Costs
Dentons UK and Middle East LLP v SRA Ltd [2026] EWCA Civ 655
The Court of Appeal ruled on costs issues arising from its judgment of 27 April 2026, which allowed Dentons UK and Middle East LLP’s appeal against a decision of Lang J, itself made on appeal from the Solicitors’ Disciplinary Tribunal (SDT) in proceedings brought by the Solicitors Regulation Authority Ltd (SRA). The key issue was whether the SRA, as a regulatory body, should be protected from adverse costs orders. The court held that the principle in Baxendale-Walker v Law Society, which provides that no presumption exists that costs follow the event in proceedings before the SDT, does not extend to appeals from the SDT. The court found itself bound by Wingate v SRA, which established that parties on appeal stand on equal footing in a costs-shifting regime under the CPR. The court reasoned that the SRA’s position on appeal, having the benefit of a determination by the SDT, was akin to that of a normal litigant.
