litigation

IG Legal provide a fast, efficient and professional service to meet all our client's needs

Civil Litigation

The English legal system is adversarial and most of the time the case ends with an order that one side pays the others costs. In former times, this was usually when a Costs Specialist was instructed. Now it is common to involve a legal costs expert earlier as a result of the cost budgeting reforms. By ensuring that you have a Costs Specialist who understands all of the aspects of the litigation procedure you can ensure that the costs are settled correctly. 

Our team of Costs Specialists is made up of experienced Costs Lawyers and experienced Costs Draftsmen who are equipped and well versed in all areas of civil litigation billing. Our civil litigation team can prepare and advise on costs budgets as well as preparing bills of costs when it is necessary to recover costs from a paying party. 

Our team of Costs Specialists work with our clients to ensure that the bill of costs is prepared in such a way that it minimises any possible challenge from the paying party and ensures that the maximum amount can be recovered.

Cost Budgets

Most part 7 multitrack cases are now subject to cost budgeting. Estimating the costs to be incurred after the CMC is far from straightforward and the consequences of undervaluing an estimate can be severe and amendments hard to achieve. It is also necessary to check and challenge the other side’s budget. This involves a number of variables and demands the use of a costs professional to avoid the consequences of getting the process wrong. Our experienced Costs Specialists will ensure that costs are accurately valued and future costs estimated fully and categorised properly.

The consequences of getting this process wrong can be expensive and our team assists with advice on the categorisation of work for budgets then preparing the electronic bill needed to recover costs at the conclusion of a case. These larger matters often have interlocutory hearings and we can also prepare the requisite costs schedules (N260) and ensure that the work is correctly related to the overall costs.

The consequences of getting this process wrong can be serious and our team assist with advice on the categorisation of work for budgets and bills needed to maximise the return on a file as well as working with fee earners and preparing budgets and bills.

Challenging Bills of Costs

Challenging bills

Litigation is unpredictable.

Our team of Legal Costs Experts are regularly tasked with challenging bills of costs on behalf of paying parties. We analyse the bill, identify issues of concern and advise on settlement including raising points of dispute, calculating likely recovery and advising on offers, including part 36. This will often involve dealing with replies to the points and negotiation with the other side. While it is usually possible to settle on favourable terms, sometimes this is not possible and there is detailed assessment, either on the papers or in person. We are able to deal with all issues arising including attending hearings, calculating settlement figures and providing a full report so that solicitor and client are clear about how the matter concluded.

Our expertise often ensures that the matter can be brought to a swift conclusion without the need for a detailed assessment hearing and the additional costs that can be incurred as a result

Legal Aid Claims

Our Costs Draftsman have extensive experience in preparing Bills of Costs on behalf of solicitors and are knowledgeable in the assessment process of drafting a bill of costs. Our team’s experience and knowledge ensure that your bill of costs will be fairly assessed and you will be able to recover the maximum amount of costs. 

Our past experience has shown us that we are able to ensure very little in the way of reductions to a bill of costs prepared by our team. In addition, we aim to ensure that the solicitor recovers fair remuneration for the work undertaken on the case. 

Why you should choose our firm

Our team of experienced Costs Draftsman work alongside our clients, accepting instructions from both individuals and Solicitors in all aspects of Litigation billing, whether it is preparing a claim for costs, challenging an opponent’s bill of costs or simply helping clients navigate the complex assessment process. Our experience shows that the earlier you seek advice the better equipped you are to challenge a claim and we regularly advise clients on the best strategy to adopt in negotiating a claim for costs as well as negotiating on their behalf.

Looking For A Reliable And Dedicated Law Cost Draftsman?

We pride ourselves on being trusted professional advisers across the UK. Enquire now to see how we can help you recover or defend legal costs.