17 October 2012
Jackson proposals boost role of costs lawyer
The Jackson reforms will place “a far greater emphasis on dealing with costs pre-emptively rather than after the event”, boosting the role of the costs lawyer, according to Iain Stark, chairman of the Association of Costs Lawyers (ACL).
“This means solicitors will need to bring in costs expertise from the start of a case to ensure that the budget they will have to submit to the court at an early stage is realistic and defensible.”
The number of people choosing to train as a costs lawyer has stayed high this year, with the ACL receiving 108 applications, compared to 112 in 2011 and 65 in 2010.
Costs lawyers have independent rights of audience and are authorised to conduct litigation.
