Litigation Costs - An Overview

Course level

Intermediate

Delegates

This course will be of benefit to trainees and solicitors at all levels.

Overview

With the impact of the Civil Procedure Rules and the rules on funding including conditional fees, practitioners must have a detailed grasp of the key aspects of legal costs to maximise profit for their firm. This hands-on course provides practical examples and exercises aimed at providing the delegate with an overview of basic costs information, as well as a comprehensive review of the latest developments and cases. It offers practical guidance in relation to cost issues and how they impact on costs recovery.

Topics covered on this course will include

   * The difference between contentious and non-contentious costs
   * The Indemnity Principle - how it works; its impact on costs; and Standard -v- Indemnity Costs - the difference
   * The solicitors retainer - Rule 15 issues, estimates and budgeting/costs capping
   * Third party funding of litigation
   * Summary assessment - how to draft statements of costs and not upset the Judge!
   * Detailed assessment - bills of costs and costs recovery
   * Drafting points of dispute and challenging a bill of costs
   * Proportionality - what does it mean?
   * Conduct - its impact on costs and assessment
   * Part 36 issues

Please note that this course does not cover Conditional Fee Agreements, this is covered in a separate course ‘Conditional Fee Agreements – The Essential Guide’.