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05 August 2010
Issue: 7429 / Categories: Blogs
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Book review: Civil Costs: Law and Practice

© Copyright LexisNexis 2026. All Rights Reserved.

Late last year Ward LJ described Cook on Costs as the seminal work on a subject which has created more angst (and generated yet more costs) in the last decade than any other subject in the field of civil procedure.

Author: Dr Mark Friston
Jordan Publishing Ltd, 1st edition, (31 Mar 2010)
ISBN: 978-1846611803, £75.00

The costs wars are objectively and masterfully described in the Jackson material. These concerns provoked the then master of the rolls to turn to Sir Rupert Jackson for guidance on what on earth to do.

Those who are recently qualified will find it impossible to believe that not so long ago costs were a mere afterthought. Of course, there were arguments about quantum but the elaborate technical arguments which are now commonplace just did not arise.

Blockbuster

Dr Mark Friston (Kings Chambers) has now entered the arena with a blockbuster running to over 1,200 pages. I adore books but this is the first time I have ever seen the text extending to the inside back cover

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NLJ this week: Tightening the screws on JCT terminations
The Supreme Court has delivered a decisive ruling on termination under the JCT Design & Build form. Writing in NLJ this week, Andrew Singer KC and Jonathan Ward, of Kings Chambers, analyse Providence Building Services v Hexagon Housing Association [2026] UKSC 1, which restores the first-instance decision and curbs contractors’ termination rights for repeated late payment
NLJ this week: Old rules, fresh warnings in employment law
Secondments, disciplinary procedures and appeal chaos all feature in a quartet of recent rulings. Writing in NLJ this week, Ian Smith, barrister and emeritus professor of employment law at UEA, examines how established principles are being tested in modern disputes
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The AI revolution is no longer a distant murmur—it’s at the client’s desk. Writing in NLJ this week, Peter Ambrose, CEO of The Partnership and Legalito, warns that the ‘AI chickens’ have ‘come home to roost’, transforming not just legal practice but the lawyer–client relationship itself
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A High Court ruling involving the Longleat estate has exposed the fault line between modern family building and historic trust drafting. Writing in NLJ this week, Charlotte Coyle, director and family law expert at Freeths, examines Cator v Thynn [2026] EWHC 209 (Ch), where trustees sought approval to modernise trusts that retain pre-1970 definitions of ‘child’, ‘grandchild’ and ‘issue’
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Fresh proposals to criminalise ‘nudification’ apps, prioritise cyberflashing and non-consensual intimate images, and even ban under-16s from social media have reignited debate over whether the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA 2023) is fit for purpose. Writing in NLJ this week, Alexander Brown, head of technology, media and telecommunications, and Alexandra Webster, managing associate, Simmons & Simmons, caution against reactive law-making that could undermine the Act’s ‘risk-based and outcomes-focused’ design
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