To whom may grossly excessive costs be referred?

• A. The Supreme Court
• B. The Legal Services Commission
• C. The Bar Association
• D. The Civil Claims Authority

Answer: (B)

Grossly excessive costs fall under professional conduct concerns about a legal practitioner. In Queensland, complaints about how a lawyer charges clients—such as fees that are grossly excessive—are handled by the regulatory body that oversees legal practitioners. The Legal Services Commission is the authority charged with receiving and investigating such complaints and taking appropriate action if misconduct is found. It isn’t a court that determines fee-related issues in a specific case, and it isn’t the Bar Association, which is a professional body without independent enforcement powers. The Civil Claims Authority isn’t a regulator for legal practitioners either. So, when concerns arise about grossly excessive costs, the appropriate channel is the Legal Services Commission.