Table M – Guide to fees for counsel in criminal trials
Table M – Guide to fees for counsel in criminal trials
Table M sets out the fees in criminal trials for the Trial Counsel Development Program and where Senior Counsel is briefed as trial counsel.
These fees are effective from 1 January 2018. For fees payable prior to this see Archived versions of the Handbook.
Senior Counsel
| Service/proceeding | County Court hours | Fee payable | Supreme Court hours | Fee payable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Post-committal negotiations | 3 | $1119 | 3 | $1119 |
| First directions hearing | 2 | $746 | 2 | $746 |
| Directions hearing/mention/callover | 1.25 | $466 | 1.25 | $466 |
| Defence response – first directions hearing | 2 | $746 | 2 | $746 |
| Application for discontinuance of proceedings | 2.5 | $932 | 2.5 | $932 |
| Plea fees | ||||
| Brief fee – first day (includes conferences) | n/a | $3413 | n/a | $3413 |
| Subsequent day | n/a | $1900 | n/a | $1900 |
| Sentence (if on a different day) | n/a | $562 | n/a | $562 |
| Special hearing | ||||
| Brief fee – first day (includes conferences) | n/a | $4183 | n/a | $4183 |
| Subsequent day | n/a | $2852 | n/a | $2852 |
| Sentence indication | ||||
| Brief fee (includes conferences) | n/a | $2662 | n/a | $3431 |
| Trial | ||||
| Defence response – final directions hearing | 2 | $746 | 2 | $746 |
| Brief fee – first day (includes conferences) | n/a | $5310 | n/a | $6060 |
| Brief fee – first day where 20% uplift applicable (includes conferences) | n/a | $6372 | n/a | $7272 |
| Subsequent day | n/a | $2852 | n/a | $2852 |
| Plea hearing | n/a | $2287 | n/a | $2287 |
| Plea hearing – subsequent days | n/a | $1900 | n/a | $1900 |
| Sentence (if on different day) | n/a | $562 | n/a | $562 |
| Conference with junior counsel (Trial Counsel Development Program only) | 3 | $1119 | 3 | $1119 |
Senior Junior Counsel
| Service/proceeding | County Court hours | Fee payable | Supreme Court hours | Fee payable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Post-committal negotiations | 3 | $612 | 3 | $837 |
| First directions hearing | 2 | $408 | 2 | $558 |
| Directions hearing/mention/callover | 1.25 | $255 | 1.25 | $348 |
| Defence response – first directions hearing | 2 | $408 | 2 | $558 |
| Application for discontinuance of proceedings | 2.5 | $510 | 2.5 | $697 |
| Plea fees | ||||
| Brief fee – first day (includes conferences) | n/a | $1557 | n/a | $2124 |
| Subsequent day | n/a | $544 | n/a | $852 |
| Sentence (if on a different day) | n/a | $305 | n/a | $419 |
| Special hearing | ||||
| Brief fee – first day (includes conferences) | n/a | $2121 | n/a | $2892 |
| Subsequent day | n/a | $1164 | n/a | $1864 |
| Sentence indication | ||||
| Brief fee (includes conferences) | $1146 | n/a | $1561 | |
| Trial | ||||
| Defence response – final directions hearing | 2 | $408 | 2 | $558 |
| Brief fee – first day (includes conferences) | n/a | $2531 | n/a | $4016 |
| Brief fee – first day where 20% uplift applicable (includes conferences) | n/a | $3037 | n/a | $4819 |
| Subsequent day | n/a | $1164 | n/a | $1864 |
| Plea hearing | n/a | $940 | n/a | $1281 |
| Plea hearing – subsequent days | n/a | $544 | n/a | $852 |
| Sentence (if on different day) | n/a | $305 | n/a | $419 |
| Conference with junior counsel (Trial Counsel Development Program only) | 3 | $612 | 3 | $837 |
Junior Counsel
| Service/proceeding | County Court hours | Fee payable | Supreme Court hours | Fee payable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Post-committal negotiations | 3 | $384 | 3 | $426 |
| First directions hearing | 2 | $256 | 2 | $284 |
| Directions hearing/mention/callover | 1.25 | $160 | 1.25 | $177 |
| Defence response – first directions hearing | 2 | $256 | 2 | $284 |
| Application for discontinuance of proceedings | 2.5 | $320 | 2.5 | $355 |
| Plea fees | ||||
| Brief fee – first day (includes conferences) | n/a | $923 | n/a | $1184 |
| Subsequent day | n/a | $428 | n/a | $626 |
| Sentence (if on a different day) | n/a | $305 | n/a | $419 |
| Special hearing | ||||
| Brief fee – first day (includes conferences) | n/a | $1061 | n/a | $1415 |
| Subsequent day | n/a | $642 | n/a | $927 |
| Sentence indication | ||||
| Brief fee (includes conferences) | n/a | $664 | n/a | $1271 |
| Trial | ||||
| Defence response – final directions hearing | 2 | $256 | 2 | $284 |
| Brief fee – first day (includes conferences) | n/a | $1192 | n/a | $2142 |
| Brief fee – first day where 20% uplift applicable (includes conferences) | n/a | $1430 | n/a | $2570 |
| Subsequent day | n/a | $642 | n/a | $927 |
| Plea hearing | n/a | $535 | n/a | $748 |
| Plea hearing – subsequent days | n/a | $428 | n/a | $626 |
| Sentence (if on different day) | n/a | $305 | n/a | $419 |
| Conference with senior/lead counsel (Trial Counsel Development Program only) | 3 | $384 | 3 | $426 |
Practitioners can claim these fees using ATLAS or submitting a tax invoice.