Koffels Solicitors & Barristers represents survivors of institutional child sexual abuse across Australia. We advise on civil compensation claims and the National Redress Scheme, act on a no-win, no-fee basis, and have represented survivors before the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. Every enquiry is treated with complete confidentiality.
Koffels has acted for survivors of abuse across a wide range of institutions – Catholic schools, independent schools, boys’ homes, government care facilities, churches, and youth organisations. Our institutional abuse practice is led by Ross Koffel, who has represented survivors in matters involving the Christian Brothers, the Marist Brothers, De La Salle institutions, and numerous independent and government schools across New South Wales and other states.
In 2026, Koffels represented AA before the High Court of Australia in a landmark institutional liability matter. The Court found the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle liable under a non-delegable duty of care, overturning Lepore and establishing significant new precedent for survivors across Australia.
We act for survivors throughout Australia and can meet in person in Sydney or by video conference for clients elsewhere.
We advise survivors on whether a civil compensation claim may be available, identify the legally responsible institution or successor body, and manage the legal process from initial advice through to resolution. Civil claims in institutional abuse matters can address the full impact of the abuse – including psychological injury, economic loss, and treatment costs.
Further reading
For a detailed explanation of compensation pathways, eligibility, and what to expect from the process, see our Institutional Abuse Compensation guide.
The National Redress Scheme offers a separate pathway for some survivors, including a monetary payment, access to counselling, and a direct personal response from the institution. Eligibility depends on whether the institution is a Scheme member and the circumstances of the abuse.
We advise survivors on whether the Scheme or a civil claim is likely to be the better option in their circumstances. Koffels provides strategic advice on this decision – we do not lodge Redress applications directly, but we will give you a clear and honest assessment of both pathways so you can make an informed choice.
For more on the Scheme’s structure and eligibility, see our National Redress Scheme page.
We act on a no-win, no-fee basis for institutional abuse matters where we assess the claim as reasonably likely to succeed. This means our professional legal fees are only payable if your claim is successful. Out-of-pocket expenses – such as medical records and expert reports – are separate and will be discussed with you at the outset.
Many survivors find the first call the most difficult. We understand that. When you contact Koffels, you will speak with a lawyer who works in these matters every day. There is no obligation to proceed.
A typical matter progresses as follows:
Initial consultation – A confidential discussion about what happened, the institution involved, and what your legal options may look like. This is free and without obligation.
Assessment – We review the circumstances, identify the institution and any successor or insurer, and give you an honest view of the available pathways and realistic outcomes.
Statement and documentation – If you decide to proceed, we take a detailed personal statement and gather relevant records. This includes documents from the institution and medical or psychological records where relevant.
Claim or advice — Depending on your circumstances, we progress a civil claim, advise on the Redress Scheme, or assist with both. We act as your advocate throughout. You will always know what is happening and why.
The average civil matter takes up to 2.2 years from instruction, though this varies depending on documentation, expert assessments, and the institution involved. We keep you informed at every stage.
We represent adult survivors of institutional child sexual abuse – people who experienced abuse at a school, church, boys’ home, youth organisation, or other care institution, usually as children. Many of our clients are in their 40s, 50s, or older. It often takes decades before a survivor feels ready to address what happened to them. There is no deadline to make an enquiry, and no obligation to proceed when you do.
We also advise clients whose matters involve institutions in other states and territories, as well as survivors living overseas.
If you would like to discuss this further, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Koffels has acted in matters involving institutions across New South Wales and other Australian states. We maintain dedicated resource pages for institution types where we have acted for multiple survivors. These pages are designed for recognition — to help survivors understand that their institution has been the subject of legal proceedings and that others have come forward.
Independent Non-Government Schools NSW — covering independent schools across New South Wales, where survivors have sought compensation.
Catholic Schools and Institutions NSW — covering Catholic schools and religious order institutions across New South Wales, including Marist Brothers schools.
Marist Brothers — covering Marist Brothers schools across Australia, where Koffels has acted for survivors, including Parramatta Marist High School.
Survivors come to us from many different kinds of institutions. Schools – both government and independent, Catholic and non-Catholic, day schools and boarding schools. Churches and religious organisations, including Catholic dioceses, religious orders, and non-Catholic denominations. Boys’ homes and residential care facilities, including Salvation Army homes, De La Salle institutions, and government-run facilities. Youth detention centres and juvenile justice facilities. Sports clubs and community organisations. Foster care placements. If the abuse happened in an institutional setting – anywhere a child was placed in the care or supervision of an organisation – we can advise you on whether a compensation claim may be available, regardless of how long ago it occurred.
These pages are updated as matters progress. If you cannot find your institution listed, contact us directly. We are active in matters involving a wider range of institutions than are currently published on this site, and many survivors contact us before any public information is available. That is normal and expected – you do not need to find your institution here before reaching out.
All enquiries are treated in strict confidence. If your matter proceeds to court, we can seek orders that protect your identity, including the use of anonymised initials in court filings. In appropriate cases, suppression orders may be available. We will discuss these options with you at the outset.
Understanding the process
If you would like to understand more about what a child sexual abuse lawyer does, how civil claims work in practice, and what to expect if you decide to proceed, see our detailed guide.
How child sexual abuse claims work – a guide for survivors →
Koffels has been acting for survivors of institutional child sexual abuse since 2010. Over the last five years alone, we have taken on nearly 900 matters, helping clients pursue claims against schools, churches, boys’ homes, youth detention centres, sporting organisations, and government institutions right across Australia.
We file formal legal proceedings in the vast majority of matters we take on. That doesn’t mean your case will end up in a courtroom; very few do, and most resolve through mediation. But there is a significant difference between negotiating while proceedings are underway and making an informal approach without them. Institutions take claims more seriously, and their offers reflect that when they know the firm across the table is genuinely prepared to go all the way if the outcome isn’t fair.
We have also spent years developing a more thorough method for determining what a claim is actually worth. Earlier in this area of law, compensation was often calculated on a narrow basis: what happened and the immediate aftermath. What got left out was everything else, the career that never happened, the decades of treatment costs, the compounding effect of trauma on a person’s entire life from that point forward. We factor all of that in. It takes more work, but it produces substantially better outcomes for clients.
In some cases, we have also secured a formal written apology from the institution as part of the negotiated outcome, in addition to the financial settlement, not instead of it. The money is always the main objective. But for some clients, having the institution put in writing that what happened was wrong and that it was their responsibility matters enormously. Where that’s important to a client, we pursue it.
“No one wants to see a lawyer but when I spoke to Ross about the nature of my claim, I immediately felt at ease and knew that he was the right person to represent me.”
“From the very first time we met you we were treated with respect, compassion and patience.”
John and Christine Odell
“What stands out the most is Koffels’ immense empathy for my feelings and emotions during each stage of the legal case.”
David Allen
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