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Client Protection Principles Overview

Published: 11 July 2024 | Reviewed: 15 February 2026
(3-minute read)

A structural framework designed to prevent cost escalation before it begins.

Two independent lawyers often cost less than one, because you fund one path, not both.

Most litigation cost problems do not arise from misconduct.
They arise from structure.

In the traditional blended model, one lawyer manages both settlement and trial preparation within a single billing stream.
That structure can make timing, scope expansion, and early trial preparation difficult to see.

Clean Law separates these roles and places client authority at the centre of every stage.

This page summarises the three structural safeguards that govern that separation.

Download: Client Protection Principles (PDF)

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The Three Structural Safeguards

These safeguards operate under:

ACNC-governed public-interest structure
Annual Law Society trust-account audit
Constitutional independence rules
No referral fees
No partnerships with courtroom firms

They are structural. They are not optional.

1. Cost Alignment Through Separation of Roles

One lawyer manages settlement, cost safety, and timing.
A separate courtroom lawyer manages trial preparation and advocacy.

Clean Law:

charges fixed fees
earns a result-based bonus only when early settlement avoids trial costs
does not act in contested hearings

Your courtroom lawyer:

charges only for genuine trial work
owes their paramount duty to the court

This separation removes blended incentives.

Delay does not increase our fees.
Escalation does not increase our fees.

Cost alignment is not a discount.
It is a structural discipline.

→ View the cost alignment model (Why Two Lawyers Often Cost Less)

2. Escrow - Client-Controlled Release Authority

In a traditional trust account, the lawyer determines when funds are drawn.

Under escrow:

no stage begins without your written approval
funds are released only for completed work
unearned funds remain untouched
scope and timing are stage-defined
every movement is auditable

Escrow protects:

your money
your timing
your authority
your ability to change lawyers

It is the mechanism that prevents invisible escalation.

→ See how escrow protects your authority and timing

3. Strict Role Boundaries - Independence Preserved

Clean Law is capable of courtroom advocacy but deliberately refrains in contested matters.

We do not:

conduct trials
draft pleadings for filing
cross-examine witnesses
instruct counsel

Courtroom lawyers act independently.
Clean Law provides oversight and settlement strategy only.

This separation ensures no lawyer supervises their own litigation incentives.

Two lanes.
One funded path.
Clear accountability.

→ See Advocacy Boundaries & Independence Policy

Why These Principles Exist

These safeguards are not features.

They are the structural conditions that make cost safety possible.

They ensure:

no blended billing
no premature trial preparation
no hidden financial influence
no fee-sharing
no panel arrangements

Governance makes the safeguards durable.
Audit makes them visible.
Escrow makes them practical.

You do not need to rely on assurances.
The structure protects you.

Learn more → Why Two Lawyers Often Cost Less