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 this year. For fees payable prior to this see Archived versions of the Handbook.
Senior Counsel
Post com mittal
| Service/proceeding | County Court hours | Fee payable | Supreme Court hours | Fee payable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Post-committal negotiations | 3 | $1308 | 3 | $1308 |
| First directions hearing | 2 | $872 | 2 | $872 |
| Directions hearing/mention/callover | 1.25 | $545 | 1.25 | $545 |
| Defence response – first directions hearing | 2 | $872 | 2 | $872 |
| Application for discontinuance of proceedings | 2.5 | $1090 | 2.5 | $1090 |
Plea fees
| Service/proceeding | County Court hours | Fee payable | Supreme Court hours | Fee payable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brief fee – first day (includes conferences) | n/a | $4025 | n/a | $4025 |
| Subsequent day | n/a | $2240 | n/a | $2240 |
| Sentence (if on a different day) | n/a | $661 | n/a | $661 |
Special hearing
| Service/proceeding | County Court hours | Fee payable | Supreme Court hours | Fee payable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brief fee – first day (includes conferences) | n/a | $4934 | n/a | $4934 |
| Subsequent day | n/a | $3364 | n/a | $3364 |
Sentence indication
| Service/proceeding | County Court hours | Fee payable | Supreme Court hours | Fee payable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brief fee (includes conferences) | n/a | $3138 | n/a | $3138 |
Trial
| Service/proceeding | County Court hours | Fee payable | Supreme Court hours | Fee payable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defence response – final directions hearing | 2 | $872 | 2 | $872 |
| Brief fee – first day (includes conferences) | n/a | $6264 | n/a | $7149 |
| Brief fee – first day where 20% uplift applicable (includes conferences) | n/a | $7516 | n/a | $8578 |
| Subsequent day | n/a | $3364 | n/a | $3364 |
| Plea hearing | n/a | $2694 | n/a | $2694 |
| Plea hearing – subsequent days | n/a | $2240 | n/a | $2240 |
| Sentence (if on different day) | n/a | $661 | n/a | $661 |
| Conference with junior counsel (Trial Counsel Development Program only) | 3 | $1308 | 3 | $1308 |
Senior Junior Counsel
Post committal
| Service/proceeding | County Court hours | Fee payable | Supreme Court hours | Fee payable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Post-committal negotiations | 3 | $714 | 3 | $978 |
| First directions hearing | 2 | $476 | 2 | $652 |
| Directions hearing/mention/callover | 1.25 | $297 | 1.25 | $407 |
| Defence response – first directions hearing | 2 | $476 | 2 | $652 |
| Application for discontinuance of proceedings | 2.5 | $595 | 2.5 | $815 |
Plea fees
| Service/proceeding | County Court hours | Fee payable | Supreme Court hours | Fee payable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brief fee – first day (includes conferences) | n/a | $1834 | n/a | $2504 |
| Subsequent day | n/a | $638 | n/a | $1002 |
| Sentence (if on a different day) | n/a | $356 | n/a | $491 |
Special hearing
| Service/proceeding | County Court hours | Fee payable | Supreme Court hours | Fee payable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brief fee – first day (includes conferences) | n/a | $2501 | n/a | $3410 |
| Subsequent day | n/a | $1370 | n/a | $2197 |
Sentence indication
| Service/proceeding | County Court hours | Fee payable | Supreme Court hours | Fee payable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brief fee (includes conferences) | n/a | $1350 | n/a | $1838 |
Trial
| Service/proceeding | County Court hours | Fee payable | Supreme Court hours | Fee payable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defence response – final directions hearing | 2 | $476 | 2 | $652 |
| Brief fee – first day (includes conferences) | n/a | $2982 | n/a | $4737 |
| Brief fee – first day where 20% uplift applicable (includes conferences) | n/a | $3578 | n/a | $5684 |
| Subsequent day | n/a | $1370 | n/a | $2197 |
| Plea hearing | n/a | $1106 | n/a | $1508 |
| Plea hearing – subsequent days | n/a | $638 | n/a | $1002 |
| Sentence (if on different day) | n/a | $356 | n/a | $491 |
| Conference with junior counsel (Trial Counsel Development Program only) | 3 | $714 | 3 | $978 |
Junior Counsel
Post committal
| Service/proceeding | County Court hours | Fee payable | Supreme Court hours | Fee payable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Post-committal negotiations | 3 | $438 | 3 | $495 |
| First directions hearing | 2 | $292 | 2 | $330 |
| Directions hearing/mention/callover | 1.25 | $182 | 1.25 | $206 |
| Defence response – first directions hearing | 2 | $292 | 2 | $330 |
| Application for discontinuance of proceedings | 2.5 | $365 | 2.5 | $412 |
Plea fees
| Service/proceeding | County Court hours | Fee payable | Supreme Court hours | Fee payable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brief fee – first day (includes conferences) | n/a | $1086 | n/a | $1395 |
| Subsequent day | n/a | $501 | n/a | $735 |
| Sentence (if on a different day) | n/a | $356 | n/a | $491 |
Special hearing
| Service/proceeding | County Court hours | Fee payable | Supreme Court hours | Fee payable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brief fee – first day (includes conferences) | n/a | $1249 | n/a | $1666 |
| Subsequent day | n/a | $754 | n/a | $1091 |
Sentence indication
| Service/proceeding | County Court hours | Fee payable | Supreme Court hours | Fee payable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brief fee (includes conferences) | n/a | $780 | n/a | $1045 |
Trial
| Service/proceeding | County Court hours | Fee payable | Supreme Court hours | Fee payable |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Defence response – final directions hearing | 2 | $292 | 2 | $330 |
| Brief fee – first day (includes conferences) | n/a | $1403 | n/a | $2524 |
| Brief fee – first day where 20% uplift applicable (includes conferences) | n/a | $1682 | n/a | $3028 |
| Subsequent day | n/a | $754 | n/a | $1091 |
| Plea hearing | n/a | $628 | n/a | $880 |
| Plea hearing – subsequent days | n/a | $501 | n/a | $735 |
| Sentence (if on different day) | n/a | $356 | n/a | $491 |
| Conference with senior/lead counsel (Trial Counsel Development Program only) | 3 | $438 | 3 | $495 |
Practitioners can claim these fees using ATLAS or submitting a tax invoice.
Updated