People

Our People

Deryk Cumberland  Senior Partner

Deryk our Senior Partner and experienced costs lawyer has been involved in law since a very young age and has been married for forty years and has four sons all working in the financial sector in London. He has worked for established Law firms in the City and West End of London including Freshfields and Hamlins as a practicing Legal Executive dealing with complex High Court cases and was a leading figure in the Anti Piracy Campaign launched in the UK by the MPEAA on behalf of film companies and the BPI on behalf of the record industry. He has been involved in costing, mediation and arbitration for over forty years and although he was a practicing Legal Executive he has always been involved in the costing process and is fully aware of how to cost a bill effectively and efficiently which will not be rejected by the Costs Officer assessing the bill. He has consistently over the years acted as an advocate in many high profile cases and indeed was instrumental in the birth of the Search and Seize Order having persuaded the Court to grant such an Order in the case of EMI Records v Pandit [1975]1 All ER 418 and later asked to assist the plaintiff in Anton Piller KG v Manufacturing Processes [1976] Ch 55 and in several other reported cases including the important case of EMI Records v Ian Cameron Wallace [1982] 2 All ER 980 which changed the basis of costing to the present standard and indemnity bases.

“Cash for Questions” – (I’m a Celebrity….Get Me Out Of Here – Christine Hamilton)

Deryk personally worked on the Mohammed Fayed v Hamilton case which dealt with the question of third party funding of litigation. It involved hours of research and voluminous documentation with the result that Mohammed Fayed failed in his High Court attempt to recover legal costs from several business people who helped fund the former Tory Minister Neil Hamilton’s failed “cash for questions” libel action against the Harrods owner.

Christine Hamilton spent 26 years working as a secretary for her politician husband, Neil Hamilton, until the notorious ‘cash for questions’ affair cost him his seat in the House of Commons. His subsequent bankruptcy spawned the Hamiltons’ reinvention as jobbing rent-a-celebs and Christine has now published her autobiography “For Better For Worse”.

British Phonographic Industry Anti-Piracy Campaign was yet another high profile matter which Deryk Cumberland and Tony Hoffman former Deputy Costs Judge were instrumental in and were presented with gold discs by the BPI for their enormous contribution to the industry.

Rumours were rife a few years ago that the costs profession was a dying industry and indeed for some it will be – but I have never ever believed this to be the case, it is just a matter of evolving and developing new ideas and which has now turned out to be a growth industry for many who have stayed at the forefront of the profession and embraced change.

Pamela Turney BCom

Pamela has over thirty years experience in the legal sector working for leading London law firms including A.E. Hamlin & Co and Crawley & De Reya and has a wealth of knowledge in litigation and high level law costs cases. She has a natural ability to draw from clients information and statistics that would otherwise go by the board and which results in very cost effective bills being drawn and with a consistent high level of success being achieved. Pamela knows only too well the pitfalls that a less experienced draftsperson could succumb to and is therefore able to achieve outstanding results and thereby making the costing process as cost efficient as possible for her clients. Her reputation is important to her and her clients are her reputation.

Eva Yarbug BIntBus

Eva was born in Sweden and has travelled widely in the course of her life and has many business interests around the world. Eva worked in Australia for three years and achieved a University degree in International Business with Majors in Economics and Marketing. She then worked on a successful project in Hong Kong before returning to the United Kingdom where she put her skills into the profession of law costs. Eva has several years experience and has an excellent grasp of the intricacies involved in preparation of bills and is a first class advocate and a valuable asset to the firm.

Eva is a mathematical genius and does not miss a trick when it comes to recovering costs for clients, she is meticulous in analysing problems and picking up on unclaimed time. Her ability to think out of the box is second to none and she has achieved spectacular results over the last few years.

Derek Sutton

Extremely competent and experienced and who has been a costs draftsman for many years and is now a Consultant for our firm and has a wealth of experience. Derek has worked for leading firms in the City of London including Hamlins and Charles Russell. His experience includes complex shipping and banking litigation and an expert in intellectual property matters – his expertise is second to none.

Ken Wylie

A former assessment officer at the Crown Court and an experienced law costs draftsman with many years specialising in Criminal matters. He has enormous experience in all aspects of legal aid and has enjoyed great success with recovery of Defendants Costs Orders payable out of Central Funds. He has been involved in multi million pound claims from Central Funds in cases involving Extradition and Regulatory Enforcement. There are many pitfalls to be overcome in such cases and Ken is a leading authority in such complex matters and has been very successful in achieving clients objectives.

Jonathan Spencer BSc.Hons

Jonathan is an energetic and extremely positive person who thrives on success and challenge. Jonathan has worked for our firm for five years and has an in depth knowledge of costing bills at all levels. He has a degree in Economics and English and gained his experience in the financial sector in the City of London at an early age and was employed by major financial establishments including BZW and Hambros Bank. He has invaluable communication skills which are imperative in the competitive world of law costing. Jonathan moved to Australia for three years to gain experience and on relocating back to London he continued in the field of law costs and worked as a freelance law costs draftsman for several years. Since he joined our firm he has proved himself to be a valued asset and a competent advocate and has achieved high levels of success for our valued clients. Points of Dispute and mediation are his forte and Jonathan will give 100% of himself to achieve the desired result.

Michael Watson LLB

An extremely proficient law graduate who has been working for the firm for the last five years. Michael has gained a wealth of experience whilst working with us. He is keen and ambitious and is a valuable asset to our team. The one thing that is evident is that Michael not only has a natural ability to absorb knowledge along with an innovative concept of law costs but has that extra important factor which is “common sense” which is something missing in some highly knowledgeable people. Michael pushes the boundaries and thinks outside of the box which is truly inspiring.

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