Find a costs lawyer.

Why people look for a costs lawyer

Legal costs are often the second fight in a case. Once the main dispute is over, someone has to decide who pays and how much, and the sums involved can be as large as the claim itself. A bill of costs can run to hundreds of pages. The rules that govern it sit in Part 44 to 47 of the Civil Procedure Rules, backed by years of case law on reasonableness, proportionality and hourly rates. Getting it wrong is expensive.

A costs lawyer spends their whole working life on this one area. They know what a court will and will not allow, how to argue that a bill is too high, and how to defend a bill that is fair. Finding the right one quickly can be the difference between paying the full amount claimed and paying a fraction of it, or between recovering what you are owed and losing a large part of it.

When you might need a costs lawyer

• You have been sent a bill to pay. If a court has ordered you to pay another party's costs and you have received a notice of commencement, a costs lawyer can review the bill and draft points of dispute challenging the items that are too high.
• You are owed costs. If you won and the other side must pay your costs, a costs lawyer can prepare a properly evidenced bill and reply to any challenge, so you recover as much as possible.
• You have a costs hearing coming up. Costs lawyers represent clients at detailed assessment hearings, provisional assessment reviews and costs case management conferences.
• Your case needs a costs budget. In most multi-track claims, each side files a Precedent H budget. What is approved at the CCMC largely caps what you can recover at the end.
• You think your own solicitor has overcharged. Under the Solicitors Act 1974 you can ask the court to assess your solicitor's bill. A costs lawyer can tell you whether a challenge is worth bringing and run it for you.
• Legal aid and fixed costs. Legal Aid Agency billing and fixed recoverable costs claims have their own rules, and specialist help avoids underclaiming.

How to choose the right costs lawyer

Not every costs specialist is the same. Before you instruct anyone, it is worth checking a few things:

• Regulation. "Costs Lawyer" is a protected title. A qualified costs lawyer is regulated by the Costs Lawyer Standards Board (CLSB) and appears on its public register. "Costs draftsman" is not a regulated title.
• Relevant experience. Clinical negligence bills, commercial litigation costs and personal injury fixed costs all raise different issues. Ask about similar matters they have handled.
• Advocacy. If your matter may go to a hearing, choose someone who regularly appears before costs judges, so the person who knows the papers can argue them.
• A clear fee. Many costs lawyers work on fixed fees. You should know what you will pay before work begins.
• Availability before your deadline. Costs work runs to strict time limits. Someone who cannot start this week may be of little use.

How finding a costs lawyer through Clerk & Counsel works

1. Tell us about the matter. Use the form below. Upload the bill, points of dispute or court order if you have them, and give us any deadline.
2. We match you. We check which costs lawyer or costs firm on our panel has the right experience and is available in time.
3. You get a quote. We send you the costs lawyer's fee in writing, with any Clerk & Counsel service fee shown separately, before you decide anything.
4. You decide. If you go ahead, the costs lawyer works with you directly. If you do not, there is nothing to pay.

Clerk & Counsel is an intermediary and clerking service. We do not provide legal advice or legal representation. Costs lawyers instructed through us are independent, regulated professionals and are responsible for the legal services they provide.

Costs lawyer, costs barrister or solicitor?

For most costs work, a costs lawyer is the most proportionate choice from start to finish: they draft the paperwork, negotiate, and attend the hearing. A specialist legal costs barrister is usually brought in only where a dispute turns on a substantial point of principle, such as whether a retainer is enforceable, or where the matter is going to appeal. Many general litigation solicitors pass their costs work to costs lawyers for the same reason. See our costs advocacy and detailed assessment hearing pages for more on hearings.

Key deadlines in costs proceedings

These are the time limits that most often catch people out in England and Wales. Orders can change them, so always check the order in your case.

• Starting detailed assessment: the receiving party should serve a notice of commencement and bill within three months of the costs order (CPR 47.7).
• Points of dispute: the paying party has 21 days from service of the notice of commencement (CPR 47.9). Missing it risks a default costs certificate.
• Replies: the receiving party may serve a reply within 21 days of service of the points of dispute (CPR 47.13).
• Your own solicitor's bill: applying within one month of delivery gives you an assessment as of right under section 70 of the Solicitors Act 1974. After that, the court's permission and stricter conditions may apply.