The Matrimonial Causes (Costs) Rules 1988

Citation and commencement

1.—(1) These Rules may be cited as the Matrimonial Causes (Costs) Rules 1988, shall come into force on 3rd October 1988, and shall apply subject to the following provisions of this rule for the taxation of costs in matrimonial proceedings whenever instituted.

(2) The taxation of the costs of work done before 3rd October 1988 shall be governed by rules 6, 7(1) and 8 of the Matrimonial Causes (Costs) Rules 1979(1) on the bases of taxation applicable under those Rules, and rules 7 to 11, 17 and 21 of these Rules shall not apply.

(3) For three months after 3rd October 1988 a party entitled to require any costs to be taxed may prepare and lodge a bill in the form required before that date, and shall be entitled to have a bill so lodged taxed as if these Rules had not been made and as if all the work to which the bill related had been done before that date.

(4) Where a bill of costs includes a claim for work done under Part III of Schedule 2 to these Rules in respect of an attendance on or after that date, no allowance may be made for any work done in preparing documents before that date and for which an allowance is claimed under Part I of the matrimonial scale set out in the Appendix to the Matrimonial Causes (Costs) Rules 1979(1); but this shall not prevent an allowance being made under item 10 of Part IV of the said matrimonial scale in respect of time spent by a fee earner in preparing any such document.

(5) Rule 12 shall come into force when section 53 of the Administration of Justice Act 1985(2) comes into force.

(1)

S.I. 1979/399.

(2)

1985 c. 61.