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Specialist Professional Negligence Lawyers · Victoria
When you put your trust in a professional — a solicitor, a financial advisor, a doctor — you are relying on someone who is supposed to know what they are doing. When that reliance costs you something real, the law may give you a pathway to recover it.
Fair Go Australia helps Tarneit residents and families across Melbourne’s western growth corridor pursue professional negligence claims on a no-win, no-fee basis. We work exclusively in this area of law, and all consultations are handled remotely — by phone, video, or email.
Professional negligence occurs when a licensed professional fails to meet the standard of care reasonably expected in their field, and that failure causes you measurable loss. If a qualified professional got it wrong and you have paid the price, you may have a claim.
Tarneit has grown faster than almost anywhere else in Victoria. In a relatively short period, what was largely open land has become one of the state’s most densely populated outer suburbs — home to tens of thousands of families who have bought property, taken out mortgages, engaged builders, consulted accountants, and sought legal advice to navigate one of the biggest financial commitments of their lives.
That growth is a good thing. But rapid development also brings greater exposure to professional services — and with that, a greater risk of professional error. When you are buying in a new estate, getting a building inspection, setting up a self-managed super fund, or navigating a legal matter, the quality of advice you receive matters enormously.
Professional negligence claims in Tarneit are governed by Victorian law, primarily the Wrongs Act 1958 (VIC). Geographic location makes no difference to eligibility — whether your professional was based in Tarneit, Werribee, or the Melbourne CBD, Victorian law applies uniformly.
Breach — their conduct fell below the standard a reasonably competent professional would have met
Duty of care — the professional had a legal obligation to act competently in your interests
Causation — that breach directly caused your loss
Loss — you suffered a real, measurable consequence — financial, physical, or otherwise
A missed court deadline. Incorrect contract advice. Conflicts of interest never disclosed. Legal negligence can take many forms — the common thread is a lawyer who failed to meet the standard the profession requires.
A misdiagnosis that allowed a condition to worsen. A failure to refer. A surgical error a competent practitioner would have avoided or disclosed. Claims are assessed against what a reasonable clinician would have done.
Incorrect tax advice, miscalculated deductions, or a return filed with errors that triggered an ATO audit or penalty. Accountants owe their clients a professional duty — when they breach it, there may be grounds to claim.
Unsuitable investment products, poor superannuation advice, losses in managed funds. Financial advisors have a legal obligation to advise in your best interests. When that obligation is ignored, claims for resulting losses are well established in Australian law.
A loan product that did not suit your circumstances, fees not properly disclosed, or advice that placed you in a mortgage you could not realistically service. In a suburb where so many residents have recently purchased property, broker negligence is more common than people expect.
Tarneit’s rapid residential development has seen thousands of new homes built in a short period. If a structural issue was missed, a design was flawed, or an inspection gave you a clean bill of health that turned out to be wrong — there may be a claim for the cost of fixing what should never have been built that way.
The Wrongs Act 1958 (VIC) is the foundation of professional negligence law in Victoria. It sets out how courts assess negligence — including the standard of care expected of professionals, how causation is evaluated, and how damages are determined.
When Victorian courts consider whether a professional has been negligent, they ask a straightforward question: would a reasonably competent professional in the same field, with the same information, have acted differently? If the answer is yes, and that difference caused your loss, a breach has likely occurred.
The Law Institute of Victoria is the peak body for the legal profession in this state. A regulatory complaint to the LIV and a civil negligence claim are two separate pathways — they can run in parallel, but they serve different purposes. The LIV handles professional conduct; Fair Go Australia handles your financial recovery.
The Australian Consumer Law (ACL) can also apply where a professional has provided a service that failed to meet a consumer guarantee standard — creating an additional or alternative basis for a claim that our team can assess during your initial evaluation.
This matters more than most people realise, and leaving it too long can permanently close the door. Under the Limitation of Actions Act 1958 (VIC):
General Claims
6 years
from the date the cause of action accrued
Personal Injury Claims
3 years
from the date of discoverability
Discoverability means the date you knew, or reasonably ought to have known, that the negligence had occurred and caused you loss — not necessarily the date of the negligent act itself.
Act before time runs out.
In Victoria, professional negligence claims must generally be commenced within 3–6 years depending on the nature of the loss and when you became aware of the negligence. Missing this deadline can permanently extinguish your right to claim. If you are uncertain whether your limitation period remains open, contact our team for a free assessment as soon as possible.
Professional negligence is the only area of law we practise — not conveyancing on the side, not a general litigation practice that takes the occasional negligence matter. This focus matters when the difference between a successful claim and a failed one comes down to knowing how courts have assessed similar fact patterns and which experts carry weight.
If your claim does not succeed, you do not pay our legal fees. No upfront costs, no financial risk in finding out where you stand.
Tell us what happened. We assess whether the key elements of a claim are present and give you an honest answer — not a sales pitch.
All consultations are by phone or video. Tarneit clients do not need to travel anywhere. Documents are submitted digitally.
Professional negligence is all we do. That depth means we know the case law, the regulatory landscape, and how to build a claim that holds up.
Take the first step
Our specialist team will assess your situation and tell you honestly whether you have a claim worth pursuing. If you do, we will explain what the process looks like and what a realistic outcome might be.
We respond within 1 business day.
✔ No Win No Fee ✔ Free Evaluation ✔ Confidential ✔ Australia-Wide
Yes. Fair Go Australia assists clients across Victoria and throughout Australia. You don’t need to be in a major city to access specialist legal help, and your location has no bearing on the strength of your claim. Victorian law governs all professional negligence matters that arise in this state, regardless of whether the client or professional is based in Melbourne’s CBD or its outer suburbs. All consultations are handled remotely — by phone, video, or email.
In Victoria, general professional negligence claims must generally be commenced within 6 years of the date the cause of action arose. For personal injury negligence, the period is 3 years from the date you became aware (or reasonably should have become aware) of the negligence — this is known as the discoverability rule. Both periods are governed by the Limitation of Actions Act 1958 (VIC). If you’re unsure whether your time has run, contact us for a free assessment — limitation questions are fact-specific and need to be evaluated individually.
No-win, no-fee means you pay our legal fees only if your claim succeeds. There are no upfront costs and no financial risk in having your matter assessed. At your initial evaluation, we’ll also be transparent about any disbursements — things like expert report fees or court filing costs — so you have a clear picture of what’s involved before you commit to anything.
Any professional who owes a recognised duty of care to their clients can potentially be the subject of a negligence claim. This includes solicitors, barristers, medical practitioners, accountants, financial advisors, mortgage brokers, engineers, architects, and building inspectors — among others. The key elements are that a professional relationship existed, a duty of care was owed, the standard of care was breached, and that breach caused you real loss. If you’re not sure whether your situation meets that threshold, our free evaluation will tell you.
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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