Going to court can be expensive, and, depending on how long or complicated your case is, you or the other party might have large financial costs. “Costs” in a legal case refers to the lawyer fees, disbursements, taxes, and other expenses taken on by a party when they are making a legal claim, or defending against a claim. In this guide, we explain what costs are and how they work, and how you as a self-represented litigant can either ask for a costs award, or defend against one.
The original draft of this primer was written by lawyer Mallory Allan, and vital feedback was provided by former SRL Jeff Rose-Martland. Our sincere thanks to them both for their invaluable work.
I am presently self representing on a civil case, but am looking to prepare to go to the supreme court of Canada if necessary as my avenue may necessitate bringing my case to the United Nations, what would be the costs of bringing my case to the supreme court and would I be able to attend in written argument or by video conference instead of in person?
Unfortunately these are questions we can’t really answer for you – your costs will depend on your matter, and how you attend would be a question to pose to the court you’re presenting to.