A Law Costs Draftsman is a legal professional that specialises and deals in all legal matters of costs law, including costs recovery and costs negotiation. They can provide assistance in recovering costs upon the settlement of a claim, as well as providing advice on retainers and rates from the outset of a case, and budgeting as the case progresses.

Legal Practice Support offer Law Costs Draftsmen and Costs Lawyer services to Solicitors, Legal Executives, law firms and Litigants in Person in all areas of law. We have experience in assisting with costs matters on a wide range of legal matters including, personal injury, clinical negligence, industrial disease, family law, probate, commercial disputes, and housing disrepair cases. We also provide assistance on the recovery and negotiation of inter-partes costs in publicly funded legal aid costs cases.

Legal costs training on all areas of costs law are also available to all of our clients free of charge.

The Difference Between a Costs Draftsman and Costs Lawyer

Costs Lawyers are regulated by the Costs Lawyers Standards Board (CLSB), and are also required to become members of the Association of Costs Lawyers (ACL). Costs Lawyers are regulated, just like Solicitors or members of CILEX, and as such, a Costs Lawyer has rights of audience in Court, and can conduct litigation and administer oaths regarding legal costs proceedings.

Legal Practice Support provide a mixed team of Costs Lawyers as well as experienced Law Costs Draftsmen. Our Costs Director, Robert Collington is qualified Costs Lawyer.

Reasons for Using a Costs Draftsman Service

Instructing a Law Costs Draftsman to assist in legal costs matters can be advantageous for a number of reasons. Costs Draftsmen have a wealth of experience in legal costs, meaning that they will be well equipped to maximise your legal costs recovery (or to minimise your costs exposure if you are a paying party) and will successfully negotiate any legal costs payable to the receiving party. They will also ensure accuracy of costs documents prepared in complex litigation, and ensure that if a detailed assessment is to take place, that it will be on a compliant and tightly drawn document.

Instructing an external team of Legal Costs Draftsmen can also be beneficial to your company as it reduces the costs of hiring an expensive in-house costs drafting team, and outsourced experts often work to more time-effective SLAs.

Our Costs Draftsman and Costs Lawyer Services

Our team offer a range of Law Costs Draftsman services to both paying parties and receiving parties. Law Costs Draftsmen are essential throughout the claim and litigation process. A Law Costs Draftsman can provide a large range of services including:

• Advice and assistance on drafting compliant Conditional Fee Agreements/retainers and making sure success fees are appropriately calculated.
• Preparation of Costs Budgets (Precedent H)
• Statements of Costs for Trial (N260)
• Traditional/electronic Bills of Costs to recover costs from a paying party
• Detailed Assessment Proceedings – Points of Dispute and Points of Reply
• Providing representation at Detailed Assessment Hearings
• CPR 45 Fixed Costs disputes
• Legal Expense Insurer (LEI) claims

We also focus on offering remote law costs drafting, meaning we can assist any firm in any location of England and Wales.

Why Choose Legal Practice Support Law Costs Draftsman Service?

The Legal Practice Support team are always happy to help/advise on any costs issues. We are a team of highly experienced and qualified Costs Draftsmen and Costs Lawyers. We strive to achieve the best possible outcome for all clients and can assist in all areas of litigation.

If you would like to find out more about out law costs draftsman service, please visit the legal costs section on our website.

Our Costs Director, Robert Collington, can be contacted via email at enquiries@legalpracticesupport.co.uk or by telephone on 01204 930234.