When a professional you trusted gets it wrong — badly wrong — the consequences can follow you for years. A missed diagnosis that went untreated. A solicitor who let a deadline slip and cost you your case. A financial adviser who steered your savings somewhere they had no business going. Whatever happened, you deserve a straight answer about whether you have a claim.
Fair Go Australia provides specialist professional negligence assistance to residents across the Mount Lofty Ranges. We work remotely with clients throughout regional South Australia — there’s no need to travel to Adelaide for an initial assessment. Everything is handled by phone or video, at a time that suits you.
The Adelaide Hills and surrounds — Stirling, Hahndorf, Lobethal, Woodside, Birdwood, Gumeracha, and the broader townships that make up the Ranges — are home to people who rely heavily on professionals based in Adelaide and beyond. That distance matters. When something goes wrong with legal advice, a medical referral, or a financial plan, accessing specialist help isn’t always straightforward.
We work with clients across the Mount Lofty Ranges who have experienced professional failures across a range of fields. Rural property matters, estate and succession planning, agricultural business advice, and delayed diagnosis through GP referral chains are situations that have caused real, lasting harm to people in this region.
The standard of care owed by professionals doesn’t change because you live outside the city. Under the Civil Liability Act 1936 (SA) and longstanding common law principles, professionals working in South Australia are required to meet the same competency standards regardless of geography.
Legal errors carry serious consequences. A missed limitation period, negligent conveyancing on a rural property, or poor advice on a succession matter can result in losses that are difficult to recover without taking legal action.
Delayed or incorrect diagnosis, inadequate informed consent, or failures in referral and follow-up care. The High Court's decision in Rogers v Whitaker (1992) 175 CLR 479 established the duty medical professionals owe their patients — and that duty applies just as firmly in regional SA.
Unsuitable investment advice, failure to disclose conflicts of interest, or strategies that ignored your actual risk tolerance and financial position. These claims are assessed against the standard of a competent adviser acting in your genuine interest.
Tax errors, poor structuring advice, or missed compliance obligations that triggered ATO attention or financial penalties you should never have faced.
Structural defects, boundary disputes, or design failures that should have been identified and avoided. In rural and semi-rural properties, these claims arise more often than people expect.
If your situation doesn’t fit neatly into one of these categories, that’s fine — contact us and we’ll assess it on its merits.
Professional negligence claims in South Australia are governed primarily by the Civil Liability Act 1936 (SA), which sets out how courts assess whether a professional’s conduct fell below the expected standard. The Legal Practitioners Act 1981 (SA) applies to matters involving legal professionals. South Australia is not subject to the Legal Profession Uniform Law that operates in NSW and Victoria.
Courts assess negligence by asking whether the professional’s conduct was consistent with what a competent practitioner in that field would have done. That standard is not perfection — professionals are allowed to make judgment calls. What they are not permitted to do is fall below the baseline competence their clients were reasonably entitled to expect.
Your claim may be heard in the District Court of South Australia or, for higher-value matters, the Supreme Court of South Australia. The Law Society of South Australia oversees legal practitioners in the state — though a complaint to the Law Society is a disciplinary matter separate from a civil negligence claim for compensation.
Under the Limitation of Actions Act 1936 (SA), the standard limitation period for professional negligence claims is three years from the date you discovered — or ought reasonably to have discovered — the negligence. In practice, that discovery date is not always obvious, particularly where harm developed gradually or where a professional’s error was not immediately apparent.
If you’re unsure when your limitation period started, or whether it’s still open, that’s exactly the kind of question our team can work through with you quickly — and at no cost.
⚠ Act before time runs out.
In South Australia, professional negligence claims must generally be commenced within three years of the date you became aware — or should reasonably have become aware — of the negligence, under the Limitation of Actions Act 1936 (SA). 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.
You don’t need to drive to Adelaide to get proper legal advice about a professional negligence claim. Our entire assessment and case management process is designed to work remotely — by phone, by video call, or in writing, whichever suits you best.
Our initial evaluation is free, confidential, and carries no obligation. We’ll review what happened, explain whether the facts support a claim under the SA professional negligence framework, and give you an honest assessment of the likely path forward. We don’t deal in false promises — if the claim doesn’t stack up, we’ll tell you clearly and explain why.
If we think your claim has merit, we act on a no-win, no-fee basis. You pay nothing unless your claim succeeds. We act exclusively for claimants — never for professionals, insurers, or institutions. Our only interest is in getting the best possible outcome for the people who come to us.
Our free case evaluation takes the guesswork out of the process. Tell us what happened, and we’ll give you a clear, honest answer — with no pressure and no cost.
We respond to all enquiries within 1 business day.
Yes. There is no requirement to live in or near Adelaide to pursue a professional negligence claim in SA. The law applies uniformly across the state, and Fair Go Australia works with clients in regional areas throughout South Australia. Our service is entirely remote — phone and video consultations only, with no need to travel.
No. We handle everything remotely. Your initial free evaluation, any follow-up consultations, and ongoing case management are all conducted by phone or video. Many of our clients in regional areas prefer this model — it’s faster, more flexible, and just as thorough as an in-person meeting.
Generally, three years from the date you discovered (or should reasonably have discovered) the negligence, under the Limitation of Actions Act 1936 (SA). The clock doesn’t always start on the date the professional made the error — it often starts later, when the harm became apparent. If you’re not sure where you stand, contact us now rather than waiting.
Any professional who owes you a duty of care and has fallen below the expected standard of competence may be subject to a negligence claim. This includes solicitors, barristers, medical practitioners, financial advisers, accountants, engineers, surveyors, architects, and others. The key question is whether the professional’s conduct caused you measurable loss that a competent practitioner would have avoided.
Nothing upfront. Fair Go Australia works on a no-win, no-fee basis. The initial evaluation is completely free. If your claim proceeds and succeeds, our fees are deducted from the compensation recovered. If the claim doesn’t succeed, you owe us nothing. There are no hidden costs and no financial risk to you in getting an assessment.
Have a question that’s not covered here? Contact our team for a free, no-obligation assessment.