ALCG

Cate Dealehr

Accredited Costs Law Specialist BSc LLB

Cate founded ALCG (formerly Compucost) in 1990 and is a highly respected Accredited Specialist in Costs Law. Widely recognized as one of Australia’s foremost legal costing authorities, Cate is the leading costs expert across multiple, high-stakes Federal Court class actions and Victoria Supreme Court class actions.

Law firms and corporate clients consistently seek Cate’s unparalleled expertise in preparing class action cost reports and complex bills of costs. Her forensic approach to legal costing and deep understanding of judicial expectations make her an indispensable asset for large-scale litigation across both the Federal Court and Victoria jurisdictions.

A pillar of the legal costing community, Cate has been a long-standing member of various Law Institute of Victoria (LIV) costs committees and is a regular presenter at the Leo Cussen Institute and National Costs Conferences. Her contributions to the profession are extensive: she drafted the LIV precedent costs disclosure and agreements distributed to its members and was elected to the Victorian Legal Services Board in 2014.

Key Accolades & Recognition:

• Accredited Specialist in Costs Law.
• Recipient of the LIV Pro Bono Award (2014).
• Awarded the LIV Certificate of Service (2016) for outstanding contributions to the legal profession.
• Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).

Beyond her formidable legal career, Cate is deeply passionate about politics and actively advocates for increasing the representation of women MPs in parliament. She is also an avid walker, attesting that her 800-kilometer trek across Spain on the Camino de Santiago was a profoundly life-changing experience.

Andrew Chakrabarty

Costs Lawyer

Andrew Chakrabarty is a leading costs lawyer with over six years of strategic experience spanning litigation and legal costs. Working closely under the mentorship and leadership of Cate, Andrew has rapidly distinguished himself as a highly experienced class actions costs lawyer, providing critical analytical support for complex Federal Court class actions and Victoria Supreme Court class actions. actitioner in navigating highly contested Canberra party costs disputes and resolving sensitive solicitor client cost disputes.

While Andrew brings significant expertise to multi-million-dollar class action frameworks, he is highly regarded as a fierce costs lawyer in Canberra and the ACT jurisdiction. For law firms and clients seeking an the best outcomes in legal costing matters in the ACT, Andrew is widely considered as the leading practitioner in navigating highly contested Canberra party party costs disputes and resolving sensitive solicitor client cost disputes.

Key Areas of Expertise:

• Federal & Victoria Supreme Court Class Actions: Strategic analysis and preparation of complex class action cost reports and mass-litigation legal costing matters.
• ACT Costs Dominance: The leading practitioner in Canberra for party/party costs disputes, solicitor client cost disputes, and jurisdictional cost assessments.
• Bills of Costs: Meticulous preparation and assessment of bills of costs across the Federal Court, Victoria, and ACT jurisdictions.

Andrew’s dedication to technical excellence and client advocacy has not gone unnoticed by the wider profession; he was proudly awarded “The 2024 Most Influential Lawyer” by Australasian Lawyer.

Outside the rigorous demands of legal costing and litigation, Andrew is a passionate outdoorsman who loves to spend his free time hiking. Having successfully completed the grueling Inca Trail to Machu Picchu, he is constantly in search of his next great adventure.