News | Budgeting

How To Revise A Costs Budget – The New Precedent T

16 September 2020   The update to the CPR and Practice Directions due on 1st October 2020 amends the costs budgeting process when Costs Budgets are to be revised.  This includes the preparation of a new form called a Precedent T.  The following briefly sets out how the new process will work. There already exists in CPR PD 3E para 7.6 a requirement for parties to vary costs budgets where there have been sig .....continue reading

Utting V City College Norwich - Is An Underspent Phase A Good Reason To Depart From An Approved Costs Budget?

12 June 2020   Master Brown’s recent decision in Utting v City College Norwich [2020] EWHC B20 (Costs) gives further guidance on how an underspent costs budget phase should be treated on detailed assessment; namely that it is not in itself good reason to make further reductions to the claimed budgeted costs. This decision forms part of growing case law defining good reason to depart from an approved costs .....continue reading

How To Revise A Costs Budget – Chief Master Marsh’s Guidance In Sharp V Blank

30 January 2018   Since the introduction of costs management in April 2013 we have observed the rules and practice directions evolve and change, however one issue has continued to remain unclear. How should you revise an approved/agreed costs budget?  In particular how are incurred costs treated? Chief Master Marsh’s judgment in Sharp v Blank [2017] EWHC 3390 (Ch) addresses this issue in great detail an .....continue reading

The Budgeting Saga Continues – Now For Hourly Rates!

05 January 2018   Another issue has arisen as to what amounts to good reason to depart from an approved costs budget with currently conflicting decisions. This time it is whether the alteration of hourly rates on detailed assessment is good reason for depart from an approved costs budget. One of the conflicting decisions is from Deputy Master Campbell (RNB v London Borough of Newham [2017] EWHC B15 (Costs)) and th .....continue reading

Costs Budgets, Detailed Assessments And Hourly Rates

27 September 2017   Back in July we reported on the Court of Appeal’s decision in Harrison v University Hospitals Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust that on a standard basis detailed assessment it will be necessary to show good reason to depart from an approved budget of estimated costs, either upwards or downwards.  This showed how fully costs budgets and detailed assessments are linked and the import .....continue reading

The Budgeting Game

30 August 2017   In Findcharm Limited v Churchill Group [2017] EWHC 1108 (TCC), Coulson, J was scathing of the Defendant’s conduct and their budget.  Observing that steps have been taken in the budgeting process to make the process more user-friendly and efficient, including the use of the Precedent R, Coulson J went on to complain that, despite this ‘even now, some parties seem to treat costs bud .....continue reading

Costs Budgets And Bills Of Costs – Take The Same Approach!

30 August 2017   The recent decision of Master McCloud, sitting as a deputy costs judge, in the case of Woodburn v Thomas [2017] EWHC B16 (Costs) highlighted how costs budgeting is fundamentally linked to the detailed assessment process.  In this case the costs lawyer drafting the bill of costs separated the costs budgeting and costs management costs into separate ‘non phase’ parts as those costs .....continue reading

Lord Justice Jackson’s Supplemental Report Into Civil Litigation Costs

08 August 2017   After many months of work, Lord Justice Jackson’s report on fixed costs is now available. This briefing considers his proposals and the potential consequences. Described as being a ‘supplemental report’ to his original Final Report of 2010, it seeks to advance fixed costs further than the scheme previously introduced but not as far as anticipated, since Lord Justice Jackson has .....continue reading



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