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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SOUTH AUSTRALIA — LOCATION
Something went wrong with a professional you trusted. Maybe the advice turned out to be completely wrong. Maybe a mistake was made during your medical treatment, your property settlement, or in the handling of your finances — and you’re now dealing with the consequences.
Fair Go Australia are specialist professional negligence lawyers operating across South Australia and the rest of the country. We act exclusively for claimants, on a no-win, no-fee basis, and we don’t charge for an initial evaluation.
PROFESSIONAL NEGLIGENCE IN SA
The eastern suburbs of Adelaide — Norwood, Burnside, Kensington, St Peters, Payneham, Magill, Campbelltown, and the surrounding corridor — are home to a dense concentration of professional practices. Legal firms, medical specialists, financial advisers, accountants, and architects are all well-represented in this part of the city. That’s generally a good thing. But it also means there are a lot of professional relationships where something can, and sometimes does, go wrong.
When it does, South Australian law gives you a pathway to seek compensation. Professional negligence claims in this state are governed primarily by the Civil Liability Act 1936 (SA), alongside longstanding common law principles developed through the courts. Significant claims are heard in the Supreme Court of South Australia, though the appropriate forum will depend on the nature and quantum of your claim.
The eastern suburbs also carry some of the highest property values in Adelaide. That matters for conveyancing and property transaction claims — a solicitor’s error in a high-value settlement can carry significant financial consequences, and those consequences are worth taking seriously.
WHAT WE HANDLE
We handle professional negligence claims across all licensed and regulated professions. For clients in Adelaide’s eastern suburbs, the most common situations we see involve:
A missed court deadline, a defective contract review, or flawed advice during a property purchase or estate administration. Given the property values across Burnside and surrounds, errors in conveyancing can carry significant financial weight.
A misdiagnosis, a failure to refer to a specialist, a surgical complication that shouldn't have occurred, or a doctor who didn't adequately warn you about procedural risks. The High Court's decision in Rogers v Whitaker (1992) 175 CLR 479 established the duty to warn in Australian medical practice — a principle that continues to anchor these claims today.
Inappropriate investment recommendations, poor tax advice, or failure to act in your best financial interests. If you've suffered a real financial loss as a result of advice a competent professional simply wouldn't have given, that situation is worth examining.
Design defects, structural failures, inadequate supervision of a building project. The established residential stock across the eastern suburbs means renovation and construction disputes involving professional advice are not uncommon.
Any situation where a licensed or regulated professional owed you a duty of care, fell below the expected standard, and caused you a measurable loss. If you're unsure whether your situation fits, the free evaluation is the right place to start.
SOUTH AUSTRALIAN LAW
To have a viable professional negligence claim under South Australian law, four things generally need to line up. The professional must have owed you a duty of care — which is almost always present when you’ve engaged someone in their professional capacity. They must have fallen below the standard of a reasonably competent practitioner in their field. That failure must have actually caused your loss, not merely coincided with it. And the loss itself must be real and quantifiable.
The Civil Liability Act 1936 (SA) provides the statutory framework for how courts assess these elements, including how contributory negligence is handled and how damages are calculated. SA courts apply both the statute and established common law principles — the two work together rather than in competition.
The standard applied is not perfection. Professionals are entitled to make judgement calls, and not every bad outcome amounts to negligence. What matters is whether the professional acted as a reasonably competent member of their profession would have in the same circumstances. When they fall materially short of that standard — and you suffer loss as a result — there is a claim worth pursuing.
LIMITATION PERIOD — SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Under the Limitation of Actions Act 1936 (SA), you generally have 3 years from the date of discovery to commence a professional negligence claim. Discovery means the point at which you became aware — or reasonably should have become aware — of the negligence, not simply when the professional’s conduct occurred.
In many professional negligence cases — particularly in medical or financial contexts — the harm only becomes apparent months or years after the fact. The clock typically starts running from when you had enough information to form a reasonable belief that negligence may have occurred.
That said, waiting is risky. The longer a claim sits unexamined, the harder it becomes to gather evidence and reconstruct what happened. If you have any doubt about whether your time is still running, get advice now.
⚠ Act before time runs out
In South Australia, professional negligence claims must generally be commenced within 3 years of the date you became aware — or reasonably should have become aware — of the negligence. Under the Limitation of Actions Act 1936 (SA), missing this deadline can permanently extinguish your right to claim, regardless of how strong your case is. If you are unsure whether your limitation period is still open, contact our team for a free assessment without delay.
HOW WE HELP
You don’t need to come to us in person. The vast majority of our work with South Australian clients is handled remotely — initial consultations by phone or video, documents exchanged securely online, and progress updates at every stage. For clients across Adelaide’s eastern suburbs, this works just as smoothly as it does for clients in regional SA.
We focus exclusively on professional negligence. That’s not a marketing claim — it’s how we’ve structured the practice, because the law in this area is genuinely specialised. The subtleties of causation, expert evidence, and damages assessment are areas where experience makes a real difference, and general practitioners who handle these matters occasionally are at a disadvantage.
If your situation involves a question about the professional’s conduct separate from your civil claim — for instance, whether to lodge a complaint with the Law Society of South Australia or the Legal Services Commission of South Australia — we can advise on how those parallel processes work alongside a negligence claim, so you understand the full picture before making any decisions.
FREE CASE EVALUATION
Tell us what happened. We’ll give you an honest assessment of your options — no cost, no obligation, no jargon.
We respond to all enquiries within 1 business day.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Yes. The location of the professional’s office has no bearing on your right to make a claim. What matters is the professional relationship, the conduct, and the loss — not postcodes. We act for clients across South Australia regardless of where the relevant professional was based.
Generally 3 years from the date of discovery under the Limitation of Actions Act 1936 (SA). Discovery typically means when you became aware — or reasonably should have been aware — that the professional’s conduct may have caused your loss. In some cases, particularly where the negligence was not immediately apparent, the clock may start later than the date the conduct occurred. If there is any doubt, seeking advice promptly is always the safer approach.
The key question is whether the professional’s conduct fell below the standard a reasonably competent professional in their field would have met. A bad outcome on its own isn’t enough — but if the professional made a decision, gave advice, or took an action that a competent colleague wouldn’t have, and that failure caused you measurable loss, there may well be a claim worth pursuing. The free evaluation is the right starting point to find out.
We don’t maintain a local office in the eastern suburbs, but this hasn’t been an obstacle for any of our South Australian clients. We handle matters remotely as standard — initial consultations by phone or video, secure document exchange online. Whether you’re in Norwood, Burnside, Magill, or anywhere else in the area, getting proper advice is straightforward.
It means you pay no legal costs unless your claim succeeds. The initial case evaluation is completely free. If we take on your matter and pursue it, our fees are recovered from the compensation if your claim succeeds. If the claim doesn’t succeed, you don’t owe us anything. There are no upfront charges and no hidden costs to understand before you start.
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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