Wagga Wagga lawyers revolt

UPDATE ... Wagga practitioners grizzle about Dizzo circuit judge ... Letter of complaint sent to Reg Blanch at head office ... Listings and hearing dates rejigged unceremoniously ... Practitioners fed-up ... Blanch's dismissive reply  

PRACTITIONERS in Wagga Wagga are up in arms about Norm Delaney, the Dizzo judge who presides over the local sittings.

So much so that the District Court civil sub-committee of the South West Slopes Law Society has sent a blistering letter of complaint to Reg Blanch. 

Practitioners are cross that HH is relisting matters, sometimes in Wagga, sometimes in Parramatta. 

The listing of Wagga matters in Parramatta results in significant additional costs. 

In one instance, a Wagga firm incurred counsel's fees for applications and directions hearings, which HH ordered to be held in Parramatta, totalling more than $14,000. 

"The relisting is almost invariably as a result of a decision of His Honour, without any input or request from either party." 

Directions hearings are often ignored or set aside "for reasons which are opaque to our members". 

It seems the judge does not accept there are "good reasons" why matters may not be ready to be assigned a hearing date. 

"He will often set aside consent orders, made for perfectly good reasons, without argument, and on occasions will make adverse costs orders ..." 

He allegedly lists matters for hearing, contrary to the submissions of the parties, while they are in the process of having informal settlement conferences or mediations. 

He is also accused of fixing the listing of cases without regard to priority, causing "confusion and uncertainty amongst members of the profession - more importantly it creates a great deal of anxiety to the litigants". 

There's also an accusation that, "timely judgments do not appear to be delivered by His Honour".

The upshot is that solicitors are filing statements of claim at another registry, where they are dealt with "more efficiently and at less cost than going through the process currently imposed uopon the Wagga lists". 

The locals want Reg to consider what can be done to get things running efficiently. 

"Our members will, of course, continue to cooperate with whichever judicial officer, including Judge Delaney, who may preside over the circuits in the years to come." 

Read the full letter here. 

And here's is Blanch's dismissive reply ... 

Reg Blanch's reply to Wagga solicitors