Melbourne, Australia; 14, June 2016: Boutique Lawyers is a Melbourne based law firm who only deal with Building and Construction disputes. We invited the firm’s Principal Olivia Terziovski to provide us with an overview of how Boutique Lawyers as a firm of the future aims to revolutionise the Building and Construction industry.
Here at Boutique Lawyers we are on a mission to change the construction industry and we will do it one case at a time, one letter at a time, one call at a time, one person at a time. We start with the end in mind and plan from the beginning how to strategically focus on the result rather than on the time and effort it takes to get there. Currently the industry is a challenging place to work, as more disputes are being litigated, more builders are becoming insolvent and more developers are being sued and running at a loss.
The industry in Victoria is suffering and becoming increasingly competitive, forcing business owners to cut corners in order to make some kind of profit. It has become common practice for Builders to now under-quote to win a project, as a result, families are ending up with defective homes that they can’t afford to fix and can’t live in or sell. Subcontractors are ending up insolvent by taking on jobs that they aren’t being paid for by Builders because the Builders are under-quoting. Builders are cutting corners wherever they can to save money because they have under-quoted and it is becoming too costly to build and to buy, and ultimately something has got to change. To facilitate this, we are one of the few Building and Construction law firms (if any) in Victoria that offer fixed fee services based on results. We get homeowners the houses they paid for and builders paid for their work. We also help developers make more money and protect owner-builders. We do all this for a fixed price, as agreed for value, we don’t waste time and we imagine one day that all law firms will follow our lead, focus on results rather than the effort it costs to get to the result. I was originally a corporate lawyer and then one day I was involved in my own building dispute, which gave me a first-hand insight into what to expect.
I finally experienced how it felt like to be a client. That’s when I realised that something had to change in the legal industry. What worried me most then about my case was receiving my lawyer’s bill for thousands of dollars and nothing had been achieved! After that I decided to strive towards changing the way that the whole legal industry operates with fixed fee billing based on value and results. There is a fair way to go but everything starts with a small change. “I went through a building dispute which changed the way I thought about Building and Construction law; it enabled me to discover my true passion in life.” As a sought after law firm we are selective and will only work with a select few clients that we can get the best results for at any given time based on value. We select the clients who we feel we can give the most care and attention to, who we get along with and whose disputes are cohesive with our expertise. This ensures that we can secure the best possible results for our clients. We wouldn’t put a client in a position where we cannot help due to lack of knowledge as this would be negligent. We really care about all of our clients. Currently our work involves conducting research on over 700 cases that we have reviewed and where clients have required advice on regarding practices within the building industry. One key project involves the potential action where either the Builders or Engineers may have been incorrectly sued; and in fact, the other party involved in the project may have been at fault causing issues to arise. This is a major concern in the building industry.
Throughout the years practising as a Building and Construction lawyer, I have been amazed at the number of cases that I have come across regarding slabs that have failed in the realm of domestic building works in Victoria. In 2016, with all the technology available, information online and many ways to communicate, it seems incredible to me how such practises are still occurring. Personally, I find the number of cases that this has occurred in a little strange and it really makes me think about whether there is something more controversial going on or whether it’s just a case of human error. Another key concern we have is with the number of cases that have currently been decided upon or settled upon concerning slab heave where the rectification works suggested or undertaken have actually rectified the slab or whether the slabs continue to fail, the result being, the wrong party being sued and the wrong works being undertaken and the performance of the slab continuing to fail, creating losses for all involved. As such, in order to change the industry for the better we are constantly educating our clients. We are part of industry groups that consistently review judicial decisions and developments within the industry.
We also research and write articles that are relevant to the industry, in order to enrich the wider community knowledge and understanding. Ultimately, despite having encountered many other firms within the industry we have yet to come across a firm that runs their cases like Boutique Lawyers. We do not write pointless letters, we do not charge by the hour and we do not make futile calls. Everything we do, every letter we write, every call we make is with purpose and is aimed towards getting the best possible outcome for our client. The Building and Construction industry is constantly evolving, and in the future we expect a number of developments. New legislation is being passed as we speak which is due to come into effect by 1 July 2017. Our firm will continue to support our clients and work with them to ensure that we obtain the best results for them. We aim to deliver on agreement, regardless of time-scale, to ensure the outcome is positive.
For Media Contact:
Company: Boutique Lawyers Pty Ltd
Name: Olivia Terziovski
Address: Level 14/350 Collins Street,
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Telephone: +61 1300 556 140
Email: [email protected]
Web Address: boutiquelawyer.com.au
