Joint Costs Advisory Committee submission
30 August 2024
On 21 August 2024, the Law Council lodged a submission to the Joint Costs Advisory Committee (JCAC). The JCAC is convened each year by the High Court and the federal courts to consider the quantum of costs allowable to legal practitioners pursuant to the scales of costs in each of the Court’s rules.
The Law Council submitted that the minimum increase to the quantum of costs should be 4.0 per cent based on current data and the application of the Federal Costs Advisory Committee Formula.
However, the Law Council also submitted that a far more significant increase across the Courts’ scales is required to ensure that they reflect the actual practices of the Courts and the profession, and to ensure that they represent a fair and accurate estimate of work reasonably required to be undertaken.
Additionally, the Law Council offered to work with the Federal Court on a revised version of the Court’s National Guide to Counsel Fees, noting that is has not been updated since it was published in 2013.
Last Updated on 30/08/2024