I write about legal costs, litigation funding and related questions arising in civil litigation. The emphasis is practical: what the authorities mean, how the rules operate and where the real risks lie.
The latest articles appear below. If you are looking for a particular area, the four broad gateways provide a quicker route into the archive.
Costs
Commercial costs, Part 36, QOCS, detailed assessment and related costs issues.
Litigation Funding
Funding agreements, ATE insurance, security for costs and the economics of litigation.
Solicitor-Client & Retainers
Solicitors Act assessments, retainers, CFAs, DBAs, success fees and deductions from damages.
Group & Specialist Litigation
Collective proceedings, group litigation and selected wider developments affecting civil justice.
Recent analysis
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Twelfth Night
Christmas is almost here. This is the last working week I will enjoy before the Christmas break. It has been a long and busy Michaelmas Term. It is now exactly 2 months since I moved chambers to Hailsham Chambers in the Temple in London. 2026 is already shaping up to be a very busy year,…
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![COSTS WEBINAR Q AND A ON MAZUR v CHARLES RUSSELL SPEECHLYS LLP [2025] EWHC 2341 (KB)](https://i0.wp.com/costsbarrister.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/db2083ea-2d9a-438e-90b1-cd15223a7400-1.jpg?resize=1180%2C674&ssl=1)
COSTS WEBINAR Q AND A ON MAZUR v CHARLES RUSSELL SPEECHLYS LLP [2025] EWHC 2341 (KB)
In recent weeks there has been one costs case which has been the subject of much discussion, anxious consideration and anger: that of Mazur. This Wednesday 15th October 2025 at 12 noon, with Alexander Hutton KC and Alice Nash I will be discussing the implications, practice consequences and costs challenges which will flow from this…
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Is Mazur simply wrong?
Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP [2025] EWHC 2341 (KB) raises whether the Legal Services Act 2007 genuinely altered the boundaries of who may conduct litigation. The judgment suggests solicitors cannot delegate that function, but historical and structural arguments undermine this view. First, the right to conduct litigation evolved through centuries of statutory consolidation, and…
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The Costs War Has Begun
In Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP [2025] EWHC 2341 (KB), the High Court’s strict construction of what counts as the “conduct of litigation” has encouraged paying parties to allege that bills of costs are tainted by illegality where unqualified staff performed work. Some defendants now seek strikeout or wholesale disallowance of costs on that…
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The Big Beautiful Legal Reform Act 2029
Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP [2025] EWHC 2341 (KB) exposes the absurdities in the Legal Services Act 2007. An unqualified employee can negotiate a multimillion-pound settlement lawfully, yet risks criminal prosecution for issuing a small-claim writ. The case renews doubts about the Act’s fitness for purpose and whether statutory regulation should be dismantled altogether.…
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When is conducting litigation criminal conduct?
The High Court in Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP [2025] EWHC 2341 (KB) has thrown firms into turmoil. The judgment exposes criminal liability where unqualified staff conduct litigation or are asked to do so by managers. The risks extend to conveyancing, though most will fall within statutory exemptions. Firms with high ratios of unqualified…
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The end of grade D
Mazur and another v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP [2025] EWHC 2341 (KB) is a costs appeal with much broader implications. Decided by Sheldon J on 16 September 2025, it held that employees of authorised law firms do not gain the right to conduct litigation simply by being supervised. Only authorised or exempt persons may conduct…
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Costs and Artificial Intelligence Revisited
The webinar that Paul Hughes and I delivered on Costs and AI is now available to watch on Youtube, if you missed it last week. Need advice on a costs or funding issue? I advise and appear in costs, funding and related disputes. For availability, fees or urgent instructions, please contact my clerks at Hailsham…