Legal Profession (Magistrates Court) (Criminal) Determination 2018 (WA)
21 June 2018 GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, WA 2159 LEGAL PROFESSION ACT 2008 LEGAL PROFESSION (MAGISTRATES COURT)
(CRIMINAL) REPORT 2018
Made by the Legal Costs Committee under Division 5 of Part 10 of the Legal Profession Act 2008
(Act).
PART 1—PRELIMINARY
1. Citation
(a) This Report may be cited as the Legal Profession (Magistrates Court) (Criminal) Report 2018.
(b)
The Determination set out in the Schedule to this Report is referred to in this Report as the Legal Profession (Magistrates Court) (Criminal) Determination 2018.
PART 2—NOTICE AND INQUIRIES
2. Notice under section 278 of the Act
The Legal Costs Committee has complied with the notice provisions of section 278 of the Act.
3. Inquiries and submissions under section 277 of the Act
Before making the Legal Profession (Magistrates Court) (Criminal) Determination 2018 the Legal
Costs Committee—
(a) reviewed all submissions received as a result of the notice given under section 278 of the Act; (b)
considered the impact of changes in relevant Australian Bureau of Statistics data for the period;
(c)
reviewed the Legal Practitioners (Magistrates Court) (Criminal Jurisdiction) Determination 20161; and
(d) had regard to relevant provisions of the Magistrates Court Act 2004.
PART 3—REPORT OF LEGAL COSTS COMMITTEE'S CONCLUSIONS
4. Maximum hourly and daily rates changed—scale of costs amended
(a)
The Legal Costs Committee notes that the criminal jurisdiction of the Magistrates Court covers a wide range of summary criminal matters.
(b)
The Legal Costs Committee considers that as a consequence of the position stated in subclause 4(a), it is appropriate for a general scale of fees based on hourly rates to continue to apply to the time reasonably taken to perform the services provided by a law practice in, or for the purposes of contentious business in the criminal jurisdiction of the Magistrates Court.
1 Published in Gazette 24 June 2016. (c) it is the recommendation of the Legal Costs Committee that—
(1) as a result of the inquiries and submissions described in clause 3;
(2) having considered the impact of relevant Australian Bureau of Statistics data;
(3) having considered submissions from The Law Society of Western Australia; and(4) taking into account the incidental administrative implications of the calculation of the
Goods and Services Tax,
the appropriate hourly rates referred to in subclause 4(b) be varied from the hourly and daily rates used in the Legal Practitioners (Magistrates Court) (Criminal) Determination 2016. Those rates are set out in Table A of the Legal Profession (Magistrates Court) (Criminal) Determination 2018.
(d)
it is the recommendation of the Legal Costs Committee that the hourly rates charged by law practices under the Legal Profession (Magistrates Court) (Civil) Determination 2018 should be adopted as the basis for costs for the supply of legal services covered under the Legal Profession (Magistrates Court) (Criminal) Determination 2018.
(e)
It is further recommended that Table B of the Legal Profession (Magistrates Court) (Criminal) Determination 2018 be adopted as the basis for costs for the supply of those legal services itemised in that Table.
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| (f) | The recommendations of the Legal Costs Committee are not intended to override any entitlement of a law practice to make a written agreement as to costs with a client under the Act or any successor legislation. |
CLARE THOMPSON, Chair.
ANGELA GAFFNEY, Member.
MARCUS COCKER, Member.
JANICE DUDLEY, Member.
MATTHEW CURWOOD, Member.
BRENDAN ASHDOWN, Member.
Schedule
LEGAL PROFESSION ACT 2008
LEGAL PROFESSION (MAGISTRATES COURT) (CRIMINAL) DETERMINATION 2018
Made by the Legal Costs Committee under section 275 of the Legal Profession Act 2008 (Act).
1. Citation
This Determination may be cited as the Legal Profession (Magistrates Court) (Criminal)
Determination 2018.
2. Commencement
This Determination comes into operation on 1 July 2018.
3. Application
|
in respect of advice given by legal practitioners in or for the purposes of criminal proceedings
in the Magistrates Court.
| (b) | This Determination does not apply to the remuneration of legal practitioners based on costs |
incurred in respect of work carried out before the commencement of this Determination.
4. Travel
|
(1) a practitioner walking from their usual place of business to a court; (2) a practitioner walking from a carpark to a court; or (3) a practitioner walking or taking public transport from one centrally located court to another centrally located court.
| (b) | As between a law practice and its own client, time spent travelling other than minor travel, is to be charged at no more than one half of the rates set out in Table A, with a maximum of 8 hours in any one day. |
| (c) | In making its decision in this Determination, the Legal Costs Committee has taken note of the Law Society of Western Australia's Standard Costs Agreement, which contains a |
| |
| (d) | The Legal Costs Committee has also considered an informal policy of the Legal Profession Complaints Committee that travel should not ordinarily be charged at a rate of more than 50% of a law practice's normal hourly charge-out rate. |
| (e) | Whilst the Legal Costs Committee recognises that during a travel period a law practice may not necessarily utilise legal skill and knowledge, there is a recognition of a loss of opportunity for the time spent travelling. |
(f) The Legal Costs Committee notes that, having regard to the above—
(1) it is the responsibility of a law practice to allocate the cost of time spent on travel fairly and reasonably where the travel is necessary to service more than one client on the day
of travel; and(2) whilst nothing contained in this Determination prevents a law practice from charging time spent on a client matter or client matters in the course of travel (air travel by way of example), the law practice is not entitled to charge a client or clients for both time spent on a client matter (regardless of whether that time relates to the client for whom the travel is being undertaken) and the amount for travel allowed in this Determination.
