New South Wales Consolidated Acts

LEGAL PROFESSION ACT 2004 - SECT 332

332 Bills

(1) A bill may be in the form of a lump sum bill or an itemised bill.

(2) A bill must be signed on behalf of a law practice by an Australian legal practitioner or an employee of the law practice.

(3) It is sufficient compliance with subsection (2) if a letter signed on behalf of a law practice by an Australian legal practitioner or an employee of the law practice is attached to, or enclosed with, the bill.

(4) A bill or letter is taken to have been signed by a law practice that is an incorporated legal practice if it has the practice’s seal affixed to it or is signed by a legal practitioner director of the practice or an officer or employee of the practice who is an Australian legal practitioner.

(5) A bill is to be given to a person:

(a) by delivering it personally to the person or to an agent of the person, or

(b) by sending it by post to the person or agent at:

(i) the usual or last known business or residential address of the person or agent, or

(ii) an address nominated for the purpose by the person or agent, or

(c) by leaving it for the person or agent at:

(i) the usual or last known business or residential address of the person or agent, or

(ii) an address nominated for the purpose by the person or agent,

with a person on the premises who is apparently at least 16 years old and apparently employed or residing there, or

(d) by sending it by facsimile transmission to a number specified by the person (by correspondence or otherwise) as a number to which facsimile transmissions to that person may be sent, or

(e) by delivering it to the appropriate place in a document exchange in which the person has receiving facilities, or

(f) in any other way authorised by the regulations.

(6) A reference in subsection (5) to any method of giving a bill to a person includes a reference to arranging for the bill to be given to that person by that method (for example, by delivery by courier).

(6A) Despite anything in subsections (2)-(6), a bill may be given to a client electronically if the client is a sophisticated client and requested the bill to be given electronically.

(7) In this section:
"agent" of a person means an agent, law practice or Australian legal practitioner who has authority to accept service of legal process on behalf of the person.