Lawyer Help

What will this actually cost you?

Every fee we charge is fixed, published and includes GST, agreed with you before any work starts. Prepared by a barrister of 30+ years, not run on an hourly meter.

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Or see the full price list below

What each service costs

Every figure below includes GST. Where part of a fee is only payable if the outcome goes your way (we call it the wrap-up fee), it's shown as its own line, never folded into the headline number.

Limited Licence

  • Standard application$920
  • Or split payment2 × $460
  • Complication fee (3rd or 4th disqualification)$230
  • Complication fee (5th or later)$460
  • Defended hearing, if police oppose (additional)$805

Covers your affidavit, supporting affidavits, filing and representation, anywhere in New Zealand. How it works →

Appointments & court appearances

  • Appointment (phone or Zoom)$230
  • Court appearance, Auckland District Court$230
  • Court appearance, other greater Auckland courts$287

Most traffic and criminal matters are priced from these two rates. You're told at your first appointment how many of each yours is likely to need.

Drink Drive

  • 3rd or later, sentencing submissions$2,875
  • Paid as5 × $575
  • 3rd or later, wrap-up fee (only on the result; higher with more history)from $1,150
  • 3rd or later, all-in with wrap-up feefrom $4,025
  • Defended hearing, Auckland District Court$1,725

A straightforward guilty plea is usually one appointment and one appearance, at the rates above. What happens on a drink-drive charge →

Traffic & Criminal Defence

  • Appointment$230
  • Court appearance, Auckland District Court$230
  • Court appearance, other greater Auckland courts$287
  • A straightforward guilty plea, all-in (Auckland District Court)$460

Most matters need one appointment and one or two appearances. More complicated matters are quoted once we've seen full police disclosure. Traffic charges → · Criminal defence →

Section 106: discharge without conviction

  • Application$2,875
  • Paid as5 × $575
  • Wrap-up fee, only if the discharge is granted$1,150
  • All-in if granted$4,025
  • All-in if not$2,875

Pleading guilty, but with no conviction recorded. Section 106 discharges →

Section 94: community work instead of disqualification

  • Application$1,725
  • Paid as3 × $575
  • Wrap-up fee, only if granted$575
  • All-in if granted$2,300
  • All-in if not$1,725

Decided at sentencing; once you've been sentenced, the option is gone. Section 94 applications →

P Endorsement appeal

  • Assessment & written submissions (first appointment included)$1,150
  • Specialist consultation$350
  • Wrap-up fee, only if successful$575
  • All-in if successful$2,075
  • All-in if not$1,500

NZTA "fit and proper person" appeals. P Endorsement appeals →

What the wrap-up fee actually means

Some fees only become payable if the outcome goes your way: the discharge is granted, the community work order is made, the appeal succeeds. We call that part the wrap-up fee. It's set out in writing before you commit, and it's never buried inside the headline number.

The upfront cost stays lower this way for everyone, including the applications that don't get there.

Court fees: paid to the court, not to us

These are set by the Ministry of Justice and NZTA. We don't receive any part of them and we can't reduce them. They're listed here so the number you're budgeting for is the real one.

Which ones apply depends on why you lost your licence, so you won't pay all of them.

Court & NZTA fees

  • Court-ordered disqualification, filing fee$175
  • Demerit-point suspension, filing fee$275
  • Sealing fee$69
  • New plastic licence, NZTA~$48.70

Paid to the court and to NZTA, separate from our legal fee. Current as at August 2026. Check the current court fees →

A fixed fee, not a meter

Most lawyers charge by the hour, commonly $350 to $700 of it. Every phone call, every email, every question you were nervous about asking adds to the bill, and nobody can tell you the total until it's over.

We don't work that way. Before any work begins you're quoted a fixed fee for your matter. That figure is what you pay. If your case takes longer than expected, that's our problem, not your invoice.

It's pay as you go, split into instalments across the life of the matter. Two bites of $460, if that better suits your pocketbook today.

The thing clients say most often isn't that it was cheap. It's that they knew the number before they started.

What's included

  • Every phone call and email about your matter, with no per-call charge
  • Appointments by phone or Zoom, wherever you are in New Zealand
  • Preparing your affidavits and documents, and dealing with the police on your behalf

What isn't included

Court filing, sealing and NZTA fees, set out above. A defended hearing, if your fixed fee was quoted for a guilty plea. Appeals to a higher court. Any of these change the price, and you're told before they're charged.

You won't get an invoice you didn't expect.

If your matter turns out to need something outside the fee you agreed, you're told what it is and what it costs before it happens, not on a bill afterwards. If you'd rather not go ahead at that point, you don't have to.

Fees FAQs

Is GST included in these prices?

Yes. Every figure on this page includes GST.

Do I have to pay it all at once?

No. A limited licence is two payments of $460. A section 106 discharge is five payments of $575. A section 94 application is three payments of $575. Other matters are paid as they go: the appointment, then each appearance as it happens.

What if my case is more complicated than usual?

Some matters are genuinely more involved than the fixed-fee categories above cover, for example where the facts are contested or the police disclosure raises more questions. In that case, the fee is agreed with you after we've seen the full police disclosure, not before. You'll always know the number before any work happens on your file.

What if the police oppose my limited licence application?

You can still apply, but a police-opposed application becomes a defended hearing, which adds $805 to the legal fee. We'll explain exactly what that means for your situation before anything is charged.

Am I better off with a duty lawyer or Community Law?

Sometimes, yes, and we'll tell you so. If it's clear from your first call that a free option is a better fit for you, you'll be told that before you pay anything, and pointed towards who can help.

Does the fee change if I'm outside Auckland?

The limited licence fee is $920 at any court in New Zealand. Appointments are by phone or Zoom wherever you are, at the same rate. For other matters the court work is done at the Auckland courts, and appearance fees differ between them ($230 at the Auckland District Court, $287 at other greater Auckland courts). You'll be quoted for your court before anything starts.

Find out what yours would cost.

One appointment: $230, phone or Zoom, usually the same day. You'll come off the call knowing what you're facing, what can be done about it, and the number. Not a range, not "it depends".

Or freephone 0800 OK2DRIVE · ok2drive@lawyerhelp.co.nz
Mon–Fri 9am–9pm · Sat 2pm–6pm. Outside those hours, txt and we'll call you back.

What clients say about the money

★★★★★
"I was given a fixed cost before the process even started and was more than happy."Harry, truck driver
★★★★★
"The advice was always clear, the communication was exceptional, and the overall service was far more cost-effective than I expected given the quality of the work."Adrian
★★★★★
"They truly lived up to their promise of 'Work / Limited Licence – Fast, Affordable, and Hassle-Free.'"Pawan

Read our Google reviews →