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06 October 2017 / Dominic Regan
Issue: 7764 / Categories: Features , Procedure & practice , Costs , Budgeting
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NLJ costs revision course (Pt 3)

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This week, Dominic Regan provides a cut out & keep guide to costs budgeting

No doubts

If in doubt as to whether or not you need to file a budget then always produce one. The penalty for default is deliberately draconian. ‘No budget, no costs’ is the penalty imposed by CPR 3.14.

Split trial

If seeking a split trial, perhaps addressing liability only at the outset, produce two budgets. The court might reject the application so protect yourself by also filing one that covers the entirety of the action.

Be timely

File your budget on time. Who will ever forget the Mitchell bloodbath?

Relief application

If you fail to comply with the last point, make an immediate application for relief from the sanction denying you costs. It was made clear in British Gas Trading Ltd v Oak Cash & Carry Ltd [2016] All ER (D) 128 (Mar), [2016] All ER (D) 128 (Mar) that time is of the

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MOVERS & SHAKERS

Cripps—Radius Law

Cripps—Radius Law

Commercial and technology practice boosted by team hire

Switalskis—Grimsby

Switalskis—Grimsby

Firm expands with new Grimsby office to serve North East Lincolnshire

Slater Heelis—Will Newman & Lucy Spilsbury

Slater Heelis—Will Newman & Lucy Spilsbury

Property team boosted by two solicitor appointments

NEWS
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
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
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
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’
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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