Monday 12 December 2011

Delaney happy to be summoned for $480 an hour

Giles Woodgate outside
the Federal Magistrates Court
Photo: SiN Images
SPECIALISTS in Family Law are no strangers to proceedings involving bankrupt clients, which is one reason why Michael Delany of Delany Lawyers spent much of the morning racking up his $480 per hour fee sitting in a witness box in the Federal Magistrate’s Court.

Delaney was complying with a summons issued by Giles Woodgate, trustee of the bankrupt estate of Stuart Alexander Eaton.

Woodgate is running a public examination into the bankrupt's affairs after his interest was piqued by details of Eaton's living arrangements, which include sharing a $2200 per week Vaucluse rental with his four children.
Those details are contained in an affidavit supporting a Succession Act claim in the NSW Supreme Court. The claim  was filed by the bankrupt's sons Matthew and Mitchell against the deceased estate of their grandmother.

During the examination, Delaney revealed that he had acted for the bankrupt in various capacities in the past but had little if any involvement with the Eaton Group entities of interest to the trustee.

He did however mention that his occasional client owes him $17,970.00 for services rendered. 

Not long before before the lunch break Woodgate and his team huddled for a brief, whispered conference after the question of recompensing Delaney arose.

When the conference concluded Registrar Tesoriero made orders that Delaney receive $1200 for his two and a half hours of testimony, to be paid out of the estate of the bankrupt. Suppose it's one way of clawing back some of the almost $20,000 in arrears.


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