Solicitor or conveyancer in Queensland — what is the difference?

The Queensland position

Under the Legal Profession Act 2007 (Qld), only an Australian legal practitioner may engage in legal practice in Queensland. Preparing and advising on a contract for the sale of land, advising on termination rights, and effecting a transfer of title are legal services. There is no separate licensing regime for non-lawyer conveyancers as there is in the southern states.

That does not mean every person who touches your file is a solicitor. Law practices properly use experienced paralegals and conveyancing clerks for the process work. The question worth asking is who is supervising the file, and whether you can speak to that person when something goes wrong.

When it makes no practical difference

For a clean residential transaction — a standard REIQ contract, a house on a freehold title, finance approved, building and pest satisfactory, settlement on the due date — the process is largely the same wherever you take it. Searches are ordered, dates are diarised, adjustments are calculated and settlement happens electronically through PEXA.

If that is your transaction, price and responsiveness are reasonable ways to choose.

When it matters a great deal

The difference shows up when the file stops being routine. These are the situations where a processing service has to send you elsewhere, usually at the worst possible moment:

• The seller has died and the title has to be dealt with through an estate
• A caveat is lodged over the property, or one needs to be lodged to protect you
• The other side breaches the contract and a notice to complete or termination is required
• The seller disclosure statement is defective and the buyer wants to terminate
• A family or related-party transfer raises transfer duty, trust or capacity questions
• The property is being sold under an enduring power of attorney, with conflict transaction issues
• A dispute arises over the deposit, adjustments or unapproved building work
• The transaction is really a business sale, a lease assignment or a subdivision in disguise

Questions worth asking before you engage anyone

The answers tell you more than the advertised price does:

• Is the person handling my file a solicitor, and who supervises it?
• Is the quoted fee fixed, and what specifically is excluded?
• What happens — and what does it cost — if the contract goes into dispute?
• Will I be able to speak to the same person each time I call?
• Do you review the contract before I sign, and is there a charge for that?

How we do it

Coastside Law is a law practice. Michael Klein has been admitted since 2003 and has litigated property and estate disputes; Erin Wilkinson was an experienced South East Queensland conveyancer before being admitted as a solicitor in 2025. Between them there is over 40 years of combined experience and thousands of Queensland settlements.

Our fee for a residential sale is $990 inclusive of GST and a purchase is $1,499 inclusive of GST. Contract review before you sign is free, and if your contract terminates under cooling-off, finance or building and pest, we do not charge a professional fee.

Frequently asked questions