Furley Page provides services in legal costs disputes which include detailed assessment and costs management. Our costs team is headed by our qualified and highly experienced Costs Lawyer, who is an expert in the area of legal costs law and practice.
Legal costs might include:
- the fees that you pay for legal advice
- the cost of bringing or defending court proceedings costs incurred by other parties for court proceedings that you might have to pay if you lose your case
Furley Page advises on a range legal costs services
Our range of legal costs services include:
- Costs recovery
- Opposing claims for Costs
- Costs management
- Disputes over own solicitors’ costs
- Disputes over costs of professionals
- Advocacy
Furley Page costs services to external clients
Furley Page offers a full costs service to external clients across a wide range of areas of law, including:
- Personal injury
- Medical and clinical negligence
- Commercial litigation
- Court of Protection
- Housing claims
- Judicial Review
- Litigants in Person
How we work with you recovering or challenging costs
Furley Page advises both receiving parties (recovering costs) and paying parties (challenging costs). Our approach strengthens our commercial awareness to protect our clients whether they wish to maximise the recovery of their costs, or to reduce an existing costs liability.
We are experts in the costs management of litigation, known as ‘costs budgeting’, the detailed assessment of costs, and fixed costs to include Fixed Costs Determination (FCD).
Costs in Court of Protection matters
Whether you are a professional or lay Deputy, Furley Page can assist you with the Detailed Assessment of your costs, which include Deputyship Applications, Statutory Will Applications, annual General Management and Health & Welfare, and other applications to the Court of Protection.
Furley page was the first law firm in England & Wales to e-file a Court of Protection costs claim for assessment within the Senior Courts Costs Office.
An important but time-consuming responsibility for a Deputy (lay or professional) is the preparation and submission of annual Deputyship Reports and costs estimates. Furley Page has extensive expertise in this area of costs management.
We can also advise you in relation to appealing costs decisions.
Acting for Public Bodies
We act for a number of Local Authorities advising on costs within Housing Disrepair, Homelessness, Suitable Accommodation and Judicial Review claims, assisting them with the recovery or challenge of costs in Detailed Assessment. This includes the preparation of Bills of Costs and engaging in Detailed Assessment for matters in the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court.
Challenging fees of a solicitor
We can advise you if you wish to formally challenge the legal fees invoiced to you by your solicitor. We can help you understand if your solicitors’ fees have been reasonably incurred and/or are reasonable in amount.
The law governing solicitors’ fees and legal costs is complex. The Senior Courts Costs Office (SCCO) is the high court within which specialist costs officers and judges deal with significant and/or complex legal costs disputes. We can advise you through this process but there are strict time limits, therefore contact us as soon as possible.
Litigants in Person claiming or challenging costs
We advise ‘Litigants in Person’, who are representing themselves without a solicitor. If successful in litigation, Litigants in Person can recover both the time spent on the case and disbursements, the costs of a Costs Lawyer in quantifying such claim being recoverable against the paying party.
Litigants in Person can either claim their actual financial loss due to the litigation or, if unable to prove that, claim a flat rate per hour.
If unsuccessful, a Litigant in Person as a paying party, is entitled to challenge the claim for costs from the receiving party. We can advise you as to a reasonable amount to pay in such circumstances in order to reduce your costs liability.
FAQs about Costs Lawyers and Costs
You are likely to need a qualified Costs Lawyer if you are involved in litigation. We can advise in the costs management process (which occurs shortly after a Defence is served), or in the detailed assessment of costs whether you are entitled to recover those costs from another party, or if you are liable for the costs of another party.
Costs Lawyers can help if you wish to challenge the fees you have been charged by a legal professional, such as a barrister or solicitor.
We can also provide advice at the time you enter into a contract with a legal adviser, including “no win no fee” arrangements.
- Advising on the charging and recovery of legal costs and disbursements
- Advising on litigation funding
- Preparing costs budgets
- Preparing discussion documents to inform the court on budget issues
- Preparing schedules and statements of costs
- Preparing bills of costs for provisional/detailed assessment by the court
- Preparing points of dispute on a bill of costs and replies
- Representing you in negotiations aimed at settling disputes about costs without the need for a court hearing, including mediation
- Attending court as your advocate on costs matters, such as at a detailed assessment hearing
Costs is a specialist area of law, therefore Costs Lawyers often work closely with solicitors and barristers and we can assist where costs advice is needed.
Yes, the reasonable costs of a Costs Lawyer are recoverable from a paying party in a successful claim. Such costs are added to your overall claim for costs when prepared by a Costs Lawyer. The costs of a Costs Lawyer may also be recoverable in full or in part even if you are liable for the costs of another party with well-placed and strategic settlement offers being made when challenging costs.
Costs Lawyers can do certain activities that unregulated advisers cannot and using a regulated Costs Lawyer offers special protections for clients.
Not all costs advisers are regulated. Richard Waters is a Costs Lawyer and a qualified professional. He must meet certain professional standards set by the Costs Lawyer Standards Board (CLSB).Unregulated costs advisers are sometimes called costs draftsmen, or similar.
Costs Lawyers are qualified and regulated experts in legal costs and have the right to conduct litigation and the right to appear in court on behalf of their clients on matters relating to costs.
Costs draftsman are unqualified and unregulated, but despite this can work within all areas of costs and have the authority to conduct litigation, but only as a solicitor’s ‘temporary employee’ during a matter – i.e. the instructing solicitor or unrepresented litigant, who is unlikely to have the skills and/or resources to adequately supervise such work, is ultimately accountable for the work undertaken.
How we can help you
We offer a free initial telephone consultation with our Costs Lawyer and for Litigants in Person we offer a free 30 minute consultation and resource pack.
Contact Richard Waters to find out more about our legal costs services and how we can help you.
How can we help you?
Call us on
0333 331 9877Richard's expert guidance and support was invaluable as it provided us with confidence as to how best to proceed. When Richard's assistance was required, Richard would deal with matters professionally and promptly. Instructing Richard has assisted us in obtaining a good costs budget and ultimately his work has led to a successful conclusion to our client's claim. We have no reservations in using Richard's services again.
Client of Richard Waters - ANP Solicitors
December 2023
Why choose Furley Page for legal costs advice
Senior Associate, Richard Waters, qualified as a Costs Lawyer in 2011. He is regulated by the Costs Lawyer Standards Board (CLSB) which grants him the right to conduct the exercise of a right of audience, the conduct of litigation and the administration of oaths.
Richard heads Furley Page’s Costs team and provides services to Furley Page’s Dispute Resolution, Personal Injury and Vulnerable Client teams. Richard also receives instructions from external firms and ‘litigants in person’ within a wide range of claims.
For more information contact Richard Waters on 01227 763939 to find out more about our legal costs services and how we can help you.
Our team accreditations
How can we help you?
Call us on
0333 331 9877
