Top 20 Legal Aid Fee Earning Law Firms in NSW
Private law firms play an important role in assisting those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds to access the family law and criminal justice systems, by undertaking work for free or at a reduced rate under programs such as the Law Society’s Pro Bono Scheme and Legal Aid case assignments.
While lawyers employed by the Legal Aid Commission regularly represent clients in all levels of the criminal court hierarchy, the Commission also assigns legally aided clients to private lawyers in certain situations.
In those circumstances, the Commission pays private lawyers a reduced rate to undertake the work.
Several private lawyers also undertake ‘Legal Aid duty work’ in the criminal courts, often representing large numbers of clients who are attending their first court dates, for a set daily fee.
Many of those clients will formally apply for legal aid grants and be refused, and for many firms, this duty work represents a rich source of income – as defendants who are ultimately refused legal aid grants will often pay the firms the represent them privately.
Legal Aid funding crisis
But it’s important to recognise that the funds available to the Legal Aid Commission are extremely limited.
In fact, it has been reported that due to funding shortfalls for public legal services, at least 45,000 people per year are left to represent themselves in court after being unable to secure legal help from community legal centres, pro bono avenues and legal aid grants.
Your right to know
The Legal Aid Commission is funded by you, the taxpayer, and you have a right to know where your hard-earned dollars are going.
The distribution of Legal Aid funds is outlined in the Commission’s annual reports, which provide detailed breakdowns of both revenue and expenditure.
Here are the private law firms in our state which, according to the Commission, have earned the most money from Legal Aid in recent years.
2017 to 2018
Private law firm expenditure
Based on payments made for case and duty services during 2017–2018
| Top 20 earning firms | |||||
| Firm Name | Case payments
$ |
Number of case files
on which payments made |
Duty payments
$ |
Number of duty
services provided |
Total amount paid*
$ |
| 1 MALLINSON RAKE LAWYERS PTY LIMITED | $898,407
|
203
|
$888,835
|
||
| 2 ROSS HILL & ASSOCIATES SOLICITORS | $869,531
|
109
|
$862,874 | ||
| 3 GEORGE STEN & CO SOLICITORS | $663,415 | 87
|
$842,357 | ||
| 4 NYMAN GIBSON MIRALIS (SYDNEY) | $642,647
|
85
|
$697,520
|
||
| 5 O’BRIEN SOLICITORS | $662,391 | 212
|
$54,000
|
442
|
$691,044
|
| 6 OXFORD LAWYERS PTY LTD | $627,100
|
137
|
$666,428
|
||
| 7 ZAHR & ZAHR LAWYERS | $623,514
|
43 | $620,623
|
||
| 8 MATOUK JOYNER LAWYERS | $542,791
|
65 | $617,048
|
||
| 9 RAMSLAND LAIDLER | $501,401
|
181
|
$34,163
|
339
|
$614,685
|
| 10 TIM MARA SOLICITOR WITH RAFTON
FAMILY LAWYERS PARRAMATTA |
$577,285
|
339
|
$31,250
|
113
|
$613,465
|
| 11 SCOTT MACKENZIE LAWYERS | $575,686
|
212
|
$42,584
|
450
|
$582,111
|
| 12 ARCHBOLD LEGAL SOLUTIONS | $572,951
|
123 | $581,748
|
||
| 13 BANNISTERS LAWYERS | $543,845
|
113 | $572,808
|
||
| 14 BLAIR CRIMINAL LAWYERS PTY LIMITED | $562,962
|
155 | $558,224
|
||
| 15 GREGORY J GOOLD | $420,998
|
19 | $552,270
|
||
| 16 DOUGLASS & FORD CRIMINAL LAW | $513,435
|
245
|
$70,525
|
506
|
$527,558
|
| 17 RICE MORE & GIBSON | $480,707
|
143 | $15,775
|
70 | $526,935
|
| 18 KATSOOLIS & CO | $487,797
|
54 | $526,815
|
||
| 19 VOROS LAWYERS | $476,913
