Legal Costs Blog

Legal Costs Blog

Legal Costs Blog

Webinar on Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP

Webinar on Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP from Kings Chambers’ Kevin Latham and Fraser Barnstaple for an immediate and informative analysis on the decision in Mazur whilst hot-off-the-press and what it means for the litigation industry.
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Webinar on Personal Injury Costs 2026

Webinar on personal injury costs from Kings Chambers’ Craig Ralph and Steven Turner as they undertake their annual review of current issues in personal injury costs including Part 36, Fixed costs, Vulnerability/Budgeting and deductions from damages.  
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Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP – overturned

On Tuesday, the Court of Appeal handed down judgement in the most eagerly awaited decision of the century (at least so far as the legal profession was concerned) in the case of Mazur and another -v- Charles Russell Speechlys LLP, and others [2026] EWCA Civ 369 . The appeal was ...
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Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys – Wrongly decided? – Part 4

The title of today’s post is a bit of a cheat as we are not looking at the direct question of whether Mazur & Anor v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP [2025] EWHC 2341 (KB) was wrongly decided as a matter of law, but a related issue as to whether it matters ...
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Is Wraith still relevant when considering hourly rates?

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

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

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?

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?

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?

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

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

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

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

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

The 2025 version of the Senior Court Costs Office Guide is now available.
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Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP – webinar

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?

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?

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

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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