Bechara trading as Bechara and Company v Bates [2016] NSWCA 294

Court of Appeal Supreme Court New South Wales Medium Neutral Citation: Bechara trading as Bechara and Company v Bates [2016] NSWCA 294 Hearing dates: 27 May 2016 and subsequently on the papers Date of orders: 01 November 2016 Decision date: 01 November 2016 Before: Beazley P; Meagher JA; Payne JA Decision: The lump-sum costs order payable by the applicant to the respondent in the sum of $12,000 pursuant to s 98 of the Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) be payable by the applicant within 28 days. Catchwords: COSTS – Chorley exception – respondent barrister – respondent instructed solicitors and appeared for himself as counsel – respondent made application for gross sum costs order in respect of a) solicitors' costs and disbursements excluding counsel's fees and b) counsel's fees for professional work performed by respondent himself – whether definition of "costs" contained in s 3 of the Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) does away with Chorley exception – whether Chorley exception applies to self-represented barrister Legislation Cited: Civil Procedure Act 2005 (NSW) ss 3, 98 Evidence Act 2005 (NSW) s 91 Judiciary Act 1903 (Cth) s 26 Legal Profession Act 2004 (NSW) ss 4, 364 Legal Profession Uniform Law (NSW) ss 6, 172, 178 Legal Profession Uniform Law Application Act 2014 (NSW) Part 7 Div 3 Supreme Court Act 1970 (NSW) Cases Cited: Ada Evans Chambers P/L v Santisi [2014] NSWSC 538 Atlas v Kalyk [2001] NSWCA 10 Auspine Ltd v Australian Newsprint Mills Ltd (1999) 93 FCR 1; [1999] FCA 673 Beach Petroleum NL v Johnson (No 2) (1995) 57 FCR 119 Bechara v Bates (No 4) [2015] NSWSC 1722 Beling v Sixty International SA (2015) 228 FCR 194; [2015] FCA 250 Cachia v Hanes (1994) 179 CLR 403 Dobree v Hoffman (1996) 18 WAR 36 Guss v Veenhuizen (1976) 136 CLR 34 Hamod v New South Wales [2011] NSWCA 375 Harrison v Schipp (2002) 54 NSWLR 738; [2002] NSWCA 213 Khera v Jones [2006] NSWCA 85 London Scottish Benefit Society v Chorley, Crawford and Chester (1884) 13 QBD 872 McIlraith v Ilkin (Costs) [2007] NSWSC 1052 Murphy v Legal Services Commissioner (No 2) [2013] QSC 253 Penson v Titan National Pty Ltd (No 3) [2015] NSWCA 121 Project Blue Sky Inc v Australian Broadcasting Authority (1998) 194 CLR 355 Wang v Farkas (2014) 85 NSWLR 390; [2014] NSWCA 29 Wilkie v Brown [2016] NSWCA 128 Winn v Garland Hawthorn Brahe (No 1) [2007] VSC 360 Category: Costs Parties: Maria Bechara trading as Bechara and Company (Applicant) Philip Bates (Respondent) Representation: Counsel: No appearance for the applicant Respondent appeared for himself as counsel