Court of Protection

We provide a full professional Court of Protection costs service that is individually tailored to balance the needs of both patients and solicitors.

Court of Protection Costs Recovery

It is recommended that a Bill of Costs is submitted by a Professional Deputy on an annual basis. In addition, an estimate of future costs for the subsequent year also needs to be calculated and submitted to the Office of the Public Guardians (OPG). Acting as a Professional Deputy in regards to the financial affairs of a vulnerable individual requires ongoing assistance from a specialist Costs Lawyer to ensure that the maximum costs are recovered. 

Here at IG Legal, we have extensive experience and expertise in handling the recovery of costs for Appointed Deputies and other participants in Court of Protection proceedings. We work carefully to calculate and balance the interests of both solicitors and patients to ensure that both parties are remunerated fairly. This is a sensitive area of costs and our team of costs draftsman and costs lawyers work carefully to ensure that the Court of Protection costs are handled delicately and efficiently. 

We provide a full and professional Court of Protection costing service and routinely draft and submit Bills for any court proceedings. Whether you are an Appointed Deputy or any other participant, we will help you navigate through the process of recovery of costs, whether it be by preparation of a Short Format or full Bill of Costs for Detailed Assessment.

Our Services Include:

What is the Court of Protection?

The Court of Protection has the power to make decisions on a person’s property and financial affairs when that person lacks the mental capacity to make those decisions themselves. It can also make decisions regarding the personal welfare of that person. 

Family members can apply to the Court of Protection to have the lasting power of attorney (LPA) over that person’s financial, health and welfare decisions. This involves paying court fees. The general management costs that are incurred by a Property and Affairs Deputy are assessed on an annual basis which is set by the original Court Order that appointed the professional deputy. 

These fixed costs can be assessed in a Bill of Costs. The general rule of assessing costs involves the preparation of a 3-column Bill of Costs which is submitted to the Senior Courts Cost Office (SCCO). Once submitted, the SCCO will perform a Court of Protection detailed assessment of the Bill of Costs and return a copy of the bill for the Professional Deputy to approve. 

This process can be a very time consuming and costly process and the Professional Deputy’s time can not be recovered as costs. This is why it is recommended that you work with an experienced Costs Draftsman to maximise recovered costs. 

Why You Should Choose Our Firm

When it comes to working with elderly or infirmed clients we understand that it is important to deal with matters quickly and effectively and delays can often result in increased costs against a patient’s estate. This is why we ensure that deputyship bills are prepared for assessment quickly in order to allow estates to be administered property with the shortage delay. 

Our extensive knowledge and experience have provided us with a good working knowledge of the rules around billing and we are able to advise our clients on all aspects of the billing process. We will ensure that any Bill of Costs is prepared fully in line with the best practices guidance. Our Law Costs Draftsmen are forward-thinking and each detail of your case will be carefully analysed before advice is provided to ensure your objectives are fully achieved. 

Specialist Costs Lawyer

Here at IG Legal, we have a specialist Costs Lawyer as part of the team, which allows us to offer an unrivalled service to clients who have had a case in the Court of Protection. Our specialist Costs Lawyer concentrates on billing work in the Court of Protection and has come across every scenario imaginable and is in the best position to recover your Professional Deputy costs. 

This extensive experience means that we understand what the cost officers at the Court of Protection department at the SCCO are looking for during assessment. In addition, our wealth of experience also allows our team to accurately estimate recoverable costs. This means you can have complete confidence that we will balance the interests of both Patients and Solicitors and facilitating their fair remuneration for actions such as adding/removing deputyship orders and making Statutory Wills applications.

Looking For A Reliable And Dedicated Law Cost Draftsman?

We pride ourselves on caring and understanding the importance of balancing the interests of patients and solicitors to ensure that fair remuneration is recovered. If you are in need of an experienced and knowledgeable costs draftsman to draft and submit a Bill of Costs for Court of Protection work get in touch to learn how we can provide you will a full professional costing service.