Practice Direction No. 27

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Costs in Estate Matters

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The Judges are concerned at the relatively high costs which are being run up in litigation involving estates, particularly where there are a number of separately represented parties.  In the past the Court has often as a matter of course tended to allow costs as between solicitor and client on the full Supreme Court scale to all parties out of the estate.  Practitioners are reminded that the Court will exercise its general discretion as to costs under Rule 101.01 as appropriate in the circumstances of a particular case, but having particular regard to:

 

1.      ordering costs against parties who have not succeeded;

 

2.      ordering costs in the light of whatever offers have been made under Rules 40 and 41;

 

3.      not giving full costs to separately represented parties where they could have properly been jointly represented;

 

4.      awarding less than full costs where the amount in issue is relatively small.

 

 

DATED the 1st day of November, 1993.

 

 

                                                                            (David Royle)

                                                                            REGISTRAR

 

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