Join us for our CPD event of the year about the Costs Agreements; ethics and practice. 

LSRLA is pleased to offer members a free lunchtime seminar on costs recovery and costs agreements with Paul Cameron, costs assessor.  With over 14 years experience as a costs assessor, Paul is well placed to update us on recent decisions that affect costs agreements to ensure that our agreements say what they should so that we can confidently enforce our entitlement to be paid.    Don’t be complacent thinking that the boilerplate QLS costs agreement will suffice.  You don’t want to do all your hard work for a client, not be paid and then face a time consuming (and expensive) court battle.  

Recent decisions in 2019 bring cost recovery and costs agreements into the spotlight for legal practitioners: 

• The High Court recently upended the Chorley exception allowing self-represented solicitors to recover costs. In Bell Lawyers Pty Ltd v Pentelow[2019] HCA 29  and applied in Equititrust Limited(Receivers and Managers Appointed) (In Liquidation) v Tucker & ors [ 2019] QSC308 , the High Court held that a self-represented practitioner cannot recover costs where they are acting in person. However, the Court has left open the question as to whether a self-employed director of an Incorporated Legal Practice can recover costs. 
• McLaren v Wiltshire Lawyers Pty Ltd [2019] QSC 305 Where the Supreme Court of Qld set aside a family law costs agreement: “Whatever may be the standard necessary to meet the statutory requirement, the solicitor in this instance has not, in my view, made any genuine attempt to inform the client as required by the schedule. An estimate for fees and cost in a range between nil and $250,000 is not an estimate which provides any guidance for a client in the position of this plaintiff. It was not necessary to provide a single estimate to cover the extreme possibilities for the conduct of the claim. ...”

Please join us via Zoom at 1pm on Thursday, 30 July 2020, for an informative lunchtime session on costs agreements. 

Paul is experienced with preparing formal and informal assessments of costs, Costs Statements, itemised bills and submissions, and advocating for legal practitioners in costs litigation at a State and Federal level.  As a solicitor and costs assessor (on the Supreme Court Register of Approved Costs Assessors), Paul is able to shed some well needed light on costs agreements, getting them right and recovering costs!

Should you have any specific questions that you would like addressed by Paul, please email us at hello@lsrla.org.au by Monday, 27 July 2020.  

Event details:

Date: Thursday, 30 July 2020

Time: 1:00pm

Place: Zoom Online Webinar

Cost: FREE

All registrants will be sent an invitation to the Zoom Meeting after registrations close.

This topic could not be more relevant and topical now so this is a perfect time to get up to speed with the things you need to know. Even better, you can get this timely update in the convenience of your home or office or home office!

We would love to 'see' you there!

Logan & Scenic Rim Law Association Inc