Costs are an essential part of litigation but can be baffling for lawyers. Help is at hand in this week’s NLJ, with no less than two articles on this hugely important topic
First up, John O’Hare, a retired costs judge, offers advice on calculating what’s recoverable in fixed costs in intermediate track cases. O’Hare looks in detail at Practice Direction 45, Table 14, through which the amount payable to the winner is dependent on five calculations.
Next, Claudine Morgan, legal director, and Mary Barrett, associate, at Charles Russell Speechlys, discuss why defendants should not presume their costs will be met when claims are discontinued. While the general rule is that the defendant should not bear the burden of costs for a claim deemed not worth pursuing, the court may decide otherwise. But when, why, and under what circumstances? The authors explain.
Morgan and Barrett conclude with some sterling advice: ‘If an application is made, the dirty laundry of pre-action correspondence will inevitably be aired and parties should be prepared for criticism on conduct. An aggressive approach or tone can look very different with hindsight.’
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