New South Wales Consolidated Acts New South Wales Consolidated Acts(cf s 149 MACA)
(1) The regulations may make provision for or with respect to the following--(a) fixing maximum costs for legal services provided to a claimant or to an insurer in any motor accidents matter,(b) fixing maximum costs for matters that are not legal services but are related to proceedings in any motor accidents matter (for example, expenses for investigations, for witnesses or for medical reports),(c) declaring that no costs are payable for any such legal services or other matters of a kind specified in the regulations.
(2) Without limiting subsection (1), the regulations may fix maximum costs for legal services provided to a claimant by reference to the amount recovered by the claimant.
(3) An Australian legal practitioner is not entitled to be paid or recover for a legal service or other matter an amount that exceeds any maximum costs fixed for the service or matter by the regulations under this section. An Australian legal practitioner is not entitled to be paid or recover any amount for a legal service or other matter of a particular kind if the regulations declare that no costs are payable for a service or other matter of that kind.
(4) An Australian legal practitioner is not entitled to be paid or recover legal costs for any legal services provided to a party to a claim for statutory benefits (whether the claimant or the insurer) in connection with the claim unless payment of those legal costs is permitted by the regulations or the Commission.
(5) This section does not entitle an Australian legal practitioner to recover costs for a legal service or matter that a court or costs assessor determines were unreasonably incurred.
(6) This section and any regulations under this section prevail to the extent of any inconsistency with the legal costs legislation (as defined in section 3A of the Legal Profession Uniform Law Application Act 2014 ). An assessment under that legislation of any costs in respect of which provision is made by a regulation under this section is to be made so as to give effect to that regulation.
(7) The Minister is to consult the Councils of the Bar Association and the Law Society about any proposed regulation under this section. The validity of a regulation is not affected by a contravention of this subsection.