5. Restricted Practitioner category
The amendments brought in by the Legal Profession (Magistrates Court) (Criminal) Determination
2016 remain in effect. Clause 5(e) of that Determination ceases to have effect with the introduction of
this Determination.
21 June 2018 GOVERNMENT GAZETTE, WA 2161 6. Maximum hourly and daily rates
(a)
The hourly rates set out in Table A below are the maximum hourly rates, inclusive of GST, which the Legal Costs Committee determines shall be used to calculate the remuneration of law practices in respect of time reasonably taken to perform services in or for the purposes of work undertaken by law practices in respect of criminal proceedings before the Magistrates Court.
(b)
The Rates referred to in paragraph (a) were ascertained in the manner set out in clause 4 of the Legal Profession (Magistrates Court) (Criminal) Report 2018.
(c)
The daily rates set out in Table B below are intended to cover all work done on a hearing or trial day whether in or out of court including preparation of written submissions and are not intended to be supplemented in any way by additional hourly charges given that the maximum number of hours allowed for the daily rate is 10 hours per day.
(d)
The items in Table B are not intended to be calculated on the basis of a minimum 6 minute unit.
Table A
Maximum allowed
Fee Earner hourly rates
Senior Practitioner ° (permitted to practise on his or her own $418 account for 5 years or more) (SP) a Junior Practitioner 0 (permitted to practise on his or her own $319 account for less than 5 years) (JP)
Restricted Practitioner (RP) #, °$231 Clerk/Paralegal (C/PL) ##
Counsel fees charged as a disbursement to law practices or
charged by in-house Counsel
Counsel*$154
hourly rate
daily rate$341 $3,410
Senior Counsel**
hourly rate $539 daily rate $5,390
The reference to Restricted Practitioner, Junior Practitioner or Senior Practitioner in this Determination includes all legal practitioners even if the services were rendered in another State or Territory. Where a local practitioner has held an interstate practising certificate, the length of unrestricted legal practice in that other jurisdiction is to be counted in assessing that practitioner's years of practice for the purposes of this Determination.
#
The reference to Restricted Practitioner in this Determination includes practitioners undertaking restricted legal practice for the purposes of obtaining the required experience set Out in section 50 of the Act and does not include a reference to an Australian legal practitioner who has a condition placed on their practising certificate by the Legal Practice Board, State Administrative Tribunal or otherwise, requiring them to practise under supervision for disciplinary, medical or other reasons.
The reference to Clerk/Paralegal in this Determination includes a law graduate prior to their admission to practise as an Australian lawyer.
* The reference to Counsel in this Determination means a practitioner acting as a barrister other than a Senior Counsel and includes a practitioner appearing in court who does not practise in accordance
with Supreme Court Practice Direction 10.5. ** The reference to Senior Counsel in this Determination means a person within the meaning of item
11 or item 12 of Regulation 5(2) of the Legal Profession Regulations 2009 (WA).
7. Costs
(a)
Subject to the provisions of the Act permitting a law practice to make a written agreement as to costs with a client, the costs of or in relation to a prosecution of an accused (inclusive of GST and counsel fees, but exclusive of other disbursements)—
(1) recoverable by one party from another party; or
(2) payable by a party to that party's own law practice, shall not exceed the amounts set out in Table B.
(b)
Each item of the Scale of Costs specifies a dollar amount. The purpose is to indicate the maximum amount for the work indicated in the item, but on assessment, less might be allowed. In no respect is the Scale to be seen as providing a minimum charge for any work. The reason for stating the number of hours estimated to be necessary to perform each of the items of work described in the Scale is to provide guidance to the Assessing Officer when dealing with the question of costs so that the Assessing Officer has some idea how much time is reasonably necessary to perform the work in most cases.
(c)
Work undertaken by Senior Counsel shall be allowable in accordance with the rates in the Table A of this Determination.
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Table B
Magistrates Court Criminal Scale of Costs 2018
| Item | Time | $ |
| 1. (a) | Subject to paragraphs (b) and (c), allow | 1 hour | 418 |
| for one adjournment only |
(b) Costs for additional adjournments to be awarded on application to, and at the
discretion of, the presiding Magistrate(c)
Each Court ordered adjournment 1 hour 418
| 2. (a) | Preparation | for, | and | appearance | at, | 3.5 hours | 1,463 |
initial bail application and/or application for bail in respect of serious offences set out in the Bail Act 1982 (WA)
(b) Preparation for, and appearance at, 1.5 hours 627 application to vary bail conditions
| 3. | Directions hearing, including preparation | 4 hours | 1,672 |
| 4. (a) | Preparation of case and half day trial, | 7,744 |
| including counsel fee |
(b) Second half day 858
| 5. | Second and each successive day of trial | 3,410 |
| 6. | Allowance for preparation where the trial does | An amount which is |
| not proceed or the prosecution offers no evidence | reasonable in the |
circumstances
| 7. | Counsel fee for attending court for remand | 3 hours | 1,023 |
| appearance, directions hearing, status conference, mention, callover, reserved decision or other appearance not otherwise accounted for |
| 8. (a) | Short | Plea | in | mitigation, | including | 649 |
preparation (plea of up to 30 minutes)
(b) Long Plea in mitigation, including 1,958 preparation (plea in excess of 30 minutes)
| 9. | Copies where reasonably necessary, including | per page | 0.165 |
| documents for which allowance is otherwise made in this Determination |
Made by the Legal Costs Committee on 13 June 2018.
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