Can a master or registrar review a lawyer's bill?
British Columbia, Canada
The following excerpt is from Diana M. Davidson & Co. v. Dobranski, 1999 CanLII 5516 (BC SC):
A master or registrar on the review of a lawyer's bill can consider whether or not the lawyer was negligent, and whether that negligence affects a portion of the bill; see Thomson v. Milliken (1867) 13 Gr 104.
It has long been the practice in British Columbia that when a review and an action are both before the courts, and there are allegations of negligence against the solicitor, that the review is adjourned until the action is concluded or dismissed. In the case of Argiris v. A & T Food Holdings Ltd. (1985) 4 C.P.C. (2d) 261, a similar ruling was made by the assessment officer in Ontario.
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