Wentworth v Rogers [2002] NSWSC 709

New South Wales Supreme Court

CITATION : Wentworth v Rogers [2002] NSWSC 709 CURRENT JURISDICTION: Common Law Division FILE NUMBER(S) : SC 13494/01; 13492/01 HEARING DATE(S) : 01/08/02 JUDGMENT DATE : 15 August 2002

Katherine Wentworth - First Plaintiff PARTIES : Salvatore Russo - Second Plaintiff Gordon John Rogers - Defendant JUDGMENT OF : Barrett J

LOWER COURT Costs assessment JURISDICTION : LOWER COURT 91247/00; 91248/00 FILE NUMBER(S) : LOWER COURT Mr I F Dwyer JUDICIAL OFFICER :

First Plaintiff in person COUNSEL : Mr D P F Officer QC/Ms V Culkoff - Second Plaintiff Mr P J Beazley, Solicitor - Defendant First Plaintiff in person SOLICITORS : Russo & Partners - Second Plaintiff Beazley Singleton - Defendant CATCHWORDS : PROCEDURE - costs - assessment of costs by costs assessor - appeal against assessment - PROFESSIONS AND TRADES - legal practitioners - basis of retainer - "pro bono" - "no win/no pay" - right to be paid by client - estoppel - quantum meruit - APPEAL AND NEW TRIAL - nature of appeal by "new hearing" - alternative avenue of review by specialist panel - criteria for leave to appeal LEGISLATION CITED : Legal Profession Act 1987 Legal Profession Regulation 1994 ABB Power Generation Ltd v Chapple (2001) 25 WAR 158 Adam P Brown Male Fashion Pty Ltd v Phillip Morris Inc (1981) 148 CLR 170 Adamson v Williams [2001] QCA 38 Atlas v Kalyk [2001] NSWCA 10 Barendse v Comptroller General of Customs (1996) 136 FLR 243 Builders Licensing Board v Sperway Constructions (Syd) Pty Ltd [1975] NSWLR 174 Busuttil v Holder (unreported, NSWSC, 6August 1996) Cachia v Hanes (1993) 179 CLR 403 Casaceli v Morgan Lewis Alter [2001] NSWSC 211 Chapmans Ltd v Yandell [1999] NSWCA 361 Coal & Allied Operations Pty Ltd v Australian Industrial Relations Commission (2000) 203 CLR 194 Commonwealth Bank of Australia v Hattersley (2001) 51 NSWLR 333 Croker v Commissioner of Taxation [2001] NSWSC 188 Firth v Kasumovic [2001] NSWSC 341 Flett v Deniliquin Publishing Co Ltd [1964-65] NSWR 383 A Goninan & Co Ltd v Gill (2001) 51 NSWLR 441 CASES CITED : Graham v Aluma-Lite Pty Ltd (unreported, NSWCA, 25 March 1997) Grynberg v Muller; Re Estate of Bilfeld [2002] NSWSC 530 Guss v Veenhuissen (No 2) (1976) 136 CLR 47 Harris v Caladine (1991) 172 CLR 84 Howard v Mechter [2000] NSWSC 455 Kioussis v M D Nikolaidis & Co [2001] NSWSC 353 McCullum v Ifield [1969] NSWR 328 NSW Breeding & Racing Stables Pty Ltd v Administrative Appeals Tribunal (2001) 53 NSWLR 559 Pavey & Matthews Pty Ltd v Paul (1987) 162 CLR 221 Phillips v Commonwealth (1964) 110 CLR 347 Phillips v Ellison Brothers Pty Ltd (1941) 65 CLR 221 Reynolds v Whittens [2002] NSWSC 155 Schokker v Commissioner of Taxation [2000] FCA 1734 Thurai Rajah v Villanueva [2001] NSWSC 597 Turnbull v New South Wales Medical Board [1976] 2 NSWLR 281 Wentworth v Rogers [1999] NSWCA 403 Re Wilson [1978] VR 147 DECISION : Leave to appeal against determinations of costs assessor refused