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Supreme Court of New South Wales
Costs assessment
Relevant legal profession legislation
The (NSW) Costs Assessment Scheme is set up under (NSW) legal profession legislation. Costs Assessment quantifies amounts under costs orders made by (NSW) courts and tribunals and determines fair and reasonable costs between clients and their lawyers in light of any costs agreements and relevant requirements of legal profession legislation.
Legal Profession Uniform Law
Legal Profession Uniform Law applies to:
Practitioner, client and third party costs assessments applications - where client first instructed the Law Practice BEFORE 1 July 2015 (see transitional provision in Legal Profession Uniform Law (NSW) No 16a 2014 - Schedule 4 Clause 18)
Party Party Costs assessments (quantifying costs pursuant to an order of court or tribunal) - where the substantive proceedings in which the costs orders were made commenced BEFORE 1 July 2015 (see transitional provision in Legal Profession Uniform Law Application Regulation 2015 - Regulation 59)
The Legal Profession Act 2004
Legal Profession Uniform Law applies to:
Practitioner, client and third party costs assessments applications - where client first instructed the Law Practice BEFORE 1 July 2015 (see transitional provision in Legal Profession Uniform Law (NSW) No 16a 2014 - Schedule 4 Clause 18)
Party Party Costs assessments (quantifying costs pursuant to an order of court or tribunal) - where the substantive proceedings in which the costs orders were made commenced BEFORE 1 July 2015 (see transitional provision in Legal Profession Uniform Law Application Regulation 2015 - Regulation 59)
Costs assessors are shown in the list of Current Costs Assessors and the members of the Costs Assessor Rules Committee (PDF, 228.9 KB) (CARC).
All Costs Assessment Scheme applications are determined on the papers under the applicable legal profession legislation.
The Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (UCPR) and other rules of court, do not apply to the administration of the costs assessment scheme.
The Manager, Costs Assessment exercises the duties, obligations and functions conferred on the position under the Legal Profession Uniform Law, the Legal Profession Uniform Law Application Act 2014, Legal Profession Act 2004 and the Legal Profession Act 1987 as well as the associated Regulations.
The Costs Assessment Scheme does not have jurisdiction to deal with costs orders made by Commonwealth courts (i.e., High Court, Federal Court, Family Court, Federal Circuit Court). Costs orders made by these courts are quantified under their Court Rules. The (NSW) Costs Assessment Scheme also does not have jurisdiction to deal with Client or Practitioner applications involving Family Court matters where the instructions were given to the legal practice on or before 30 June 2008.
Information alert
Costs Assessment process is not a court proceeding in the Supreme Court and Costs Assessors when acting as assessors are not officers of the Supreme Court.
Information alert
Contact the Costs Assessment Section
If you have an enquiry concerning the costs assessment process or a costs assessment application, then contact the Manager Costs Assessment via:
Post: GPO Box 3, Sydney 2001
Phone: 1300 679 272
Last updated:
06 May 2024
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