I’m Richard Leahy. I have acted for 20 years as a litigation solicitor in commercial and insurance disputes to advance my clients’ interests at an appropriate cost.

When I set about establishing my own firm, I identified a gap in the legal market in Queensland and looked at the things that I know clients like and dislike about retaining solicitors in litigation. And the best way to keep clients and attract new business seemed obvious – commit to doing the things that clients like. I have now created my own boutique commercial litigation firm, with an emphasis on expert but commercially pragmatic service to SMEs and individuals.

Litigation can be unnecessarily complicated, expensive and stressful. It can take on “a life of its own” – with the original objectives being lost in expensive procedural detail.

Be reassured – we don’t operate like that.

Our Four Point Commitment

Think about this four point commitment and compare it with your past experiences with other law firms. If they don’t match up, then consider calling Richard for a fuller explanation of how the four point commitment can work for you.

ACCOUNTABILITY

The person you brief is the person who does your work and keeps you informed.

COMMUNICATION

Clear, regular, and timely – so we know exactly what you want to achieve; so you understand the options; so you always know where your matter is going; and so you get no sudden and ugly surprises.

SIMPLICITY

The way we charge you is clear and transparent, with no surprises, and the advice we provide is concise, practical and always directed at resolving your problem.

VALUE FOR MONEY

So the goal is always resolution in the most cost effective way, and so you can optimise results against the costs of achieving them.

How we Charge for work

We can work on various bases - an hourly rate, fixed fees, capped fees, staged fees, etc. or in more routine matters use an independent costs assessor. We keep everything simple and clear. The approach will depend on the scope of the work. We will discuss what is most suitable in advance.

Our fees are competitive compared with Partners in larger firms offering no superior service or advice. You will also be pleasantly surprised when our accounts show:
No annoying additional charges for petties (photocopying, telephone etc) – in some firms these can add 5% to the bill.
Where in our judgement (very short emails, nominal phone attendances etc) charging is simply unjustified, the line in your itemised bill will simply show No Charge.
The charges on your account will relate to the person to whom you briefed your matter. You won’t see any charges for internal conferencing, or for lawyers who are effectively being trained on your matter.

Legal Practitioner Director

Legal Practitioner Director

Richard Leahy is accessible, determined and expert, with 20 years’ experience successfully fighting for his clients' interests. Further, because Richard is highly experienced acting for both plaintiffs and defendants, he has a very well developed capacity to understand and even predict tactics from the other side.


Richard (LLB (Hons), LLM (Advanced), Grad Dip of Insurance) is the Legal Practice Director of Cochrane Leahy Litigation. Richard was a partner in an award winning, national firm, practicing in commercial and insurance litigation. He has now created his own boutique commercial litigation firm, with an emphasis on expert but commercially pragmatic service to SMEs and individuals.


He has acted in the Supreme Courts of most Australian States and Territories, as well as internationally in the Federal Court of the USA and the Fijian High Court. His experience ranges from minor debt recovery matters to acting in litigation arising from the collapse of a publicly listed company involving claims exceeding $500,000,000.


In a client survey undertaken in late 2015, Richard was described as “knowledgeable”, “easy to get along with”, “thorough”, “specialist litigation expertise and competence”.


He is listed in Best Lawyers for:


In 2018 he became a member of the Queensland Law Society Litigation Rules Committee.


He is currently an author of the LexisNexis QCAT service, a jurisdiction in which he practises in commercial and professional disciplinary matters.


He also publishes and presents regularly on issues of interest, e.g. retail shop leases, class actions and loss of opportunity claims.


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