(1) If a party is represented by a legal practitioner, that legal practitioner or another legal practitioner who is authorized to negotiate on behalf of the client and competent to deal with the case must attend the case management conference and any pre-trial review.
(2) The general rule is that the party or a person who is in a position to represent the interests of the party (other than the legal practitioner) must attend the case management conference or pre-trial review.
(3) The court may dispense with the attendance of a party or representative (other than a legal practitioner).
(4) If the case management conference or pre-trial review is not attended by the legal practitioner and the party or a representative, the court may adjourn the case management conference or pre-trial review to a fixed date and may exercise any of its powers under Part 26 (case management – the court's powers) or Part 64 (costs – general).