guys a few times, they offer great service.

Joke of a law firm.nIf you want high stress levels use them. If you don't then avoid. For a firm that is ment to be intop of the finer things about selling a house they are shocking. Their paper work is so disorganised. Tried blaming the bank because they can't listen to their customers.

would highly recommend, professional friendly service

Be very careful!!nnI've never had anything to do with lawyers/ conveyancers before this. Now I get why there are so many bad jokes about this industry!!nnI am new to home-buying. I relied on their online ad for 'free' advice and quote.nnI now have a $220 bill and no house (they were going to charge me double and keep going up if I asked them to pass on my reduced offer based on a problematic building pest inspection report!! It was too late to go with someone else by that stage!!).nnI found them very unprofessional - they basically didn't respond at all to my request for a complaint number and information on their complaints handling process (this is what the ACCC suggested I do to help resolve the matter). Also ignored my request for their costs agreement!!nnI felt they used their 'free advice' ad as a money making exercise (not even a hint to the customer they are getting charged for it until they hit you with the bill!! At least not in my case!).nnThey refused to update their ad to reflect '*terms and conditions apply' and to add 'minimum $X and conditions apply' to their 'flat fee' quote templates. (I was trying to make sure other first home buyers aren't caught in the same pickle!!).nnOh, and I think they cut and paste an email trail to make it look like they told me about the $220 before I came on when they *didn't*.nnI sought a quote in February 2020. I reaffirmed the 'flat fee' quote on 1 July 2020. Hefferan did *not* tell me of a $220 fee until 7 July 2020, *after* the build pest inspection came back. I initially thought it was from title searches (it wasn't, it was for 'emails').nnI felt blindsided, vulnerable and trapped as the home purchase process is time sensitive and a response was due to the vendor that very day!! If I had known about this at the beginning when I asked for a quote, I would've gone with somebody else.nn***I have no problems with professional fees and charges. I only have issues with the way this $220 is charged without prior warning/ notice. I have grave concerns that potential clients aren't informed of, and won't find, relevant terms and conditions, etc, that allows them to understand what they are up for, and more importantly, make INFORMED decisions about who they engage as conveyancers.***nnIf I could go back in time I'd tell myself to run as fast and far from Hefferan's as possible!!nnUPDATE 1: Have advice from people working in the legal industry that people new to home buying can do the following to try and protect themselves from similar experiences:na. Ask for a costs agreement. You’re entitled to one. There should be no argument from them whatsoever – and if there is, then that in itself is an ethical no no.nb. Ask lawyers/ conveyancers what kinds of quote/ charges/ fees/ costs they charge roughly.nc. *HOW/ WHEN* they generally charge it.nd. What costs/ fees/ charges are incurred if the contract terminates for any reason (e.g. building and pest inspection).nnUPDATE 2: I am trying to work with third party regulatory bodies to establish a baseline so Queenslanders in particular, aren't subject to such poor business practices and questionable behaviour.nnI've been told that in NSW (and it is likely to be the same elsewhere), failure by a lawyer to disclose costs can amount to unsatisfactory professional conduct (s 311 Legal Profession Act) and is a serious breach of professional standards and ethics.nnIn Vic, there are rules of professional conduct for conveyancers set out in the Conveyancers (Professional Conduct) Regulations 2018, effective from 26 May 2018. This says a conveyancer must not: misinform or otherwise mislead or deceive any parties in negotiations or a transaction.nnSorry for the huge blurb, but I am *trying* to help others avoid my mistake!!

These guys deserve 5 stars and more! They were really on it from the beginning, dealing with us very patiently, professionally and responding to about a million of our questions. They made the whole process hassle free! Would highly recommend to anyone. Thank you again : )