National Guide to Counsel Fees

W.G. Soden, Registrar 28 June 2013

Since 2003 the Federal Court has issued periodically guides to the amounts which may be applied by taxing officers of the Court nationally in making estimates or taxing (including provisionally) party and party costs under the relevant rules of the Court. Updates have adjusted for market and cost-of-living changes.

The use of the guide for this purpose was reinforced in the new procedures and requirements for preparation, estimation, provisional taxation and taxation of party and party bills of costs and the new scale of costs contained in the Federal Court Rules 2011 (see item 16.1 in Schedule 3 to those Rules).

On this webpage you will find the current guide which was issued on 28 June 2013 and took effect from 1 July 2013. You can also access the guides issued from 2003 to 2011 and a comparative table (rtf) showing the range of fees covered by the guides issued from 2003 to date.

  Junior Counsel Senior Counsel

Applications/Appeals:

Fee on Brief - Including: preparation at discretion of taxing officer and appearance on the first day of a hearing OR

$1,275-5,100

$2,100-7,650

Appearance at hearing (daily rate including conference)
$900-4,200
$2,060-6,400

Interlocutory Applications:

Interlocutory hearing

short (up to 2 hours)
long (2 hours plus)

 

 

$370-2,125
$690-4,140

 

 

$425-3,185
$850-6,400

Other:

Hourly rate for:

  • Directions hearing
  • Preparation time
  • Conferences (not occurring on day of hearing)
  • Settling applications, statements of claim, affidavits, defence, other documents
  • Opinions, advice on evidence
  • Written submissions (where not allowed above)
  • Attending to receive judgment (where appropriate)
  • Not otherwise provided for

 $265-530

 $425-740