Leave to appeal and appeal
36Section 208M of the 1987 Act reads:
"Appeal against decision of costs assessor by leave
(1) A party to an application relating to a bill of costs may, in accordance with the rules of the Supreme Court, seek leave of the court to appeal to the court against the determination of the application made by a costs assessor.
(2) A party to an application relating to costs payable as a result of an order made by a court or a tribunal may, in accordance with the rules of the court or tribunal, seek leave of the court or tribunal to appeal to the court or tribunal against the determination of the application made by a costs assessor.
(3) The Supreme Court or court or tribunal may, in accordance with its rules, grant leave to appeal and may hear and determine the appeal.
(4) An appeal is to be by way of a new hearing and fresh evidence, or evidence in addition to or in substitution for the evidence received at the original proceedings, may be given.
(5) After deciding the questions the subject of the appeal, the Supreme Court or court or tribunal may, unless it affirms the costs assessor's decision, make such determination in relation to the application as, in its opinion, should have been made by the costs assessor."
37It is convenient that I briefly comment on the operation of the 1987 Act and its successor, the 2004 Act (Some matters raised for which leave is sought probably involve a question of law and the appeal should be s 208L of the 1987 Act).
38In Chapmans Ltd v Yandell [1999] NSWCA 361, Fitzgerald JA (with whom Mason P and Davies AJA agreed) stated that it is important to keep in mind that the purpose of a requirement of leave to appeal is that it is intended to act as a filter to ensure that unsuitable appellant proceedings are not able to be brought with the demands which that places upon the resources of the court and the burden which it places upon other parties and the delays which it causes to other litigants: see Coulter v R (1988) 164 CLR 350 at 359. His Honour continued that if leave to appeal should be granted where there is some other matter which in justice required that leave to appeal be granted to allow that matter to be relitigated, the party seeking leave to appeal obviously bears the burden of establishing that justice does require that leave to appeal be granted.
39In both matters Mr Yohana seeks to raise the following matters in relation to s 208M. I shall refer to them in seriatim.
40Firstly, it was submitted by Mr Yohana that the purported determination of the costs assessor is a nullity in so far as on its face was said to have been made under the 2004 Act which had not relevant operation; and secondly, the purported "application: for costs assessment was a nullity in so far as on its face it was said to have been made under the 1987 Act and the 2004 Act to the extent it applied.
41Although the bills were given after the commencement of the 2004 Act, Mr Isaac's entitlement to assessment was governed by the 1987 Act, since he was first instructed by Mr Yohana before 1 October 2005, the day on which the 2004 Act commenced. The transitional provisions in respect of the 2004 Act provide in Schedule, 9 Part 2, at clause 18(1):
"Subject to subclauses (2) and (3), Part 3.2 of this Act applies to a matter if the client first instructs the law practice on or after the commencement day, and Part 11 of the old Act continues to apply to a matter if the client first instructed the law practice in the matter before that day."
42The applicable Legal Profession Act is the 1987 Act. In the assessment of the second bill of costs, the costs assessor expressly stated that the 1987 Act is applicable. As to Mr Yohana's argument that that decision is a nullity, in the light of costs assessor Webley's assessment is concerned, this submissions cannot be right. As the power set out in both Acts is similar, costs assessor Taperell in carrying out the cost assessment of the first bill of costs had power to assess the bill of costs whether it be under the 1987 Act or the 2004 Act. In any event the applicant seeking the assessment in relation the first bill of costs relied on both Acts.
43Thirdly, Mr Yohana submits the application for assessment was a nullity in so far as it was made at a time after the applicant had ceased to exist.
44Mr Isaac's evidence is that from 1 January 2002 to 30 September 2004 he was a partner of the firm Barclay Benson Lawyers. Up until 30 September 2004, Barclay Benson Lawyers was a registered business name. From 1 October 2004 until 18 February 2010 , Mr Isaac carried on practice as a sole practitioner under the name Barclay Benson Solicitors. Mr Isaac originally had two partners in Barclay Benson Lawyers, Mark Williams and Steve Wilson. Under the terms agreed between Mr Williams, Mr Wilson and Mr Isaac were entitled to retain all the income and assets of the partnership and indemnified Mr Wilson in respect of any debts incurred in the partnership.
45It is most likely that the correct business name of the entity is now Barclay Benson Lawyers. The applications for costs assessment were made in the name of Barclay Benson Solicitors. In this regard, Latham J made an order in relation to the first bill of costs, that the plaintiff's name on the judgment be changed from Benson Barclay Solicitors to Benson Barclay Lawyers. I make the same order in relation to the judgment entered on 20 September 2010.
46On 30 September 2004, the partnership with Mr Williams was dissolved. At that time, Mr Williams and Mr Isaac agreed that Mr Isaac would recover all the outstanding debts owed including the debt by Mr Yohana to the partnership.
47Fourthly, the assessor erred in purporting to adjudicate upon any underlying dispute as to whether or not there was an agreement that the plaintiff not be charged for costs, which dispute should have been referred to a judicial officer with appropriate powers and jurisdiction.
48Judicial opinion has varied as to the extent of a costs assessor's power. In particular there are different approaches as to whether costs assessors have jurisdiction to interpret a costs agreement or authority to decide whether a costs agreement existed. Cases supporting the view that the role of the costs assessor is limited to determining purely the cost of the work done are the decisions of Dunford J in Muriniti v Lyons [2004] NSWSC 135 and Rothman J in Hall Chadwick v Doyle [ 2006] NSWSC 1195 .
