NLJ this week: No escape from costs compliance for litigants in person

04 April 2025

Issue: 8111 / Categories: Legal News , Profession , Costs , Litigants in person

A recent case illustrates the financial risks facing litigants in person (LiPs) who fail to comply with the correct procedure on costs. Julian Caddick, council member of the Association of Costs Lawyers and a partner and head of costs at Thompsons Solicitors, explains the case in this week’s NLJ, and offers key takeaways for practitioners who find themselves opposite a LiP.

In this case, the LiP succeeded in some regards in the case but lost out financially due to compliance failures on costs.

Caddick writes: ‘The costs judge expressed sympathy for the LiP having to deal with intricate costs rules, but a bill was still required, something the claimant appeared to be aware of.’

Issue: 8111 / Categories: Legal News , Profession , Costs , Litigants in person

Costs: getting personal

NLJ this week: No escape from costs compliance for litigants in person

In this case, the LiP succeeded in some regards in the case but lost out financially due to compliance failures on costs.

Caddick writes: ‘The costs judge expressed sympathy for the LiP having to deal with intricate costs rules, but a bill was still required, something the claimant appeared to be aware of.’

Issue: 8111 / Categories: , Legal News , Profession , Costs , Litigants in person

Costs: getting personal

SourceURL:

Links:

E-newsletter Sign-Up

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Read All

Mourant—Stephen Alexander

Jersey litigation lead appointed to global STEP Council

mfg Solicitors—nine trainees

Firm invests in future talent with new training cohort

360 Law Group—Anthony Gahan

Investment banking veteran appointed as chairman to drive global growth

NEWS

Read All

NLJ this week: Fraud claims climb as courts brace for AI threats

Charlie Mercer and Astrid Gillam of Stewarts crunch the numbers on civil fraud claims in the English courts, in this week's NLJ. New data shows civil fraud claims rising steadily since 2014, with the King’s Bench Division overtaking the Commercial Court as the forum of choice for lower-value disputes

NLJ this week: Pro bono power without the red tape

Bea Rossetto of the National Pro Bono Centre makes the case for ‘General Practice Pro Bono’—using core legal skills to deliver life-changing support, without the need for niche expertise—in this week's NLJ

NLJ this week: DNA evidence—justice on ice?

In this week's NLJ, Steven Ball of Red Lion Chambers unpacks how advances in forensic science finally unmasked Ryland Headley, jailed in 2025 for the 1967 rape and murder of 75-year-old Louisa Dunne. Preserved swabs and palm prints lay dormant for decades until DNA-17 profiling produced a billion-to-one match

NLJ this week: Traders’ convictions quashed in Libor shock

The Supreme Court issued a landmark judgment in July that overturned the convictions of Tom Hayes and Carlo Palombo, once poster boys of the Libor and Euribor scandal. In NLJ this week, Neil Swift of Peters & Peters considers what the ruling means for financial law enforcement

NLJ this week: Small firms call for tech clarity as AI looms

Small law firms want to embrace technology but feel lost in a maze of jargon, costs and compliance fears, writes Aisling O’Connell of the Solicitors Regulation Authority in this week's NLJ

Error message

NLJ this week: No escape from costs compliance for litigants in person

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Mourant—Stephen Alexander

mfg Solicitors—nine trainees

360 Law Group—Anthony Gahan