Health Care Complaints and Compensation (HCCC) Legal Services
H3C (HCCC) Legal Services is a low cost, boutique legal practice focused on applying the health care experience and legal knowledge of its principal, Arne Cambourne.
I provide no-win no fee legal advice for compensation claims and aim to have ALL my legal costs paid by the insurer, meaning you keep more of your compensation.
Low costs, and means tested subsidies are available for cases other than compensation matters to allow legal support for people with low incomes, including Centrelink. Affordable payment plans can be arranged.
Based in Victoria, and servicing remote, rural and isolated people in NSW, Victoria and the Northern Territory
H3C Legal Services uses mobile and internet technology to make contact with clients. Using videoconferencing, regional office hubs and home visits, I am able to provide flexible low-cost service. I am used to shift work, so able to meet with people on weekends, or after hours, something often useful to busy, working people.
Cases I may be able to help with
I have a background in personal injury litigation, so my strongest skills are in compensation claims. Litigation is about knowing the legal rules, and I can transfer these skills to other areas of law.
I will refer anyone on to another lawyer if I think you will do better somewhere else.
Workers Compensation
Workers compensation rights in most states are similar, though the rules in states differ a little, and knowing the differences is vital.
Motor Accident Claims
Like workers injury claims, compensation following motor accidents in different states have become regulatory systems. The legal and medical tests are similar, knowing the procedural rules is essential.
Professional / Medical Negligence
I know health care and I know the law. I can tell you confidently whether you have suffered injury due to negligence, and what your injury will cost you in the long run.
TPD / Superannuation
Total and Permanent Disability claims are about the being able to understand where health and disability meet the laws of contract and insurance. My health care experience and my legal knowledge mean I can see these connections quickly and efficiently.
Tribunals and Civil Laws
The vast majority of legal disputes in Australia are resolved by negotiation, or in tribunals. Consumer law, Centrelink disputes, residential tenancy, victims compensation and small claims are decided in low-cost tribunals. A little bit of help planning and communicating can go a long way.
Professional Complaint Support
Obtaining compensation for people injured by medical or health care negligence supports injured people, and can improve standards of care.
However, most health professionals are diligent, caring and skilled practitioners. Despite this they can be the subject of complaints about the care they provide.
H3C Legal Services understands the difficulties health practioners often face, and offers low cost legal advice and support for health professionals responding to formal complaints.
Useful Links
The links below can be a good place to start in understanding different legal or non-legal approaches to common disputes, and for free or subsidised legal advice
Contact H3C Legal Services Now
Address
Ground Floor, 470 St Kilda Road, Melbourne Victoria 3004
Phone
0428447076ABN
55641547731
Let’s talk about costs
I am fortunate to not need to make a living from being a solicitor.
My role as a locum nurse allows me to work for brief periods, have extended periods in which I don’t work, and lead a mobile life.
This means I can pick and choose cases that I think have merit, for people that need help the most, rather than focus on profit.
Yes. All solicitors must provide a cost agreement before they engage in legal work. It’s one of the key rules of practice lawyers must follow. Failing to do this means a lawyer can’t charge any costs.
It applies to so called “no win, no fee” legal services as much as anywhere else, if not more. Make sure you check the hourly rate in a cost agreement, to see what you are going to pay, at some time.
I charge $200 per hour for legal services that require me to think like a lawyer. If I am doing paper work or administrative tasks, I charge $50 per hour. These are all outlined on any cost agreement.
Anyone can apply for a discount by making a written request for legal fees discount.
H3C Legal Services will still issue a bill - this is to allow me to claim costs from the other side, if possible.
People on Centrelink have fees discounted by 75%, incomes less than $50,000 per year are discounted at 50% and those under $100,000 per year at 25%.
Financial members of unions get an extra 5% discount.
I don’t operate a trust account - it’s an additional hassle and cost. People pay me when they can. I offer affordable payment plans as little as $5 per week.
Definitely. Most importantly is that in some cases there are significant costs that are out of my control, and I cannot generally afford to pay for.
Things like expert medical reports can be very expensive, and they usually need to be paid to the expert before the expert will do any work.
It may be necessary to engage a barrister, and they also like to have some money up front before they work also.
The best I can do is let you know what these costs may be as soon as they are known. Sometimes, particularly if your case is strong, it can be better to go to a larger firm who can cover these costs up front.
That’s fine. I’ll let you know if this is an option and can forward on the work I have done to a bigger firm. If the bigger firm uses any of the work I have done, they are obliged to pay me for at least part of this cost.
H3C Legal Services provides no win no fee legal services for personal injury / compensation claims. No-win no-fee lawyers don’t work for free, they just get paid at the end.
They often add a premium to their hourly rate to work this way - some cases they take on lose money, so they need to cover these losses with a high hourly rate for cases they win.
I charge $200 per hour, which I know from experience is a lot less than most other firms. It means you keep more of your compensation.
No-win no-fee only applies to compensation claims. Other matters mean I issue a bill for work done, but I tell you what this is going to be up front before I start work.