Legal Cost Specialists

Senior Courts Costs Office statistics

The Ministry of Justice’ statistics for the work of the Senior Court Costs Office gives the following:

Senior Courts Costs Office

Number of costs bills assessed, by type of case giving rise to the bill, 2006–2010

Number of bills

Type of case

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

‘Between parties’ assessments

2,459

2,205

1,888

1,788

1,788

Civil legal aid assessments

6,315

5,756

5,146

4,319

4,542

Receivers’ costs in the Court of Protection1

4,082

4,528

4,710

5,054

4,960

Appeals against determination of costs in the Crown Court

366

528

387

365

289

Total assessments

13,222

13,017

12,131

11,526

11,579

 

The commentary to the report states:

“In 2010, the Senior Courts Costs Office (SCCO) assessed 11,580 bills remaining level since 2009. It reflects the levelling out of the impact of Predictable Costs in Road Traffic Cases, the reduction in technical challenges to Conditional Fee Agreements and fixed success fees.”

The broadly flat figures for the last three years would be fine but for the fact the number of costs judges and costs offices is dropping. It is my imagination or are the dates for the listing of hearings in the SCCO getting pushed ever back?

2 thoughts on “Senior Courts Costs Office statistics”

  1. Interesting. I would have thought that inter partes disputes generate more than 15.5% of the SCCO’s assessments.

  2. Ive just been on a DA in a local county court (well away from London, I should add), and was asked if I knew why the SCCO was asking all the provincial courts if they have assessment work needing doing, and would they consider transferring costs claims of £25k or over to the SCCO.

    Doesn’t this sort of fly in the face of the alleged statistics, and also Simons comment about the lengthening wait for hearings in the SCCO?

    I repeat my comment on another post, if we draftsmen are to police a solicitors costs by what we put into the bills, why have the courts at all? Indeed, do away with Defendant Draftsmen entirely (sorry Simon), as we claimant guys will have already made sure only the perfectly reasonable stuff is in the bills sent out, and The Insurers will henceforth be happy to pay up without a fight

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