Purpose and scope
This policy applies to the articles, guides and other legal information we publish on fraserlawyers.com. It does not apply to advice we give a client on a matter, to our correspondence, or to documents we prepare in the course of acting for someone.
We publish legal information for one reason: to help people understand how Queensland and Commonwealth law works, in plain English, before they decide what to do. This policy is how we keep that information accurate and honest.
Who writes and who reviews
Every article on this site is published under the name of Blake Fraser, the principal of Fraser Lawyers. Blake is a solicitor of the Supreme Court of Queensland, admitted in 2013. He reviews every article before it is published and is responsible for its legal content. You can verify his registration on the Queensland Law Society register.
We separate two steps, and it is worth being clear about them:
- Prepared is the research and drafting that produces an article. This work is done by the firm.
- Legally reviewed means a qualified lawyer, Blake Fraser, has checked the legal content against current sources, edited it, and approved it for publication.
A draft is never published as written. Every article is legally reviewed by Blake before it goes live, and he accepts responsibility for it as the named author.
How we use legislation and case law
Statements about the law are based on primary sources: the current Queensland and Commonwealth legislation, and the published decisions of the courts and tribunals.
When an article states a time limit, a threshold, a dollar figure or a rule, we take it from the current source at the time of writing, not from memory and not from another website. We check Acts and regulations against the official legislation registers, and cases against the published judgments.
If a point cannot be verified against a primary source, we do not state it as settled law. We either leave it out, or we make clear that it is general or uncertain.
Checks before we publish
Before an article is published, we check that:
- the legal content matches current primary sources, and every citation supports the point it is attached to;
- the article complies with the advertising rules that apply to Queensland law practices, including the Australian Solicitors Conduct Rules and the restrictions on advertising personal injury services;
- the internal and external links work; and
- the article is written in plain English and is genuinely useful.
We do not publish to meet a quota. An article is published when it is accurate, useful and has been reviewed, and not before.
Updating articles
The law changes, and we update articles when it does.
The "last updated" date on an article reflects substantive updates only. A substantive update is a change to the law the article describes, a correction of a material error, or the addition of new guidance. We do not change the date for a typo, a formatting change or a link repair, because doing so would suggest the content is fresher than it is.
Where the position depends on the law as it stood at a particular time, we say so in the article.
Removing or consolidating articles
We remove an article when the law it describes no longer applies, when it is out of date and not worth updating, or when it is no longer accurate and cannot be corrected quickly. Where a removed article had a stable web address, we redirect that address to the closest current page so that links and bookmarks still work.
We consolidate articles when two or more cover the same ground and compete with each other. We keep the strongest version, move across anything useful from the others, and redirect the others to it. The aim is one clear, current guide on a topic rather than several overlapping ones.
Corrections and complaints
If you think something on this site is wrong, out of date or unclear, please tell us. Email [email protected] or call (07) 5554 6116, and identify the article and the point.
We check every report against the current source. If the content is wrong, we correct it, and where the error was material we note that a correction was made. If the content is right, we will explain why. We treat a report about a legal error on this site as a priority, because people may rely on what we publish.
Information, not legal advice
The articles and guides on this site are general legal information about Queensland and Commonwealth law. They are not legal advice, and reading them does not create a lawyer-client relationship. Your situation may turn on facts that a general article does not address, and the law may have changed since an article was written. Before you act, get advice on your own circumstances. If you would like that advice, you are welcome to contact us.
Contact
Fraser Lawyers
86 Bundall Road, Bundall QLD 4217
Phone (07) 5554 6116
Email [email protected]