Additional Services

Clinical Negligence and Personal Injury

Our law costs draftsmen have vast experience in personal injury and medical negligence matters. We are forward thinking and aim to achieve our clients objectives and to give early advice and constructive evaluation on a variety of high quantum complex matters. Conditional fee agreements, community legal services and private retainers are just a few of the many areas we cover.

Our clients include a variety of medical negligence and personal injury lawyers and health care providers who we give pragmatic and sound advice and first class support in this complex area of law costs.

Solicitor and Client

Instructions are frequently taken in respect of solicitor and client disputes and we take on the role of negotiator and mediator to achieve an amicable result. We also act in Solicitors Act proceedings and have to adhere to strict statutory time limits.

Each costs lawyer in our organization has Rights of Audience and able to give total support throughout the course of the sometimes contentious and complex issues that may arise including making representations at Court.

Cost Management

Our firm has undertaken work not only in the United Kingdom but also in Europe in organising clients in their expenditure budget and quantifying legal expenses that might occur. We work in close proximity with our clients and their lawyers to avoid disputes arising mainly brought about through lack of cost management. To be informed well in advance of fees and expenses will save many hours of wasted time and further expense.

Preparing Estimates of Costs for case management and in support of applications for security for costs are one of the many areas of law costs that we are happy to assist in and will quantify strict budgets to act upon.

Seminars

CUMBERLAND COSTINGS are well versed and equipped to train legal professionals in all areas of legal costs and have enormous experience in this field.

If you feel your firm or any of your team would benefit from a training session or seminar from one of our highly skilled costs draftsmen structured to your specific requirements on any particular aspect of law costs or simply wish to expand your knowledge in the world of legal costs or obtain an expert’s advice in this highly complex subject with latest news and updates in this constantly changing environment of costs please contact us for further information.

In house seminars/training can be arranged and tailor made to give constructive information on specific areas or problems regarding law costs to include the following:

• Optimising time records for maximum profits
• File management
• Assessment of costs
• Budgeting and costs estimate
• Recovery of additional liabilities
• Family Fixed fees
• Family Advocacy Scheme

We will advise on effective billing guidelines which will maximise your profit and ensure transparency and accountability and explain the pitfalls that often solicitors fall into and instruct on strategies which will assist clients to attain significant savings.

It is vital that files are kept organised and methodical with “profit” being the main objective and that the solicitors recorded time is in harmony with their ledger accounts and that no costs are lost or fall through the net as so often occurs. Our seminars will cover all different areas of the costing process and aim to instruct practitioners of new Costs Rules and Regulations so there is no wasted time which equates to loss of profit. In these TURBULENT TIMES and major uncertainty it is crucial that firms maximise on their costs and are proficient in time recording and organising files in a cost effective way and guided by an experienced law cost draftsman. There is an enormous amount of pressure on solicitors to achieve good results for their clients and have to “work hard for their money” and to lose out financially through lack of understanding on how the process of law costs can operate to their advantage is unacceptable.

PROFIT IS VITAL to sustain a healthy cash flow not only in respect of solicitors but to all in the commercial world. If you feel your firm could benefit from this service and requires assistance in any specific area of law costs please do not hesitate to contact this firm as all our seminars are tailored to the specific needs of our clients.

Costs Audits

Large organisations who regularly instruct litigation solicitors will be interested in our Costs Auditing Service carried out by an experienced Costs Lawyer who can review solicitors bills including their work product, fees and disbursements which can be reviewed shortly after they are issued by the firm for prompt feedback or after the matter has been finalised and this review can be carried out with or without the knowledge and cooperation of the law firm concerned. Our expert costs draftsmen have considerable experience as fee earners and are perfectly placed to deal with the following issues:

• If the work done is in accordance with the instructions given
• Whether the appropriate level of fee earner has been assigned to a particular aspect of the case
• Whether there has been unnecessary duplication of fee earners
• Excessive staffing on certain exercises
• Inappropriate methods applied in the preparation and conduct of the case
• Determine that disbursements are in accordance with instructions
• The fees charged are reasonable and justified

Our Costs lawyers are qualified to conduct costs litigation in the Senior Courts Costs Office.

One of our partners has over 25 years experience as a litigation fee earner having worked for Freshfields in their Chancery Litigation Department and for Hamlins, London W1 dealing with complex building disputes and intellectual property litigation for the Film and Record industries and various designers and has been a dedicated specialist in costs and therefore in the perfect position to evaluate the reasonableness of solicitors charges.

ENQUIRE