Beau Timothy John Hartnett trading as Hartnett Lawyers v Anthony Robert Bell as Executor of the Estate of the late Mabel Dawn Deakin-Bell [2023] NSWCA 244

Court of Appeal Supreme Court New South Wales Medium Neutral Citation: Beau Timothy John Hartnett trading as Hartnett Lawyers v Anthony Robert Bell as Executor of the Estate of the late Mabel Dawn Deakin-Bell [2023] NSWCA 244 Hearing dates: 7-8 March 2023 Date of orders: 12 October 2023 Decision date: 12 October 2023 Before: Bell CJ at [1]; Adamson JA at [165]; Griffiths AJA at [182] Decision: Appeal dismissed with costs Catchwords: COURTS AND JUDGES — Supreme Court — Inherent jurisdiction — where solicitor acting for mortgagee has engaged in exorbitant overcharging — where mortgage provides for recovery by mortgagee of all costs expended pursuant to the mortgage on an indemnity basis — whether Court can order solicitor to pay moneys, to the extent of the exorbitant overcharging, to mortgagor pursuant to inherent jurisdiction to control charges and fees of officers of the Court — general consideration of extent of inherent jurisdiction COSTS — Inherent jurisdiction — where costs have previously been assessed as between mortgagee and mortgagor — whether Court adopted costs assessment in its inherent jurisdiction to require solicitor for mortgagee to pay money representing exorbitant charges to mortgagor OCCUPATIONS — Legal practitioners — Solicitors — Costs agreement — where costs agreement between solicitor and mortgagee — whether inherent jurisdiction extends to requiring solicitor for mortgagee to pay money exorbitantly overcharged to mortgagee to mortgagor Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) ss 56-60 Legal Profession Act 2007 (Qld) ss 300, 308, 313, 315, 316, 317, 323, 324, 335 Legal Profession Uniform Law 2014 (NSW) s 264 Legal Profession Uniform Law Application Act 2014 (NSW) Sch 2 cl 6.1 Supreme Court Act 1970 (NSW) s 23 Uniform Civil Procedure Rules 2005 (NSW) r 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) 105 NSWLR 542; [2021] NSWCA 201 Batistatos v Roads and Traffic Authority of New South Wales (2006) 226 CLR 256; [2006] HCA 27 Bell v Hartnett [2022] NSWCA 42 Bell v Hartnett Lawyers [2021] NSWSC 202 Bell v Hartnett Lawyers (No 2) [2021] NSWSC 1270 Berger v Council of the Law Society of New South Wales [2019] NSWCA 119 Blatch v Archer (1774) 1 Cowp 63 British Railways Board v Herrington [1972] AC 877 Clare v Joseph [1907] 2 KB 369 Commonwealth Bank of Australia v Pascoe and Scott as trustees of the estate of Usha Wati Charan [2018] NSWSC 1332 Commonwealth Trading Bank of Australia v Inglis (1974) 131 CLR 311; [1974] HCA 17 Coroneo v Australian Provincial Assurance Association Ltd (1935) 35 SR (NSW) 391 Council of New South Wales Bar Association v Siggins [2021] NSWCA 40 Council of the Queensland Law Society Inc v Roche [2004] 2 Qd R 574; [2003] QCA 469 CSR Limited v Cigna Insurance Australia Ltd (1997) 189 CLR 345; [1997] HCA 33 Cullen v Welsbach Light Co of Australasia Ltd (1907) 4 CLR 990; [1907] HCA 3 