I am Andrew Hogan, a specialist costs and litigation funding barrister at Hailsham Chambers.
I was called to the Bar in 1996. For much of my career I undertook a broad civil practice. That matters. Costs disputes do not arise in the abstract. They arise out of real litigation: claims that have succeeded, failed, settled, collapsed, overrun, underperformed, or become too expensive to ignore.
I now practise principally in legal costs and litigation funding.
I advise and appear in disputes about retainers, solicitor-client costs, commercial costs, litigation funding, detailed assessment, costs budgeting, Part 36, QOCS, non-party costs, wasted costs and costs mediation.
What I do
I help solicitors, costs lawyers, funders, insurers, commercial clients and individuals with difficult costs problems.
Sometimes the problem is a retainer. Sometimes it is a bill. Sometimes it is a costs order, budget, Part 36 offer or detailed assessment which alters the true value of the case. Sometimes the problem sits behind the parties, as with funders, insurers, credit hire companies, directors or commercial backers. Sometimes the issue is personal to the lawyers, as with wasted costs.
The work is technical. But it is not merely technical. It calls for judgment, proportion and a clear sense of what is worth fighting about.
Experience
I have nearly 30 years’ experience at the Bar. I have a national costs and litigation funding practice and appear in the County Court, High Court, Senior Courts Costs Office and Court of Appeal.
I am ranked Band 1 for Costs Litigation.
I advise on retainers, CFAs, DBAs, client care letters, funding agreements and damages deduction provisions before they become the subject of a dispute. That is often the best time to take advice.
Writing and approach
I write extensively on costs and litigation funding. The articles on this site are not legal advice. They are intended to help readers identify the issue and decide whether advice is needed.
My approach is practical. Some costs points are bad. Some are good but not worth taking. Some look small but decide the case. The job is to know the difference.
Costs disputes can be heated. They often come at the end of hard litigation, when patience and budgets are both exhausted. A calm approach is usually better than a noisy one.
Beyond work
I live in Nottinghamshire with my family.
When not working, I enjoy walking, writing, reading, history, fiction, old technology, and the occasional balloon flight when the weather permits.
Instructing me
I practise from Hailsham Chambers in the Temple, London.
Instructions should usually be sent through my clerks. If you need advice, drafting, advocacy or mediation in a costs or litigation funding matter, please contact chambers and identify any deadline, hearing date or urgent point.