Bell v Hartnett Lawyers (No 3) [2022] NSWSC 1204

Supreme Court New South Wales

Medium Neutral Citation: Bell v Hartnett Lawyers (No 3) [2022] NSWSC 1204 Hearing dates: 24 – 25 August 2022, further written submissions 29 August 2022 Decision date: 08 September 2022 Jurisdiction: Equity Before: Peden J Decision: 1. In the Possession Proceedings (2014/354291): a. The Court notes the Certificate of Costs Assessment dated 24 May 2016, quantifying costs for the purposes of Davies J's Order 5.2 up to 12 February 2018 is $37,345.50. b. Order that the money in the sum of $33,792.46 held in Court be released to Mr Bell forthwith. 2. In the Equity Proceedings (2020/254590): a. Order that the defendant pay to the plaintiff: i. the sum of $251,255.53; and ii. interest on that sum in Order (2)(a)(ii) in the amount of $50,489.98; and iii. interest on the sum of $33,792.46 in the amount of $9610.96. 3. Order that the defendant pay Mr Bell's costs on an indemnity basis. Catchwords: LEGAL PRACTITIONERS — Supervisory jurisdiction — Officers of the court — Jurisdiction in relation to solicitor's charges — Where solicitor charged mortgagee client exorbitantly and was paid fees from proceeds of sale of mortgaged property — Inherent jurisdiction enlivened to regulate solicitor's charges and require solicitor to pay fixed sum to mortgagor Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) ss 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 98 Legal Profession Act 2004 (NSW) ss 335, 350, 358 Legal Profession Act 2007 (Qld) ss 300, 323, 335 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW) rr 7.10, 42.25 Cases Cited: Adams v Bank of New South Wales (1984) 1 NSWLR 285 Atanaskovic & Ors v Birketu Pty Ltd – Supervisory Jurisdiction [2020] NSWSC 573 Atanaskovic Hartnell v Birketu Pty Ltd [2021] NSWCA 201 Australia and New Zealand Banking Group Ltd v Mishra [2012] NSWSC 1333 Bell v Hartnett [2022] NSWCA 42 Bell v Hartnett Lawyers (No 2) [2021] NSWSC 1270 Bell v Hartnett Lawyers [2021] NSWSC 202 Chan v Eastern Blue Pty Ltd [2021] VSCA 121 Coroneo v Australian Provincial Assurance Association Ltd (1935) 35 SR (NSW) 391 Damm v Coastwide Site Services Pty Ltd [2017] NSWSC 1361 Deakin-Bell v NSW Trustee and Guardian [2016] NSWSC 540 Elder's Trustee & Executor Co Ltd v Eagle Star Nominees Ltd (1986) 4 BPR 9205 Electrical Trades Union v Tarlo [1964] 2 WLR 1041 Equuscorp Pty Ltd v Haxton (2012) 246 CLR 498 GA Atkins & Ors v Probuild Constructions (Aust) Pty Ltd (2020) 148 ACSR 111 Halsted v Official Trustee in Bankruptcy (No 2) [2012] FCA 66 Harrison v Tew [1990] 1 All ER 321 Kowalski v Cole [2017] SASCFC 23 Law Society of New South Wales v Foreman (1994) 34 NSWLR 408 Liberty Funding Pty Ltd v Steele-Smith [2004] NSWSC 1100 Malouf v Constantinou [2017] NSWSC 923 Micarone v Perpetual Trustees Australia Ltd (No 2) [1999] SASC 533 New South Wales Crime Commission v Fleming (1991) 24 NSWLR 116 Overton Investments Pty Ltd v Cuzeno RVM Pty Ltd [2003] NSWCA 27 Parramatta River Lodge Pty Ltd v Sunman (1991) 5 BPR 12,038 Rajah Kishendatt Ram v Rajah Mumtaz Ali Khan (1879) LR 6 Ind App 145 Re Solicitor's Bill of Costs; Re Shanahan (1941) 58 WN (NSW) 132 Woolf v Snipe (1933) 48 CLR 677 Texts Cited: K Mason, J W Carter & G J Tolhurst, Mason and Carter's Restitution in Australia (3rd edition, 2016, LexisNexis) Category: Principal judgment Parties: 2014/354291 Gwendoline Rosemary Deakin-Bell (Plaintiff) Anthony Robert Bell as legal personal representative of the Estate of Mabel Dawn Deakin-Bell (Defendant)