Legal Costs Blog
Legal Costs Blog
Legal Costs Blog
Is Wraith still relevant when considering hourly rates?
November 21, 2025
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The recent decision of His Honour Judge Matthews, sitting as a High Court judge, in EJW Builders Ltd & Anor v Marshall & Ors (Re Costs) [2025] EWHC 2898 (Ch) questioned whether Wraith v Sheffield Forgemasters Ltd/Truscott v Truscott [1997] EWCA Civ 2285 would be decided the same today. The Truscott ...
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Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys – Wrongly decided? – Part 3
November 19, 2025
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With the latest news being that CILEX has applied for permission to appeal to the Court of Appeal in Mazur & Anor v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP [2025] EWHC 2341 (KB), it is worth continuing to explore the arguments that might be advanced as to why Mazur was wrong. One ...
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Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys – Wrongly decided? – Part 2
November 17, 2025
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One of the arguments advanced as to why Mazur & Anor v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP [2025] EWHC 2341 (KB) may have been wrongly decided comes from Jackson Yamba, a registered foreign lawyer at Halifax firm SAZ Solicitors, via LinkedIn: “Why Mazur is Wrong on Exempt Persons under the Legal Services ...
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Does Qualified One-Way Costs Shifting apply to detailed assessment?
November 10, 2025
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The Association of Costs Lawyers’ London Annual Costs Conference was held last Friday. One of the breakout sessions was “An Audience with Senior Costs Judge Rowley”. As entertainment goes, it was better than “An Audience with Jeremy Beadle” but not as good as “An Audience with Victoria Wood”. Each to ...
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Do Guideline Hourly Rates need to be revisited for Chartered Legal Executives?
November 6, 2025
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One of the apparent anomalies to emerge from Mazur & Anor v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP [2025] EWHC 2341 (KB) is the fact that Chartered Legal Executives with over 8 years’ experience are treated as Grade A fee earners for the purposes of the Guideline Hourly Rates despite the fact ...
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Do Costs Lawyers need to work for an authorised firm?
November 5, 2025
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The recent guidance on Mazur & Anor v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP [2025] EWHC 2341 (KB) from the Law Society states, in relation to those authorised to conduct litigation: “Both the firm and the individual carrying on the activity must be authorised” This is clearly not intended to refer only to ...
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Bill of Costs reduced by 75% because of CPR 44.11 misconduct
November 3, 2025
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Last year I represented the paying partying in a detailed assessment where CPR 44.11 misconduct allegations were raised. The £258,583.78 claim for costs was assessed at £nil and the receiving party’s solicitor referred to the SRA (Kapoor v Johal, Johal & Johal [2024] EWHC 2853 (SCCO)). The case received significant coverage in ...
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Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys – first example of costs being disallowed
October 30, 2025
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The first decision of a judge reducing costs in light of Mazur & Anor v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP [2025] EWHC 2341 (KB) has just been reported. Legal Futures has written up last week’s Claims Futures conference where one of the speakers was District Judge Richard Lumb, who sits at Oxford ...
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Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys – Wrongly decided? – Part 1
October 27, 2025
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There have been a number of commentators suggesting that Mazur & Anor v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP [2025] EWHC 2341 (KB) was wrongly decided. It is fair to say that much of this has been wishful thinking and/or based on misconceived arguments. However, there have also been a number of other ...
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Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys – SCCO Guide gets in wrong
October 24, 2025
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The new Senior Court Costs Office Guide 2025 has just been published. However, the Foreword is dated 18 August 2025 and the Guide was therefore presumably written some time before that. This is unfortunate. If it had been drafted post-Mazur & Anor v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP [2025] EWHC 2341 (KB), ...
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Senior Courts Costs Office Guide 2025
October 23, 2025
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The 2025 version of the Senior Court Costs Office Guide is now available.
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Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP – webinar
October 20, 2025
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Webinar from Kings Chambers’ Kevin Latham and Fraser Barnstaple breaking down the ratio underpinning the decision in Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP and considering the potential ramifications for unqualified fee earners, CILEX fellows who do not hold practice rights, costs draftspeople and their employers, in both substantive and costs ...
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Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys – will you go to prison?
October 16, 2025
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How likely are you to be sent to prison in light of Mazur & Anor v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP [2025] EWHC 2341 (KB)? Section 14 of the Legal Servies Act 2007 states: “Offence to carry on a reserved legal activity if not entitled (1) It is an offence for a ...
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Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys – will settled cases be reopened?
October 15, 2025
1 Comment
There have been a number of commentators suggesting that parties may start to reopen costs orders, or even judgments in the underlying litigation, in light of Mazur & Anor v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP [2025] EWHC 2341 (KB). The arguments would presumably be either: the underlying claim/defence would have been ...
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Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys – how to avoid problems
October 14, 2025
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What steps should law firms take to ensure they do not fall foul of Mazur & Anor v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP [2025] EWHC 2341 (KB)? Obviously, the starting point is that all litigated cases must be run by an authorised fee earner. Unauthorised fee earners can assist but not ...
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Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys – what about Chartered Legal Executives?
October 13, 2025
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Chartered Legal Executives are one group that have been significantly impacted by Mazur & Anor v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP [2025] EWHC 2341 (KB). It appears that not all Charted Legal Executives are created equally. Those who now qualify via the CILEX Professional Qualification acquire the right to conduct litigation ...
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Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys – what about costs recovery?
October 9, 2025
1 Comment
Let us assume that the worst has come to the worst and all work undertaken on a case was performed by an unauthorised fee earner. Where does that leave the issue of costs recovery in light of Mazur & Anor v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP [2025] EWHC 2341 (KB)? Firstly, ...
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Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys – what does this mean for costs draftsmen?
October 7, 2025
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What does Mazur & Anor v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP [2025] EWHC 2341 (KB) mean for unauthorised costs draftsmen? I would suggest very little. (Separately, authorised Costs Lawyers have the right to conduct litigation (so far as it relates to costs matters).) Steps such as drafting Bills of Costs, Points of ...
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Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys – what does this mean for advocacy?
October 6, 2025
1 Comment
What does Mazur & Anor v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP [2025] EWHC 2341 (KB) mean for advocacy? The short answer is: nothing. And I do not mean that just in the sense that Mazur was only meant to clarify the existing law as opposed to creating new law. Mazur was concerned ...
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