The Benefit of Well-Prepared Objections
Blue Ribbon Legal recently acted for a defendant in District Court proceedings in NSW and VIC. The court ordered the defendant to pay costs.
The plaintiff served an application for assessment of costs. The claim was approximately $200,000 in legal costs plus interest. The plaintiff relied on tax invoices issued by its legal representatives.
Blue Ribbon Legal prepared detailed objections for the defendant. The team identified costs outside the scope of the court orders. They also raised other valid grounds of objection.
After we served objections, the plaintiff reduced its claim by $32,000. The plaintiff conceded that some disputed charges were not payable by the defendant.
The assessor allowed total legal costs of $86,000 plus interest.
The assessor’s reasons for reducing or disallowing charges included:
- reduction in hourly rates,
- excessive time claims,
- duplication between solicitors,
- photocopying charges that were not particularised
The assessor ordered the plaintiff to pay the defendant’s costs for preparing objections. The plaintiff also paid the assessor’s fees.
The plaintiff later lodged an application for review of the assessor’s decision. The Review Panel replaced the determination with its own. It made further reductions totalling $9,000. It also ordered the plaintiff to pay the review costs.
Blue Ribbon Legal’s expert objections reduced the amount payable by over $110,000 at first instance. The assessor also allowed our fees for preparing the objections in full as an offset.
How can we help?
At Blue Ribbon Legal, our experienced costs lawyers draft objections tailored to the specific claims and underlying proceedings. We avoid formulaic approaches. If you need help challenging a costs claim, we encourage you to get in touch.
Our team can provide expert advice and guide you through the best course of action based on your specific needs.
If you would like to arrange a consultation, please get in touch or call us on (02) 8599 3100.