Specialist costs counsel

A further definition from The (Alternative) Legal Costs Dictionary:

Specialist costs counsel n. counsel who was once given a brief by his clerk at 7.30pm to appear in Taunton County Court at 10.00am the next morning in relation to the detailed assessment of a bill of costs totalling £3,241.14 but received a text message at 8.30am on the day of the hearing (3 hours into his journey to court) informing him that the matter had been compromised at £2,900.

Law costs draftsman

A further definition from The (Alternative) Legal Costs Dictionary:

Law costs draftsman n. a lawyer concerned with quantifying the legal costs of a case. A costs draftsman is to the legal profession what a train spotter is to the world of professional sportsmen. Similar to an accountant but without the glamour or dress sense.

Bill of Costs

To outsiders the language of the legal costs world can seem strange and archaic.  Why are “indemnity costs” and the “indemnity principle” totally different and totally unrelated?  Why did “taxing masters” have nothing to do with tax?
To help cast some light on this obscure area of law the Legal Costs Blog is pleased introduce The (Alternative) Legal Costs Dictionary.  Over coming weeks we hope that these clear and concise definitions will provide invaluable assistance.  
Bill of Costs (claimant’s) n.  a work of fiction (usu. pure fantasy).
Bill of Costs (defendant’s) n.  a true and accurate account of the work reasonably and proportionality done to secure access to justice for a defendant who has had a claim entirely lacking in merit brought against him.