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NSW · Riverina Region
You trusted a professional — a solicitor, a doctor, a financial adviser, an accountant — and something went seriously wrong. Not just a mistake you can brush off, but a failure that has cost you money, your health, or your peace of mind. If you’re somewhere in the Riverina and wondering whether you have any real options, the answer is yes. Location doesn’t limit your rights. Fair Go Australia helps clients across Wagga Wagga, Griffith, Leeton, Narrandera, Young, and the wider region pursue professional negligence claims across all industries and professions.
Understanding your rights
Professional negligence is what happens when a qualified professional — a lawyer, doctor, financial adviser, accountant, engineer, or similar — fails to meet the standard of care their role requires, and that failure causes you a measurable loss.
It is not simply an outcome you’re unhappy with. The legal test asks whether the professional fell below the standard a reasonably competent practitioner in the same field would have met. Under the Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW), four elements must generally be established:
The professional owed you a recognised duty — this is usually not in dispute for licensed practitioners serving clients.
Their conduct or advice fell below the standard a competent practitioner in that field would have met.
Their failure — not some other factor — caused the loss you suffered.
The loss is real and quantifiable: financial, physical, or both.
The High Court’s decision in Rogers v Whitaker (1992) 175 CLR 479 remains the foundational authority on the standard of care owed by professionals in Australia. If you are unsure whether what happened to you meets this threshold, a free case evaluation will give you a clear answer without any obligation.
Regional & rural claims
The Riverina is a working region — agriculture, health, small business, defence. The professionals who serve it carry real responsibilities, and when they get things wrong the consequences can be significant. These are the kinds of situations we regularly see:
Your solicitor failed to properly advise on the purchase of a rural property — missing registered easements, unresolved water access rights, or a covenant that has materially affected the land's use or value.
An adviser recommended products that were unsuitable for your circumstances — farming income, capital tied up in land, retirement savings — and the losses have been significant and hard to recover.
A GP or specialist at a Riverina hospital delayed or missed a diagnosis that allowed a condition to progress beyond the point where earlier treatment would have made a real difference.
Your accountant restructured your farming business or advised on a transaction in a way that triggered an ATO liability or penalty you were never warned about.
An engineer certified a grain storage structure, irrigation design, or building that subsequently failed — causing loss of crop, property damage, or production downtime.
A conveyancer mishandled a rural property transaction — failing to identify title issues, missing settlement deadlines, or overlooking caveats that affected your ability to complete or use the property.
These are not the only categories. If a licensed professional in any field has given you advice or performed services that have caused you loss, it is worth a conversation. The professionals who work in regional areas are held to exactly the same standard as those in Sydney or Melbourne — the geography does not change the obligation.
NSW legislation & your rights
Professional negligence claims in New South Wales are principally governed by the Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW). That legislation sets out how courts assess breach of duty, causation, and the damages that can be recovered. It applies regardless of whether you are in Sydney, Wagga Wagga, or anywhere else in the state.
For claims involving solicitors or barristers, the Legal Profession Uniform Law (NSW) imposes additional conduct standards, and complaints about a lawyer’s conduct can also be referred to the Law Society of NSW or the NSW Legal Services Commissioner. Those are disciplinary paths — separate from a negligence claim — but both can run at the same time.
Negligence claims involving financial advisers may also engage the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) and ASIC oversight. Claims involving medical practitioners operate alongside AHPRA’s registration framework.
In terms of courts, most professional negligence claims of substance are heard in the District Court of NSW — which has a registry in Wagga Wagga — or the Supreme Court of NSW in Sydney for larger and more complex matters. You do not need to attend court in person in most cases, and Fair Go Australia manages the litigation process on your behalf.
Time limits apply — act now
Under the Limitation Act 1969 (NSW), you generally have three years from the date you discovered — or should reasonably have discovered — the negligence to commence a claim. That is not three years from when the professional made the error. It runs from when you became aware that the error caused you loss.
That distinction matters in the Riverina, where many situations involve slow-developing harm. A property defect that only became apparent after settlement. An investment portfolio that took years to deteriorate. A medical condition whose connection to a missed diagnosis only became clear later. In these circumstances the clock may not have started when you think it did — but it will have started.
There is also an absolute long-stop: twelve years from the date of the act or omission, regardless of when you discovered it. After that, the right to claim is gone.
For claims involving minors, or where the claimant lacked capacity, different rules may apply — but these exceptions are narrow and should not be relied on without advice.
In NSW, professional negligence claims must generally be commenced within 3 years of the date you became aware — or should reasonably have become aware — of the negligence. Under the Limitation Act 1969 (NSW), missing this deadline can permanently extinguish your right to claim. If you are unsure whether your limitation period is still open, contact our team for a free assessment as soon as possible.
Why Fair Go Australia
Specialist professional negligence advice has not historically been easy to find outside the capital cities. That gap is precisely why Fair Go Australia exists. We work with clients across the Riverina and every other part of NSW entirely remotely — by phone and video — without any reduction in the quality of advice or communication.
We focus exclusively on professional negligence. Not general litigation, not family law, not property disputes. That specialisation means our team understands the specific legal tests, the evidence that matters, and the arguments that work — without a learning curve at your expense.
All case evaluations and ongoing advice are conducted by phone or video. You do not need to come to us, and distance from Sydney is not a disadvantage.
We will tell you clearly whether your situation gives rise to a viable claim — including if the answer is no. You deserve a straight assessment, not a sign-up regardless of merit.
If your claim does not succeed, you pay nothing in legal fees. We carry the financial risk alongside you from day one.
TAKE THE FIRST STEP
A free evaluation is exactly that — no cost, no obligation. Tell us what happened, and our team will assess your situation and give you a plain-English view of your options. We respond to all enquiries within one business day.
We respond to all enquiries within 1 business day.
Frequently asked questions
No. Fair Go Australia works with clients across the Riverina and all of NSW entirely remotely. All case evaluations, advice, and ongoing communication are handled by phone and video. You do not need to leave the region at any point in the process.
You need four things to line up: the professional owed you a duty of care; their conduct fell below the standard a competent professional in that field would have met; that failure — not some other cause — produced your loss; and the loss is real and quantifiable. If you’re unsure whether your situation meets that threshold, a free evaluation will give you a clear answer.
If your claim does not succeed, you pay nothing in legal fees. The initial evaluation is free. If your claim proceeds and is successful, our fees are recovered from the compensation. There are no upfront costs and no financial risk to you from the outset. Any disbursements that may apply will be explained clearly before your matter proceeds.
Yes. Solicitor negligence is one of the most common professional negligence claim types. A solicitor practising in Wagga Wagga, Griffith, or anywhere else in the region is held to the same conduct standards as a solicitor in Sydney. The Legal Profession Uniform Law (NSW) governs their obligations, and the Law Society of NSW and NSW Legal Services Commissioner are the relevant regulatory bodies. A negligence claim and a conduct complaint can run simultaneously.
Across regional NSW, the most common claims involve solicitor negligence (particularly in property transactions), medical negligence, and financial adviser negligence. In agricultural regions like the Riverina, claims involving accounting advice affecting farming operations, conveyancing failures in rural property transactions, and engineering certifications for agricultural infrastructure are also encountered regularly.
Our goal is to help people in the best way possible. this is a basic principle in every case and cause for success. contact us today for a free consultation.
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