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Legal Practice Act, 2014 (Act No. 28 of 2014)

Chapter 8 : General Provisions

92. Recovery of costs by legal practitioners rendering free legal services

 

(1) Whenever in any legal proceedings or any dispute in respect of which legal services are rendered for free to a litigant or other person by a legal practitioner or law clinic, and costs become payable to that litigant or other person in terms of a judgment of the court or a settlement, or otherwise, that litigant or other person must be deemed to have ceded his or her rights to the costs to that legal practitioner, law clinic or practice.

 

(2)
(a) A litigant or person referred to in subsection (1) or the legal practitioner or law clinic concerned may, at any time before payment of the costs referred to in subsection (1), give notice in writing to—
(i) the person liable for those costs; and
(ii) the registrar or clerk of the court concerned,

that the legal services are being or have been rendered for free by that legal practitioner,  law clinic or practice.

(b) Where notice has been given as provided for in paragraph (a), the legal practitioner, law clinic or practice concerned may proceed in his or her or its own name, or the name of his or her practice, to have those costs taxed, where appropriate, and to recover them, without being formally substituted for the litigant or person referred to in subsection (1).

 

(3) The costs referred to in subsection (1) must be calculated and the bill of costs, if any, must be taxed as if the litigant or person to whom the legal services were rendered by the legal practitioner, law clinic or practice actually incurred the costs of obtaining the services of the legal practitioner, law clinic or practice acting on his or her or its behalf in the proceedings or dispute concerned.