Gross sum costs order
62Elders and Mr Allpass sought an order pursuant to s 98(4)(c) of the Civil Procedure Act that they be awarded a specified gross sum for their costs.
63In Harrison v Schipp (2002) 54 NSWLR 738, Giles JA considered the relevant principals (in the context of the forerunner to s 98, Supreme Court Rules 1970 part 52A rule 6). His Honour said at [21] and [22]: -
"The power conferred by Pt 52A, r 6(2) is not confined, and may be exercised whenever the circumstances warrant its exercise. It may appropriately be exercised where the assessment of costs would be protracted and expensive, and in particular if it appears that the party obliged to pay the costs would not be able to meet a liability of the order likely to result from the assessment (Leary v Leary [1987] 1 WLR 72; [1987] 1 All ER 261; Sparnon v Apand Pty Ltd (Federal Court of Australia, von Doussa J, 4 March 1998, unreported); Beach Petroleum NL v Johnson (No 2) (1995) 57 FCR 119; Hadid v Lenfest Communications Inc [2000] FCA 628).
Of its nature, specification of a gross sum is not the result of a process of taxation or assessment of costs. As was said in Beach Petroleum NL v Johnson (at 124), the gross sum 'can only be fixed broadly having regard to the information before the Court'; in Hadid v Lenfest Communications Inc (at [35]) it was said that the evidence enabled fixing a gross sum 'only if I apply a much broader brush than would be applied on taxation, but that ... is what the rule contemplates'. The approach taken to estimate costs must be logical, fair and reasonable (Beach Petroleum NL v Johnson (at 123); Hadid v Lenfest Communications Inc (at [27])). The power should only be exercised when the Court considers that it can do so fairly between the parties, and that includes sufficient confidence in arriving at an appropriate sum on the materials available (Wentworth v Wentworth (Court of Appeal, 21 February 1996, unreported) per Clarke JA.)"
64The relevant principals have been further considered in Hamod v State of New South Wales [2011] NSWCA 375 per Beazley JA at [813] - [820].
65On the face of it, this is an appropriate case for the making of a gross sum costs order.
66Assessment of costs will be protracted and expensive. The evidence suggests that there is reason to believe that Mr and Mrs Pola may not have the means to meet the liability likely to result from the assessment.
67However, as Giles JA observed in Harrison v Schipp, the power to order a gross sum for costs should only be exercised if it can be done fairly and only when there is sufficient material before the court to enable it to arrive confidentially at an appropriate figure.
68That is not the position in this case. The evidence adduced on behalf on Elders and Mr Allpass is not sufficient to enable me to determine what figure should be appropriately ordered for costs.
69So far as Elders is concerned, the evidence before me comprised an affidavit sworn by Mr Craig Hyde, a solicitor employed by Elders' solicitors, Curwoods Lawyers. Mr Hyde had the day to day conduct of the proceedings on behalf of Elders. He annexed to his affidavit copies of the tax invoices sent by Curwoods Lawyers to Elders. Mr Hyde deposed that the amount of professional fees that Elders had paid to Curwoods Lawyers was in the order of $134,022 and that Elders had also paid disbursements of $112,253.84 (a total of $246,275.84). Mr Hyde said that in his professional experience in civil litigation in NSW since 2000 (and earlier in New Zealand and England) that:
"[t]he general rule adopted by solicitors in the negotiation of party/party costs is that a successful party will recover between 65% and 75% of their professional fees on assessment and most if not all of their disbursements".
70Upon that basis, Mr Hyde expressed the "professional opinion" that he would expect Elders to recover "in the vicinity of $206,069.24 on any assessment of party/party costs". Mr Hyde submitted that an appropriate figure for a gross sum costs order was $175,000 (which represents something in the order of 71 per cent of Elders' total actual costs and disbursements).
71Mr Hyde's evidence was, however, unaccompanied by any independent expert evidence as to the reasonableness of the fees and disbursements charged. Nor was any breakdown given of the disbursements, save lump sum figures included in Curwoods Lawyers' tax invoices to Elders in respect of counsel and expert witnesses.
72I am not able to assess, from a perusal of Curwoods Lawyers' tax invoices to Elders, whether the professional costs it charged are reasonable. In the absence of independent expert evidence on that topic, it would not be appropriate for me to seek to do so. As there is no evidence before me as to the details of the disbursements for which Elders have been invoiced, I am also not able to make any assessment as to the reasonableness of those amounts.
73In those circumstances I am not prepared to make the gross sum costs order sought by Elders.
74As for Mr Allpass, the evidence comprised an affidavit by Mr Brett Heath, a solicitor employed by Carter Newell Lawyers who assumed the role of counsel in the preparation for, and conduct of these proceedings on behalf of Mr Allpass.
75Mr Heath also tendered a report from Ms Deborah Vine-Hall, an expert costs consultant.
76Mr Heath's affidavit did not place into evidence tax invoices sent from Carter Newell Lawyers to Mr Allpass. Rather Mr Heath provided what he described an "overview" of the work done, but without "a description of every task performed in the conduct of the defence".
77Mr Heath annexed to his affidavit a schedule setting out the work done by the various lawyers at Carter Newell Lawyers (principally Mr Heath), the hourly rates of those lawyers, the hours worked, and the resultant professional costs charged.
78The total number of "hours worked" was stated to be 918.12 (of which 546.97 was attributed to Mr Heath). The total professional costs were stated to be $276,134.24 (of which $183,234.95 was attributed to Mr Heath).
79Mr Heath's affidavit did not reveal how much time any particular legal service took or how much was charged in relation to any particular legal service.
80Mr Heath also annexed a "schedule of disbursements" (including counsel's fees, accommodation, travel and other like expenses) totalling $51,665.02. Thus Mr Heath's affidavit revealed that the total costs and disbursements incurred by Mr Allpass were in the order of $328,000.
81In her report, Ms Vine-Hall purported to opine that "the amount of the reasonable costs payable by" Mr Allpass was in the order of $321,000.
82Mr Blount objected to the admission into evidence of that purported opinion and, in the course of hearing, I upheld that objection and rejected the relevant paragraphs of Ms Vine-Hall's opinion. The basis of that ruling was that (save for explaining why Ms Vine-Hall discounted certain disbusments charged by Carter Newell to Mr Allpass by some $15,000) Ms Vine-Hall's report did not explain by what process of reasoning she reached the conclusion she purported to give.
83Ms Vine-Hall opined that:
(a)the rates charged by the various lawyers at Carter Newell Lawyers were reasonable;
(b)the amounts paid to external counsel were reasonable;
(c)the division of labour between the various lawyers within Carter Newell was reasonable;
(d)staffing levels at Carter Newell were conservative; and
(e)with one minor exception, the disbursements incurred were reasonable.
84Ms Vine-Hall did not, however, express any opinion that the amount of time spent by the various lawyers at Carter Newell, including Mr Heath, was reasonable. That was no doubt because the form of Mr Heath's affidavit was such that she was unable to do so. In those circumstances, I was not able to understand by what process of reasoning Ms Vine-Hall reached the conclusions to which objection was taken.
85In my opinion the evidence adduced on behalf of Mr Allpass is not adequate for me to make a gross sum costs order and I decline to do so.