Deakin-Bell v NSW Trustee and Guardian [2016] NSWSC 540 Doyle v The Commonwealth (1985) 156 CLR 510; [1985] HCA 46 Dupal v The Law Society of New South Wales [1990] NSWCA 56 Dwyer v National Companies & Securities Commission (1988) 15 NSWLR 285 Elder's Trustee & Executor Co Ltd v Eagle Star Nominees Ltd (1986) 4 BPR 9205 Electrical Trades Union v Tarlo [1964] 1 Ch 720 Ellor v Selfridge and Co (1930) 46 TLR 236 Equuscorp Pty Ltd v Haxton (2012) 246 CLR 498; [2012] HCA 7 Ex parte Farren; Re Austin (1960) 77 WN (NSW) 743 Gomba Holdings (UK) Ltd v Minories Finance Ltd (No. 2) [1993] Ch 171 Hamilton v Oades (1989) 166 CLR 486; [1989] HCA 21 Hamod v State of New South Wales [2011] NSWCA 375 Harrison v Schipp (2002) 54 NSWLR 738; [2002] NSWCA 213 Harrison v Tew [1990] 2 AC 523; [1990] 1 All ER 321 House v The King (1936) 55 CLR 499; [1936] HCA 40 Insurance Commissioner v Joyce (1948) 77 CLR 39; [1948] HCA 17 John Alexander's Clubs Pty Ltd v White City Tennis Club Ltd; Walker Corporation Pty Ltd v White City Tennis Club Ltd (2010) 241 CLR 1; [2010] HCA 19 Kelly v Willmott Forests Ltd (in liquidation) (No 4) [2016] FCA 323; (2016) 335 ALR 439 Kowalski v Cole [2017] SASCFC 23 Kyabram Property Investments Pty Ltd v Murray [2005] NSWCA 87 Landsal Pty Ltd (in liq) v REI Building Society (1993) 41 FCR 421; [1993] FCA 171 Malouf v Constantinou [2017] NSWSC 923 McGuirk v University of New South Wales [2010] NSWCA 104 Micarone v Perpetual Trustees Australia Ltd (No 2) [1999] SASC 533 Moore & Anor v Assignment Courier Ltd [1977] 2 All ER 842 Myers v Elman [1940] AC 282 New South Wales Bar Association v Cummins (2001) 52 NSWLR 279; [2001] NSWCA 284 News Ltd v Australian Rugby Football League Ltd (1996) 64 FCR 410; [1996] FCA 870 NHB Enterprises Pty Ltd v Corry (No 5) [2020] NSWSC 1838 Pegang Mining Company Limited v Choong Sam [1969] 2 MLJ 52 Pryles & Defteros (a firm) v Green [1999] 20 WAR 541; [1999] WASC 34 R v Carroll (2002) 213 CLR 635; [2002] HCA 55 Rajah Kishendatt Ram v Rajah Mumtaz Ali Khan (1879) LR 6 Ind App 145 Re Felicity; FM v Secretary, Department of Family and Community Services (No 4) [2015] NSWCA 19 Re Jabe; Kennedy v Schwarcz [2021] VSC 106 Re Veron; Ex parte Law Society of New South Wales [1966] 1 NSWR 511 Reid v Howard (1995) 184 CLR 1; [1995] HCA 40 Scroope v Legal Services Commissioner [2013] NSWCA 178 State of Victoria v Sutton (1998) 195 CLR 291; [1998] HCA 56 Storer & Co v Johnson (1890) 15 App Cas 203 Taylor v Attorney-General [1975] 2 NZLR 675 The Siskina [1979] AC 210 Tringali v Stewardson Stubbs & Collett Ltd (1966) 66 SR (NSW) 335; [1966] 1 NSWR 354 Weld-Blundell v Synott [1940] 2 KB 107 Whyked Pty Limited v Yahoo!7 Pty Limited [2008] NSWSC 477 Woolf v Snipe (1933) 48 CLR 677; [1933] HCA 5 Texts Cited: GE Dal Pont, Law of Costs (5th ed, 2021, LexisNexis) IH Jacob, "The Inherent Jurisdiction of the Court" (1970) 23 Current Legal Problems 23 Keith Mason, "The Inherent Jurisdiction of the Court" (1983) 57(8) Australian Law Journal 449 Category: Principal judgment Parties: Proceedings 2022/299298: