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Welcome to The OMB Law Board, the podcast where legal insights meet practical advice. Hosted by Simon Bennett, Managing Partner at OMB Solicitors, this show delves into what you can expect when engaging with OMB Solicitors. Specialising in property law and commercial law, OMB also boasts dedicated teams for estate planning, contested estates, body corporate matters, litigation, and family law.
Each episode features in-depth discussions led by experienced team leaders, some with over 20 years of expertise. You'll gain valuable knowledge on initial consultations, cost assessments, timelines, and the importance of clear communication and confidentiality in legal matters.
Join us to break down barriers and navigate your legal journey with confidence. Tune in for expert advice, client stories, and tips on how to prepare for your legal needs. The OMB Law Board is your trusted source for all things legal.
(upbeat music) - Hi there and welcome to the OMB Law Board. I'm Simon Bennett, managing partner at OMB Solicitors and I'm gonna be your host. Today we're gonna talk about what to expect and what you're gonna get when you deal with OMB Solicitors. So we're largely a property law based firm but we do have a number of areas. So property law, commercial law are two of our main areas in which we deal. But we've also got a large estate team who deal with wills(...) and estate planning and contested estates.
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We have a large body corporate team headed by Juliet Nan who is an experienced body corporate lawyer and they deal with all things body corporate. And for those of you who don't know, when we talk about bodies corporate, we generally talk about the building
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which houses all of the people in a residential scheme for example, would be a high rise building and it's the building itself, which is the body corporate. And we'll talk more about that in a later episode.(...) We have a large litigation team dealing with commercial litigation and also personal injuries. And we have a family law team dealing with family law matters.(...) Each of those teams is run by a team leader with at least 20 years experience. So anyone you deal with here at OMB has got a wealth of experience and knowledge to help you through your journey. And they're supported by a depth of strength in their team of really experienced lawyers and support personnel. So it's an all round experience when you come to OMB.
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The initial consultation process and I understand it can be quite overwhelming when you're dealing with a lawyer, particularly if it's the first time. It can be intimidating and you're just not sure what to expect. So let's try and break down those barriers.
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The initial consultation could be either in person at our offices,(...) our lawyers may come to you, it may be done online, or you may decide to do it on the phone or through email or some other means like that, we're very flexible.
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Communication is the key. You need to communicate clearly with us what you need help with and what instructions you're providing to us. And we will try to communicate clearly in reverse back to you as to what our expectations of you are as our client and what we will be able to assist you with.
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Now that's the introduction, but I know there's some really deep burning concerns and questions when you're coming to see a lawyer. How long is it gonna take and what's it gonna cost?(...) So let's deal with cost firstly. So there's a number of different ways
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act on your behalf and assess the cost that it's gonna take to do a particular job.
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Hopefully in some matters, we're able to provide you with a fixed fee. So we determine exactly what you want,
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we determine what the work will be involved and we can provide you with a fixed fee for that work.
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Other times, unfortunately, we just don't know what's gonna be involved. A good example might be a litigation matter where we just don't know how long or how difficult it will be. It could settle quite quickly or it could become quite protracted. On those type of matters, you're generally going to be charged an hourly rate. So we charge on a time basis(...) and we will give you estimates of how long we think that will take and therefore what the fee would be. But look, all of these things are covered in good communication between you as our client and us as your representatives.
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How long is it gonna take? Well, again, some of these matters we're able to tell you, for example, the purchase of a home and you have a 30-day contract, it's gonna be a 30-day engagement. But on other matters, we won't be able to determine the exact length because we're governed by court times and uncertainties in the process.(...) But what I can tell you at IMB, we will keep you informed. We will talk to you regularly and we will give you our best estimates of how long it's gonna take.
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The other big thing that clients often wonder is what about the confidentiality? Because the information you're gonna deliver to us as your representatives can be quite sensitive and we don't want that information getting out. Well, let me assure you of this. Everything you tell your lawyer and our team at IMB
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is 100% confidential. It is not discussed or disclosed outside of this office and your relationship with us is one of an extremely confidential nayser. So rest assured that that information will be kept safe here at IMB. What's different about IMB? Well, when you deal with us, you get the personal service. We like to deal with you one-on-one and often you'll deal with the partner or the solicitor who's handling your matter in a one-on-one situation. Now, our team will have support staff behind that helping us along the way and usually there'll be at least two or three people in the office who know all the relevant information about your matter at any time. So if you're dealing with me and I'm in a meeting or unavailable for a period of time, there will be one or two other people you can speak to to deal with your matter and get an update as to where you're up to.(...) How can you prepare before you engage OMB solicitors to act on your behalf in a matter?(...) Well, one of the greatest things you could do is get all of your documentation, all your information together in a neat and orderly manner so that when you come to see us,(...) we have all of the information available to us which will do two things. One, it'll enable us to spend less time and less of your money gathering the information and organising it. And number two, it'll allow us to get a full brief of all of the information necessary so that we can give you the answers that you've come to us for. Hopefully this information has been helpful to you and we look forward to you joining us on your journey with OMB solicitors.