|
126 | $34,713
|
247 | $522,699
|
| 20 MORRISONS LAW GROUP | $367,086
|
191 | $13,925
|
139 | $514,283
|
2016 to 2017
Expenditure across the private law firms which received the highest aggregate payments for legal aid services 2016–2017
| Firm Name | Case payments $ | Number of case files on which payments made | Duty payments $ | Number of duty services provided
|
Total amount paid* $
|
| 1 BANNISTERS LAWYERS | $898,407
|
124
|
$898,407
|
||
| 2 ARCHBOLD LEGAL SOLUTIONS | $869,531
|
85
|
$869,531
|
||
| 3 TIM MARA SOLICITOR WITH RAFTON FAMILY LAWYERS PARRAMATTA
|
$663,415
|
363
|
$23,375
|
84
|
$686,790
|
| 4 O’BRIEN SOLICITORS | $642,647
|
142
|
$31,475
|
266
|
$674,122
|
| 5 MATOUK JOYNER LAWYERS | $662,391
|
70
|
$662,391
|
||
| 6 JEFFREYS LAWYERS | $627,100
|
39 | $627,100
|
||
| 7 BLAIR CRIMINAL LAWYERS PTY LIMITED | $623,514
|
119
|
$623,514
|
||
| 8 SCOTT MURRELL LAWYERS | $542,791
|
161
|
$43,278
|
397
|
$586,069
|
| 9 HAMMOND SOLICITORS | $501,401
|
130
|
$79,425
|
656
|
$580,826
|
| 10 GEORGE STEN & CO SOLICITORS | $577,285
|
94
|
$577,285
|
||
| 11 OXFORD LAWYERS PTY LTD | $575,686
|
103
|
$575,686
|
||
| 12 MARK RUMORE | $572,951
|
89 | $975
|
13
|
$573,926
|
| 13 GRAEME MORRISON | $543,845
|
207
|
$20,100
|
213 | $563,945
|
| 14 NYMAN GIBSON MIRALIS (SYDNEY) | $562,962
|
92 | $562,962
|
||
| 15 RYAN & PAYTEN CRIMINAL LAW SPECIALISTS | $420,998
|
102 | $101,000
|
728
|
$521,998
|
| 16 ZAHR & ZAHR LAWYERS | $513,435
|
44
|
$513,435
|
||
| 17 RAMSLAND LAIDLER | $480,707
|
166
|
$31,288
|
339
|
$511,994
|
| 18 KIDMAN LEGAL | $487,797
|
1 | $487,797
|
||
| 19 MARK WHELAN LAWYER PTY LIMITED | $476,913
|
167
|
$5,038
|
11 | $481,950
|
| 20 O’BRIEN WINTER PARTNERS PTY LTD | $367,086
|
228
|
$111,463
|
1,170
|
$478,549
|
2015 to 2016
Expenditure across the private law firms which received the highest aggregate payments for legal aid services 2015–2016.
| Firm Name | Case payments $ | Number of case files on which payments made | Duty payments $ | Number of duty services provided
|
Total amount paid $
|
| 1 Archbold Legal Solutions | $1,050,660 | 72 | $1,050,660
|
||
| 2 Bannisters Lawyers | $980,647
|
95 | $980,647
|
||
| 3 Hadden Kemp Solicitors Pty Ltd | $856,024
|
475
|
$89,231
|
608 | $945,255
|
| 4 George Sten & Co Solicitors | $801,112
|
74
|
$801,112
|
||
| 5 Blair Criminal Lawyers Pty Limited | $744,765
|
174
|
$744,765
|
||
| 6 Scott Murrell Lawyers | $669,550
|
224 | $48,158
|
475 | $717,708
|
| 7 Tim Mara Solicitor with Rafton Family Lawyers Parramatta | $684,839
|
349 | $20,688
|
72 | $705,527
|
| 8 Matouk Joyner Lawyers | $638,887
|
71
|
$638,887
|
||
| 9 Blue Water Legal | $608,459
|
173 | $29,288
|
242 | $637,747
|
| 10 Sydney Criminal & Traffic Lawyers | $599,721
|
62 | $1,275
|
16 | $600,996
|
| 11 Zahr & Zahr Lawyers | $600,313
|
37 | $600,313
|
||
| 12 O’Brien Winter Partners Pty Ltd | $461,315
|
261
|
$135,638
|
1,219
|
$596,952
|
| 13 Oxford Lawyers Pty Ltd | $580,921
|
120 | $580,921
|
||
| 14 Sydney Criminal Lawyers | $550,445
|
71 | $300 | 1 | $550,745
|
| 15 Hallak Lawyers | $550,274
|
30 | $550,274
|
||
| 16 O’Brien Solicitors | $501,445
|
130 | $47,550
|
467
|
$548,995
|
| 17 Verekers Wollongong Lawyers | $500,340
|
184 | $4,800
|
21 | $505,140
|
| 18 Ramsland Graham Solicitors | $473,243
|
108 | $28,913
|
344 | $502,155
|
| 19 Phillip Ryan | $405,712
|
105 | $86,088
|
765 | $491,799
|
| 20 Randall Legal | $473,808
|
111 | $17,625
|
224 | $491,433
|
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