Head of costs team at the Treasury joins Practico
Leading commercial costs consultancy Practico has welcomed James Barrett who joins as a managing associate from HM Government, where he was head of costs team for the Treasury Solicitor’s Department.
Practico has experienced increasing demand for costs support to leading law firms and in-house counsel in high value commercial cases since the implementation of the Jackson reforms. In his new role James will assist in the management and training of the team as well as leading key client relationships.
James has 14 years’ experience as a costs lawyer and led a team of 21 in his previous role. He specialises in managing the costs in large, complex litigation, including advising the Serious Fraud Office in its case against the Tchenguiz brothers and the Department of Public Prosecutions in the landmark Purdy v DPP “right to die” appeal. In addition, he has experience of cost mediation and provides training on the Jackson reforms. James is well known in the profession both for his role in high profile cases—many of which have set important precedents in the developing area of costs law—and his continued involvement with the Association of Costs Lawyers where he is a council member.
James says: “Practico has an outstanding reputation for its strategic approach to costs management and budgeting advice to leading law firms and large companies and I was delighted to be given the opportunity to join the consultancy at such an important time in its development. This is the perfect setting for me to apply my experience of managing costs in large, multifaceted government litigation to complex cases.”
Andy Ellis, managing director of Practico says: “James joining Practico is a fantastic way to end what has been an extremely successful year for Practico. We have anticipated and reacted to the new costs landscape that was ushered in by the Jackson reforms and our business has benefited as a result. James adds both management and technical ability to our team and we very much look forward to working with him.”
