THE DIFFERENCE
Gibbs Wyatt Stone was created to fill the gap that existed in the costs market. GWS are not:
Costs negotiators – Traditional costs negotiators have focused on high volume, low value claims. Their business models are not designed to provide the level of costs expertise demanded by defendants in high value, complex costs matters. With GWS defendants know that all their cases are dealt with by genuine costs experts. We are focused on providing a truly professional service and not simply on “cutting a deal”.
Costs draftsmen – The main job of traditional costs draftsmen is to draft Bills of Costs. Unlike GWS, their role is not focused on the forensic business of challenging cost claims. A costs draftsman is not required to have any legal qualifications and often has no legal background at all. In the increasingly complex field of legal cost, a genuine understanding of legal issues is essential. All our fee earners have trained as barristers and therefore have a proper understanding of the litigation process and legal principles. Further, most costs draftsmen act for both claimants and defendants. This leads to inevitable conflicts of interest and the frustrating return of instructions. We only act for defendants.
Costs counsel – Specialist costs counsel will generally only provide advocacy or advices on specific points of law. The Bar's Code of Practice prevents counsel engaging in routine negotiations with third parties. At GWS, we provide the level of technical expertise usually only found in costs counsel combined with the breadth of service found in traditional costs draftsmen. In exceptional cases, where complex test litigation is involved, we will work in close partnership with costs counsel and can help manage the whole process.
