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.
Practice Areas
Newsletter
Sign up to our newsletter
Australia-wide · No win, no fee · Free case evaluation — speak to us today
HUNTER REGION, NSW
If a professional you trusted has caused you real harm — financially, medically, or otherwise — you shouldn’t have to simply absorb the consequences. Whether you’re in Newcastle, Maitland, Cessnock, Singleton, or anywhere across the Hunter Valley, you have the same legal rights as anyone in a capital city. Fair Go Australia works exclusively on professional negligence claims, and we work with clients across the region entirely remotely — no need to travel to Sydney.
NEW SOUTH WALES
The Hunter Region is one of the most economically active parts of regional NSW. Mining and resources, agribusiness, construction, healthcare, and a substantial professional services sector all operate here — and each of those industries involves people relying heavily on professional advice.
When that advice is wrong, the consequences can be serious. A financial planner who mismanages a mining worker’s superannuation. A solicitor who misses a critical court deadline. A doctor at a regional hospital who fails to diagnose a condition that worsens for months before anyone catches it. These aren’t abstract scenarios — they happen, and the people they happen to deserve a proper path to recovery.
The Civil Liability Act 2002 (NSW) governs how professional negligence claims are assessed in this state. It sets out the standard of care that professionals are required to meet and the framework for establishing when a failure to meet that standard gives rise to legal liability. If you’re unsure whether what happened to you crosses that line, a free case evaluation is the right first step.
WHAT WE HANDLE
One of the most common claims we see. Missing a limitation period, failing to advise properly on a property transaction, or providing incorrect advice about your legal position — in a region with an active conveyancing and property market, these situations arise more often than most people expect.
The Hunter's health system serves a large and geographically spread population. Delayed diagnosis, surgical complications, and failures in follow-up care can leave patients dealing with preventable harm. If a health professional's conduct fell below a reasonable standard and caused your condition to worsen, that may be grounds for a claim.
Many residents in the Hunter work in industries with significant superannuation and investment exposure. When a financial adviser places clients in unsuitable products, fails to disclose risks, or simply ignores a client's instructions, the financial damage can take years to fully surface.
Tax errors, incorrect structuring advice for farming or small business, or failures that trigger ATO penalties — accountant negligence affects individuals and businesses alike. Agribusiness clients in the Hunter Valley are particularly vulnerable to the downstream effects of poor tax or financial advice.
Structural defects, inadequate soil reports, and failures in design certification have produced costly outcomes for property owners across the region. If a licensed professional signed off on work that later proved deficient, liability may lie with them.
Real estate agents, insurance brokers, and other licensed professionals also carry a duty of care. If advice or conduct from any professional caused you measurable loss, it is worth having your situation assessed.
YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS
Under NSW law, a professional negligence claim turns on four things: whether the professional owed you a duty of care, whether they breached that duty, whether the breach caused your loss, and whether that loss is recoverable.
The duty of care element is rarely disputed — professionals by definition take on responsibility to clients. The real questions are usually about the standard of care that applied and whether it was met. In the High Court’s decision in Rogers v Whitaker (1992), the court held that the standard is not simply what other professionals in the field would have done, but what a reasonable professional in that position ought to have done. That distinction matters, and it is one of the reasons specialist legal advice is important from the outset.
In NSW, the Law Society of NSW and the NSW Legal Services Commissioner oversee solicitor conduct, while AHPRA handles medical practitioners. These bodies can receive complaints — but a regulatory complaint is not a substitute for a legal claim, and the outcomes are different. If you have already made a complaint and received an unsatisfactory response, a civil claim may still be open to you.
Claims in this jurisdiction are heard in the Supreme Court of NSW or the NSW District Court, depending on the size and complexity of the matter.
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, regardless of how strong your case might otherwise be.
If you are unsure whether your limitation period is still open, contact our team for a free assessment as soon as possible. The sooner you get clarity, the more options remain available to you.
HOW WE WORK
You do not need to travel to Sydney to get specialist legal representation. We work with clients across the Hunter Region — and across all of NSW — entirely by phone and video. The process of assessing and running a professional negligence claim does not require you to be in the same room as your lawyer, and we have handled matters for regional clients throughout the state without that ever being a limitation.
Our no-win, no-fee model means you won’t be asked to pay legal fees upfront. If your claim doesn’t succeed, you don’t owe us fees. That arrangement exists because we only take on matters we genuinely believe have merit — which means the free evaluation is a real assessment, not a sales call.
We work exclusively in professional negligence. That focus means our team has seen the patterns, knows the arguments professionals typically run in their defence, and understands the case law that applies in NSW. You won’t be handed to a junior solicitor who handles your matter between conveyancing files.
START TODAY
If you think a professional’s failure has caused you harm, the best thing you can do right now is get your situation properly assessed. There’s no cost, no obligation, and we respond to all enquiries within one business day.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Yes. Fair Go Australia works with clients across regional NSW entirely by phone and video. You don’t need to attend any office in person, and the location of your legal team has no bearing on the quality of advice or the outcome of your claim. The full process — from initial evaluation through to resolution — can be handled remotely.
Under the Limitation Act 1969 (NSW), you generally have three years from the date you discovered the negligence — or the date you reasonably should have discovered it — to commence a claim. This is known as the discovery rule. In some cases the period can be extended, but relying on that possibility is risky. If you have any doubt about where you stand, get advice now rather than later.
Fair Go Australia operates on a no-win, no-fee basis for professional negligence claims. You won’t be asked to pay legal fees upfront. If the claim doesn’t succeed, you don’t owe us fees. The initial case evaluation is free and carries no obligation.
Any licensed or regulated professional who owes a duty of care to a client can be held liable if they breach that duty and cause loss. This includes solicitors, barristers, doctors, surgeons, financial advisers, accountants, engineers, architects, and real estate agents, among others.
You need to establish four elements: that the professional owed you a duty of care; that they breached that duty by falling below the required standard; that the breach caused your loss; and that the loss is recoverable in damages. The strength of your claim depends on the evidence available to support each of those elements — which is precisely what our free case evaluation is designed to assess.
Related: Professional negligence lawyers NSW · Newcastle · Central Coast · Mid North Coast · All states
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.
Sign up to our newsletter