5 questions a workplace lawyer charges $500 for that FairWork Mate AI answers free

This isn't a "lawyers are useless" piece. Australian workplace lawyers are essential when you're heading to the FWC, dealing with adverse-action litigation, or negotiating a real settlement. We refer to them constantly.

But for the kind of question most workers and small employers actually have day-to-day — "what does the law say about X, and what's the recent precedent?" — paying $300-$500/hour is overkill. Below are five real-shape questions FairWork Mate AI answers free, with citations the same way a lawyer would.

Try each one yourself at /advisor. Compare with what your usual google → ChatGPT cycle gives you.

Lawyer billable: 1-2 hours of research, depending on the clause. $300-$700.

FairWork Mate AI: Cites the legal test (legitimate business interest + reasonable scope as to geography, time, and activities), references the relevant Federal Court decisions on enforceability, and notes the upcoming federal ban on non-competes for workers earning under $183,000 (effective 2027 — Australian Government 2024-25 Federal Budget commitment).

Free, in 20 seconds, with links to /cases/{slug} for the relevant precedents. The lawyer answer is more tailored — but for "is this normally enforceable?" you rarely need tailored.

Lawyer billable: 1.5-3 hours initial consult, $450-$1,050.

FairWork Mate AI: Walks through the section 387 criteria (valid reason, notification, opportunity to respond, support person, unsatisfactory performance warnings, size of employer, HR resources, other relevant matters), pulls 2-3 recent FWC unfair-dismissal decisions on similar facts (e.g. dismissal-during-probation cases, performance-management process cases), and tells you the 21-day filing window honestly.

For the threshold "do I have a case at all" question, AI gives you the same answer the lawyer's first hour gives you. If the answer is "yes, you might", THEN call the lawyer for the run.

Lawyer billable: 2-4 hours, $600-$1,400 for a small employer.

FairWork Mate AI: Covers the genuine-redundancy test (s.389 — the role is no longer required because of operational changes; consultation obligations under the modern award; redeployment consideration), runs the redundancy-pay calculator under s.119 with your inputs, drafts a defensible redundancy notice, and cites recent FCA decisions on redeployment obligation cases (where redundancy was found not genuine).

The lawyer's marginal value is reviewing your specific draft notice and consultation log — but you write a much better first draft when AI gives you the framework first.

Lawyer billable: Often won't take this on hourly — refers you to FWO. If they do, $150-$300 for a phone call.

FairWork Mate AI: Cites s.62 of the Fair Work Act (reasonable additional hours), the post-August 2024 right-to-disconnect provisions in s.333M, the factors for assessing reasonableness (your personal circumstances, family responsibilities, notice given, your job role, employer's business needs), and pulls the recent FWC dispute decision where an employee was supported in refusing overtime.

This is a question where AI is genuinely better than a lawyer — lawyers don't bill enough on this kind of question to know the recent decisions cold. The AI does, because it reads them daily.

Lawyer billable: 1-2 hours to advise + draft, $300-$700.

FairWork Mate AI: Walks through the post-August 2024 casual conversion regime (employee-initiated request after 6 months service for small business, 12 months for others), the "regular and systematic" test, the specific grounds an employer can refuse on, the 21-day response deadline, the FWC dispute pathway, and runs the cost-of-conversion comparison (you give up 25% loading, gain leave entitlements + redundancy + notice).

Then drafts the conversion request letter for you via our template tool. You're done in 10 minutes for $0. The lawyer adds polish, not substance.

Don't read this as "skip the lawyer." Skip the lawyer's first-hour-of-research-and-explainer. Pay them for:

• FWC matters. Filed claims, conciliation, hearings — get a lawyer.
• General protections / adverse action claims. Reverse onus on employers makes these high-stakes — get a lawyer.
• Bargaining and EBAs. Strategic, expensive, high-leverage — get a lawyer.
• Settlement negotiations. The number depends on the leverage, which depends on the lawyer.
• Anything criminal. Wage theft prosecutions, OH&S investigations — get a lawyer.

For everything in between — the day-to-day "what does the law say and what's the recent precedent?" question — try /advisor first. Free, 2 questions a day, citations included. Pay the lawyer when AI tells you to.