Your Rights When Working With A Lawyer
If you are speaking with a lawyer, here is what your rights actually are throughout that process.
What Rights Do You Have When Working With A Lawyer
You have the right to a conversation that helps you understand your situation without any obligation to proceed afterward. Deciding what happens next remains entirely yours.
You also have the right to know, in advance, when a lawyer can and cannot represent you directly. Solicitors are not permitted to represent parties at conciliation, though they can from the Industrial Court stage onward1.
Rights Around Fees And Choice
You have the right to ask about fee structure before committing to anything, and to speak with more than one lawyer before deciding who to work with. The first conversation you have is a starting point, not a final choice.
You also keep the right to act within your own timeline, though the 60-day window to file a representation remains a fixed external limit regardless of who you choose to work with2.
What This Looks Like In Practice
These rights are not just formalities. They mean you can ask direct questions, disagree with a suggestion, or pause and think before deciding anything a lawyer proposes.
A working relationship with a lawyer should feel like a conversation you are part of, not a process happening to you. If it does not feel that way, that itself is worth raising.
Turning Rights Into Action
Check your dates on the 60-day deadline calculator so your own timeline is clear. The employment lawyer entity page explains what a lawyer does and does not do at each stage.
For the same rights question at later stages, see the guides on your rights when filing a claim and your rights at the Industrial Court.
Knowing your rights from the start makes any conversation with a lawyer easier to navigate.
If you are unsure what your rights actually cover when speaking with a lawyer, a short conversation can explain them in plain terms.
Common questions
Am I obligated to proceed after speaking to a lawyer
No. A conversation is meant to help you understand your situation and options, not to commit you to anything. You decide separately what happens next.
Do I have the right to representation at every stage
Not at conciliation, where solicitors cannot represent parties. From the Industrial Court stage onward, you do have the right to be represented directly.
Do I have the right to ask about fees before committing
Yes. Asking about fee structure upfront is a reasonable and normal part of deciding whether to proceed with a particular lawyer.
What if I want a second opinion
That is a reasonable choice. Speaking with more than one lawyer before deciding is a normal part of the process.
Sources
- Solicitors are not permitted to represent parties at conciliation before the Department of Industrial Relations; an employee attends and speaks for themselves Mah Weng Kwai & Associates
- An employee who considers they were dismissed without just cause or excuse may make a written representation to the Director General of Industrial Relations within 60 days of the dismissal Mah Weng Kwai & Associates
Keep reading
If you are unsure what your rights actually cover when speaking with a lawyer, a short conversation can explain them in plain terms.