The Civil Procedure Rules 1998

[F1 SECTION II E+W Costs relating to Legal Representatives

Textual Amendments

F1 Pts. 44-48 substituted (1.4.2013) by The Civil Procedure (Amendment) Rules 2013 (S.I. 2013/262), rules 2, 16, Sch. (with rule 22)

Personal liability of legal representative for costs – wasted costs orders E+W

46.8.— (1) This rule applies where the court is considering whether to make an order under section 51(6) of the Senior Courts Act 1981 (court’s power to disallow or (as the case may be) order a legal representative to meet, “wasted costs”).

(2) The court will give the legal representative a reasonable opportunity to make written submissions or, if the legal representative prefers, to attend a hearing before it makes such an order.

(3) When the court makes a wasted costs order, it will—

(a) specify the amount to be disallowed or paid; or

(b) direct a costs judge or a [F2 District Judge] to decide the amount of costs to be disallowed or paid.

(4) The court may direct that notice must be given to the legal representative’s client, in such manner as the court may direct—

(a) of any proceedings under this rule; or

(b) of any order made under it against his legal representative.

Textual Amendments

F2 Words in Rules substituted (22.4.2014) by The Civil Procedure (Amendment) Rules 2014 (S.I. 2014/407), rules 2(1), 4(a)(iv); S.I. 2014/954, art. 2(a)

Basis of detailed assessment of solicitor and client costs E+W

46.9.— (1) This rule applies to every assessment of a solicitor’s bill to a client except a bill which is to be paid out of the Community Legal Service Fund under the Legal Aid Act 1988 or the Access to Justice Act 1999 [F3 or by the Lord Chancellor under Part 1 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012].

(2) Section 74(3) of the Solicitors Act 1974 applies unless the solicitor and client have entered into a written agreement which expressly permits payment to the solicitor of an amount of costs greater than that which the client could have recovered from another party to the proceedings.

(3) Subject to paragraph (2), costs are to be assessed on the indemnity basis but are to be presumed—

(a) to have been reasonably incurred if they were incurred with the express or implied approval of the client;

(b) to be reasonable in amount if their amount was expressly or impliedly approved by the client;

(c) to have been unreasonably incurred if—

(i) they are of an unusual nature or amount; and

(ii) the solicitor did not tell the client that as a result the costs might not be recovered from the other party.

(4) Where the court is considering a percentage increase on the application of the client, the court will have regard to all the relevant factors as they reasonably appeared to the solicitor or counsel when the conditional fee agreement was entered into or varied.

Textual Amendments

F3 Words in rule 46.9(1) inserted (1.4.2013) by The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (Consequential, Transitional and Saving Provisions) Regulations 2013 (S.I. 2013/534), reg. 1, Sch. para. 2(a) (with reg. 14(4))

Assessment procedure E+W

46.10.— (1) This rule sets out the procedure to be followed where the court has made an order under Part III of the Solicitors Act 1974 for the assessment of costs payable to a solicitor by the solicitor’s client.

(2) The solicitor must serve a breakdown of costs within 28 days of the order for costs to be assessed.

(3) The client must serve points of dispute within 14 days after service on the client of the breakdown of costs.

(4) The solicitor must serve any reply within 14 days of service on the solicitor of the points of dispute.

(5) Either party may file a request for a hearing date—

(a) after points of dispute have been served; but

(b) no later than 3 months after the date of the order for the costs to be assessed.

(6) This procedure applies subject to any contrary order made by the court.]