When a professional gets it wrong, the damage doesn’t stay confined to a single meeting or transaction. It ripples outward — into your finances, your health, your plans, your sense of what comes next. If you’re living with the consequences of a solicitor’s mistake, a doctor’s missed diagnosis, or an accountant’s poor advice somewhere in Brisbane’s northern suburbs, you’re not just dealing with a legal problem. You’re dealing with the real-world fallout of someone who was supposed to help you and didn’t.
Fair Go Australia works exclusively with people in your position. We handle professional negligence claims across Brisbane Northside — from Chermside and Aspley to Nundah, Kedron, and Bracken Ridge — and across Queensland and the rest of the country on a no-win, no-fee basis.
BRISBANE NORTHSIDE
Brisbane Northside is home to a dense network of legal firms, medical practices, accounting offices, financial planning businesses, and engineering consultancies. Most of the professionals working in this corridor do their jobs well. But when they don’t — when a duty of care is breached and you’re left with a measurable loss — you have the right to pursue a claim under Queensland law.
The Civil Liability Act 2003 (QLD) governs how professional negligence claims are assessed in this state. Courts look at whether the professional owed you a duty of care, whether they fell below the standard of a reasonably competent practitioner in their field, and whether that failure caused your loss. These aren’t abstract questions — they’re about what happened to you, specifically.
WHAT WE HANDLE
We act for clients across Brisbane Northside on claims involving a broad range of professional failures. If your situation involves a professional not listed below, it’s still worth an assessment — the legal principles that govern negligence claims apply broadly across Queensland’s regulated professions.
YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS
Queensland’s professional negligence framework is built on both statute and common law. The Civil Liability Act 2003 (QLD) sets out the standard of care and how courts assess whether a breach has occurred. The foundational duty of care principle comes from the High Court’s decision in Rogers v Whitaker (1992) 175 CLR 479 — a case that established a professional’s obligation to act in the best interests of the person relying on their expertise.
What this means in practice: a professional isn’t just expected to avoid obvious mistakes. They’re expected to exercise the skill and judgment that a competent practitioner in their specific field would exercise. If they fall short of that, and that shortfall caused your loss, there may be grounds for a claim.
Complaints to professional bodies — the Queensland Law Society, the Legal Services Commission QLD, or AHPRA for health practitioners — are a separate process and don’t constitute a negligence claim. A complaint may result in disciplinary action, but it won’t recover your losses. A civil negligence claim is what puts money back in your pocket.
TIME LIMITS
Under the Limitation of Actions Act 1974 (QLD), professional negligence claims must generally be commenced within three years of the date you became aware — or reasonably should have become aware — of the negligence. This is known as the discovery rule.
The clock doesn’t necessarily start when the negligent act occurred. It starts when you had (or should have had) the knowledge required to bring a claim. But this distinction doesn’t make the deadline less serious — it just changes when it begins to run. If you’re in any doubt about where your limitation period stands, get advice now rather than later.
Act before time runs out.
In Queensland, 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. 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.
THE PROCESS
The process doesn’t have to be complicated to understand, even if the legal work behind it is detailed. Here’s how it works when you come to us.
You don’t need to be in Brisbane’s CBD to work with us. We serve clients across Brisbane Northside and the rest of Queensland remotely — phone, email, and video — without any reduction in the quality of advice or representation.
GET STARTED
If you think a professional has caused you measurable harm, the most useful thing you can do right now is get a proper assessment — not a general overview, but an honest look at your specific situation. Our free case evaluation is confidential, carries no obligation, and is available to people across Brisbane Northside and all of Queensland. We respond within one business day.
We respond to all enquiries within 1 business day.
FAQ
Any licensed or regulated professional who owes a duty of care to a client can potentially face a negligence claim. This includes solicitors, barristers, doctors, surgeons, specialists, financial advisors, accountants, engineers, architects, and mortgage brokers, among others. The key question is whether they had a professional duty toward you, breached it, and caused you a quantifiable loss as a result.
Four things generally need to align: the professional owed you a duty of care; they fell below the standard expected of a competent practitioner in their field; that failure caused your loss (not merely coincided with it); and the loss is real and capable of being quantified. If you’re uncertain, a free case evaluation is the right starting point — we’ll tell you honestly what we think.
Generally, three years from the date you discovered (or should have discovered) the negligence, under the Limitation of Actions Act 1974 (QLD). If that window is approaching or you’re unsure where you stand, get advice now. The cost of waiting past the deadline is permanent — the right to claim is extinguished, not delayed.
No. Fair Go Australia operates on a remote-first model. Clients across Brisbane Northside — and throughout regional and metropolitan Queensland — work with us entirely by phone, email, and video conference. There’s no requirement to visit a physical office at any stage of the process.
Compensation in professional negligence claims is designed to put you in the position you would have been in had the negligence not occurred. Depending on your circumstances, this may include recovery of financial losses directly caused by the negligence, consequential losses flowing from the original failure, and in some cases damages for non-economic loss. The amount recoverable depends on the specific facts of your claim.
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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