header-logo header-logo

Home Login E-newsletter About us

A matter of time: guideline hourly rates (Pt 3)

© Copyright LexisNexis 2026. All Rights Reserved.
24 March 2021 / Julian Chamberlayne
Issue: 7926 / Categories: Features , Profession , Costs
printer mail-detail
43925
In his final update, Julian Chamberlayne discusses the future of GHR, inflation & suggests a fairer way forward
  • The working group’s current methodology, based on allowed rates, leads to proposed GHR that are 15% lower than average claimed rates.
  • Erosion of the full compensation principle and possible solution.

This is the third in a series of articles concerning the Civil Justice Council (CJC) working group’s report on the Guideline Hourly Rates (GHR) of 8 January 2021 and the associated consultation that runs to the end of March 2021 (see https://bit.ly/315LEUO).

In the first article, I set out the background, then described and commented on the CJC’s methodology; in the second, I looked at the London and National bandings, plus the application of enhancements to GHR for complexity, importance and value. This leaves me now to turn to the future of GHR, inflation and the consultation questions.

The future of GHR

The CJC working group sensibly acknowledged there were some issues

If you are not a subscriber, subscribe now to read this content
If you are already a subscriber sign in
...or Register for two weeks' free access to subscriber content

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Read All
Sponsored by
Freeths—Ruth Clare

Freeths—Ruth Clare

National real estate team bolstered by partner hire in Manchester

Farrer & Co—Claire Gordon

Farrer & Co—Claire Gordon

Partner appointed head of family team

mfg Solicitors—Neil Harrison

mfg Solicitors—Neil Harrison

Firm strengthens agriculture and rural affairs team with partner return

NEWS
Read All
Conveyancers celebrate U-turn over mortgage handbook fee
Conveyancing lawyers have enjoyed a rapid win after campaigning against UK Finance’s decision to charge for access to the Mortgage Lenders’ Handbook
Are you suited to a career in prosecution?
The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has launched a recruitment drive for talented early career and more senior barristers and solicitors
LSB marks Mazur homework
Regulators differed in the clarity and consistency of their post-Mazur advice and guidance, according to an interim report by the Legal Services Board (LSB)
NLJ this week: When AI hallucinates, lawyers risk real-world sanctions
The dangers of uncritical artificial intelligence (AI) use in legal practice are no longer hypothetical. In this week's NLJ, Dr Charanjit Singh of Holborn Chambers examines cases where lawyers relied on ‘hallucinated’ citations — entirely fictitious authorities generated by AI tools
NLJ this week: Stuck in the past?
The Solicitors Act 1974 may still underpin legal regulation, but its age is increasingly showing. Writing in NLJ this week, Victoria Morrison-Hughes of the Association of Costs Lawyers argues that the Act is ‘out of step with modern consumer law’ and actively deters fairness
Copyright © 2026 LexisNexis
back-to-top-scroll