Senior Courts Costs Office listings

I’ve just received a Notice of Hearing from the Senior Courts Costs Office for a three hour hearing before a costs officer. Listed for September.

Seven months to get a three hour hearing.

And we haven’t even started with the wave of satellite litigation post-Jackson.


14 thoughts on “Senior Courts Costs Office listings

  1. They are down to 2.5 costs officers now. John Martin and a new guy (the ex-Court Manager at Kingston CC) are the only full timers. John Lambert is part time. They will have to deal with the provisional assessments as well. An absolute joke.

  2. Imagine the windfall in interest for the receiving party if they beat their own offer..

  3. There is a new full-time Master (Master Rowley) and three new Deputy Masters, so things might improve a little.

  4. 7 months! Ample time to get it settled – could that be the judicial thinking behind this? Make sure the decks are clear before the proverbial hits the fan post April!

    One can dream!

  5. Absolute nothing to do with this post but does anyone know where to get training for solicitors how to complete the costs budget forms!!

  6. Yeah I wanna know that too. If the first budget is needed only 28 days after the defence, why on earth is there an estimated costs section in Pre-Action Costs? Are expert costs incurred Pre-action supposed to go under Pre-action or expert reports?

  7. To Anonymous 1:18pm and Richard,

    Don’t concern yourselves with such questions. Just let your friendly neighbourhood Costs Draftsman take care of all your costs queries!

    That is, of course, what we are here for.

  8. Richard
    the terms estimated appears, because its not meant to be a detailed bill excercise
    also, anything incurred pre-action, goes in the pre-action section, including experts fees – only fees anticipated being incurred go post

    finally, the 28 days post defence time limit – has everyone read the new CPR 26.3?? On the Court receiving a defence, Provisional Allocation by a court officer (therefore NOT necessarily a Judicial function), leading to Notice being given, and the 28 days running from deemed service of the Notice i.e. 30 days after the Notice is dated. So, under the PD do we serve the first Budget 28 days from the defence, and therefore technically BEFORE the need to serve Directions Questionnaires??

  9. Not the easiest form to complete and needs to be right for obvious reasons. Why then cant i find any seminars etc on this!!!

  10. With regard to the SCCO – the back office seems to backed-up as well. I had a DAH before an officer a month a ago next week and I am still awaiting the final costs certificate.

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