A point of dispute is a written notice made by a disagreeing party regarding law costs charged to him. After a case is concluded in court and billing is handed down to the respective parties, all items that are in question should have a written reason. Legal negotiators will be appointed the task of investigating and verifying the cost stated in the bill. Once the information is ready, it is given to the clients. This usually brings the party into a settlement agreement. However, if after the first evaluation is made and still the parties cannot agree on the costs, both can apply for an assessment hearing to settle their case. The court decision is made and both parties should abide by it.
Recently, the rules on points of dispute
have been revised to make sure that all law costs charged to clients are indeed relevant to the court proceedings. This is to avoid further billing disputes by making sure that all the expenses are stated clearly and concisely.
The quotations of other points of dispute and the referral to other known legal judgments are also discouraged. The new rule also specified that costs that are 75,000 or less will be taken by the court for assessment and limit the cost to 1500. Any objections as to the assessment can be brought to an oral hearing, if the dissenting party wins and have at least 20% adjustment in the original billing, they will be exempted to pay the cost of the oral hearing.
The changes implemented can cause a negative effect for solicitors since the new rule has put a limit as to the cost they can charge to their clients. But this is surely for the benefit of the customers. Ensuring the transparency of every court related expense can put anyone at ease in paying their legal fees.
Law Costs Draftsmen 