Legal Costs Experts

BILLS OF COSTS

Inter partes and Solicitors Act assessments

SCHEDULES OF COSTS

Summary assessments (N260, N260A, N260B), Negotiations

COSTS BUDGETS

Precedent H, Precedent R, Precedent T

COSTS SEMINARS

Accredited speakers, in-house or online

ADVOCACY

Detailed assessments, Solicitor-client assessments, CCMCs

COSTS MONITORING

Auditing, cost management and budget control

SUBMISSIONS

Points of dispute, points of reply

COSTS NEGOTIATIONS

Settlement / ADR

27 May 2022

Julie Meyer contempt appeal fails

American venture capitalist and founder of Ariadne Capital, Julie Meyer has lost her appeal against a contempt finding and suspended prison sentence.

In January, Meyer (who has been involved in a dispute with Farrer & Co over unpaid fees) was given a suspended prison sentence over her failure to attend court for debtor questioning and provide documents. The judge stated that Meyer had shown herself to have been 'selfish and untrustworthy' and someone who's word counted for nothing. When she failed to attend a later hearing a warrant was issued for her arrest.

23 May 2022

Proposals for fixed costs 'may not be workable'

Sir Bob Neil MP, the chairman of the justice select committee, has voiced his reservations about the proposed fixed costs regime for small value clinical negligence cases.

Speaking at the Society for Clinical Injury Lawyers Sir Bob voiced concerns about the limited impact assessment that had taken place and the possibility of unregulated firms entering the market. It is widely anticipated that lawyers will be driven out of the market for small claims if the proposals go ahead.

The government published its consultation document on fixed costs at the end of January (much along the lines of Sir Rupert Jackson's 2018 report) setting out proposals to 'streamline' claims with a value below £25,000. It also published a draft set of procedural rules that would apply to such cases.

7 April 2022

£1,131 per hour? 'Clear and compelling justification' required to recover above guideline says Court of Appeal

In a one-day appeal concerning the appropriate forum for trial, US law firm Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP had their costs reduced from £72,800 to £55,000.

The highest rate claimed in the schedule of costs was £1,131.75 per hour for a grade A fee earner, converted from a rate of $1,475.75 and up to £704 per hour for grade C.

Accepting that the rates it was seeking were above the guidelines, CGS&H pointed out that this was almost always the case in competition litigation and that, where possible, they had delegated and allocated work to more junior team members.