Practice Guides
Practical costs law guides covering detailed assessment, costs budgeting, Precedent H, points of dispute and costs procedure.
Practical guidance for solicitors and legal professionals dealing with legal costs, budgets, assessments, bills and dispute documents.
- How Costs Lawyers Charge: Fees, Recoverability and What to Expect — How Costs Lawyers charge, the difference between regulated Costs Lawyers and costs draftsmen, common fee models, and when drafting and assessment fees may be recovered from an opponent.
- Part 36 Offers in Detailed Assessment: How They Work and Why They Bite — How Part 36 applies to detailed assessment: valid offer terms, current interest rules, receiving and paying party consequences, the injustice test and the provisional-assessment costs cap.
- Challenging Your Solicitor's Bill: Assessment Under the Solicitors Act 1974 — Challenging a solicitor’s bill under the Solicitors Act 1974: statutory time limits, the one fifth costs rule, third-party applications and the distinct role of the Legal Ombudsman.
- Guideline Hourly Rates 2026: The Current Figures and How Courts Use Them — The official guideline hourly rates effective from 1 January 2026, their grades and location bands, how courts use them on assessment and when evidence may justify a different rate.
- Points of Dispute: Format, Deadlines and Tactics — Points of Dispute in inter partes detailed assessment: the 21 day deadline, Precedent G, the required open settlement letter, default costs certificates, Replies and provisional assessment.
- Deductions from Damages: A Practical Guide — A practical guide to court approval and assessment of CFA success fees, ATE premiums and solicitor and client shortfalls from damages recovered for children and protected parties.
- CPR 45.29I: Disbursements Under the Old Fixed Costs Regime — What old CPR 45.29I allows in ex-protocol fixed costs claims, why it still governs pre-October 2023 accidents, and the case law on the 'particular feature of the dispute' test: Aldred v Cham, Santiago v MIB and the MedCo fee caps.
- Court Fees from 13 July 2026: What Costs Practitioners Need to Update — A practical guide to the July 2026 civil, family and Court of Protection fees most relevant to costs-only proceedings, detailed assessment and related applications.
- OFSI Now Requires Independent Costs Lawyer Reports for Sanctions Licensing — OFSI has updated its guidance to require independent Costs Draftsperson Reports (CDPRs) from CLSB-regulated Costs Lawyers for sanctions licensing applications where legal fees exceed £2m per firm or £1m per counsel in any six-month period.
- A Practical Guide to Qualified One Way Costs Shifting (QOCS) — A comprehensive guide to QOCS for solicitors and costs practitioners. Covers when QOCS applies, both versions of the CPR 44.14 enforcement cap following the 6 April 2023 amendment, Part 36 interaction, fundamental dishonesty, mixed claims, discontinuance and practical tips for both claimants and defendants.
- A Guide to Costs Budgeting and Precedent H — Everything solicitors need to know about costs budgeting, from completing Precedent H to attending costs management conferences.
- In-House vs Outsourced Costs Lawyers: Which is Right for Your Firm? — A balanced comparison of hiring an in-house costs lawyer versus outsourcing to a specialist practice, covering costs, benefits, and practical considerations.
- A Practical Guide to Detailed Assessment — A guide to inter partes detailed assessment under CPR Part 47, covering N252, bills of costs, Points of Dispute, provisional assessment, hearings and settlement.
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