Plans to make the new electronic bill of costs compulsory this autumn have been postponed.
The Civil Procedure Rule Committee was due to make electronic bills of costs compulsory in the Senior Courts Costs Office from October 2017. However, the plans have now been delayed until April 2018, subject to the Parliamentary timetable, to ensure that all courts are ready to accept electronic bills of costs. Francis Kendall, vice-chairman of the Association of Costs Lawyers, said: ‘The profession will welcome more time to get to grips with the electronic bill.
‘My concern, however, is that some solicitors will just use the delay to avoid addressing this new approach to billing at all. The fact is that an electronic bill of costs is coming sooner or later and lawyers need to be ready.’
