Section 17 Legal Practitioners Act

Section 17 of Legal Practitioners Act 1975 is about Applications for Taxation of Charges. It is under ‘Remuneration of Practitioners‘ of the sections of the Act. It provides as follows:

1. Except where a direction providing for the giving of security is given under subsection (3) of section 16 of this Act and security is not given in accordance with the direction, the court shall, on an application made by a client within the period of one month from the date on which a bill of charges was delivered to him, order that the bill shall be taxed and that no action to recover the charges shall be begun until the taxation is completed.

2. Subject to the provisions of subsection (3) of this section, the court may if it thinks fit, on an application made after the expiration of the period aforesaid by the legal practitioner or (except as aforesaid) by the client in question-

a. order that the bill shall be taxed;

b. order that until the taxation is completed no action to recover the charges mentioned in the bill shall be begun and any such action already begun shall be stayed, and an order under the subsection may be made on such terms (other than terms as to the costs of the taxation) as the court may determine.

3. No order shall be made under subsection (2) of this section-

a. in any case, after the period of twelve months from the date on which the bill in question was paid;

b. except in a case where the court determines that there are special reasons for making such an order, if twelve months have expired since the date of the delivery of the bill or if judgment has been given in an action to recover the charges in question, and an order made by virtue of paragraph (b) of this subsection may contain terms as to the costs of the taxation.