49The contrary view was expressed in Wentworth v Rogers; Wentworth & Russo v Rogers [2006] NSWCA 145; (2006) 66 NSWLR 474 where Santow JA stated (at [38]-[43]; 484-486):
"[40] The Court of Appeal [in Wentworth v Rogers ] implicitly accepted that with these powers, though falling short of curial, the costs assessor was not only empowered in the first instance to determine the terms of the retainer of counsel and solicitor but should do so. That approach recognises the expeditious administrative process for assessing costs under the Act. For most cases determination by the costs assessor should suffice without necessity for curial review. It would be unusual that the content of the costs agreement was not self-evident from its written record, or its interpretation so problematic that a costs assessor could not, in practice, reach a sufficiently reliable result. But the discretion to order curial review remains as a safeguard for the exceptional cases that warrant it.
[41] Section 208(3)(b) expressly empowers the costs assessor to ascertain "whether a costs agreement exists, and its terms" . That, in my view, necessarily includes determining whether such agreement is within the definition of "costs agreement" in the Act and whether it is rendered void by s 184(4).
[42] I consider that the Court of Appeal decision in Wentworth v Rogers [1999] NSWCA 403 must be followed. To the extent that the decision of Dunford J in Muriniti v Lyons [2004] NSWSC 135 is inconsistent, it should not be followed.
[43] In Muriniti v Lyons , Dunford J concluded (at [56] to [58]) that the costs assessor, who set out to determine under s 208A and s 208B whether certain preconditions for the payment of costs had been fulfilled, should have declined to make a determination or issue a certificate. This was until the issue of whether or when the relevant costs were payable had been resolved by a court with power to require sworn evidence and have it tested by cross-examination. That reasoning, though not in relation to court-ordered costs, was inconsistent with the reasoning of the Court of Appeal to which I have referred and should not be followed."
50In the same decision Basten JA expressed doubts about this and (at [185]; 515-516) left the question open, and Hislop AJA (at [216]; 512) preferred to express no opinion on it, as the case could be disposed of without resolving it.
51On appeal, in Doyle v Hall Chadwick [2007] NSWCA 159 the Court of Appeal disagreed with Rothman J's view in Hall Chadwick v Doyle [2006] NSWSC 1195 as to the limited powers of costs assessors. The costs assessor took a wider view and Hodgson JA (with whom Mason P and Campbell JA agreed) said (at [55]-[62]):
"JURISDICTION OF COSTS ASSESSOR
[55] Both parties submitted that a costs assessor does have jurisdiction to construe a costs agreement and determine its effect.
[56] In my opinion, s 208(3) of the 1987 Act makes it clear that this is so, at least where the assessment is between the lawyer and the client.
However, I do not entirely agree with either of the opposing views expressed in the Muriniti litigation, that is, the view of Davies AJ in Muriniti v. Lyons [2000] NSWSC 680 and that of Dunford J in Muriniti v. Lyons [2004] NSWSC 135.
...
[61] In my opinion, Davies AJ was correct to say that a costs assessor, assessing costs between a lawyer and client, can determine disputes as to the terms of the costs agreement, and Dunford J was wrong to say otherwise. However, where the existence of the terms of the agreement are in dispute in a way that would require the hearing of evidence to resolve, it may be appropriate for the costs assessor to decline to resolve the dispute; and in the Muriniti litigation, it would in my opinion have been open and reasonable for Davies AJ to have permitted the question to have been determined in the proceedings before him. As it turned out, the costs assessor did decline to resolve this question; and in my opinion, in those circumstances, the costs assessor should not have issued a certificate which could be converted into a judgment. That is, in a case where there is a real dispute on substantial grounds as to whether any costs are payable, a costs assessor should not complete an assessment by issuing a certificate unless satisfied that the costs are payable, because the certificate can be filed so as to take effect as a judgment.
[62] In my opinion, this approach is consistent with the views of the Court of Appeal in Graham v. Aluma-Lite Pty. Limited (NSWCA, unreported, 25/3/97) and Wentworth v. Rogers [1999] NSWCA 403. In so far as there is a divergence of opinion in Wentworth v. Rogers [2006] NSWCA 145 as to the power of a costs assessor, in assessing party and party costs, to determine the terms and effect of the costs agreement of the party against whom the costs are sought, it is not necessary to address that divergence of opinion in this case."
52This recent Court of Appeal decision supports a broader view of the costs assessor's remit ( see also Levy v Bergseng [2008] NSWSC 294; (2008) NSWLR 178). It is likely that the costs assessors had jurisdiction to consider whether a costs agreement was in existence.
53There is authority to support the view that a costs assessor can, and at least ordinarily should, determine disputes as to liability to pay costs, as an incident of determining whether the costs are "fair and reasonable".
54Fifthly, Mr Yohana asserts that any claim for recovery of the costs would have been barred in time. Taking Mr Yohana's claim at its highest, if the limitation period is six years from the date that the work was completed. As the bills were filed in October 2010 only a small portion of the work done in 2004 could be statute barred.
55It is my view all of the matters for which Mr Yohana argues that leave should be granted have little merit, if any. Further matters that I consider being relevant to the issue of whether leave should be granted is that the amount in dispute and the costs that have been incurred after the certificates issued. The total of the two assessments is about $58,161.17. Litigation has already taken place aimed towards having costs assessments set aside. I do not think incurring further court time and legal costs is necessary. Taking all these matter into account leave to appeal is refused.
56The result is that leave to extend time to appeal and leave to appeal is not granted in both proceedings. The amended summonses are dismissed.
57Costs are discretionary. Costs usually follow the event. The plaintiff is to pay the defendant's costs as agreed or assessed.