Costs

Updated October 2026

The Costs Group are holding a thirteen-week consultation, closing on January 19 2027.

You can respond to the consultation (PDF) by completing the cover sheet (PDF version and Word version) sending your consultation responses to CJC.Costs.Consultation@Judiciary.uk in either Word or PDF format.

As part of this consultation, the Costs group are commencing a call for evidence to support ongoing work on a potential new commercial band for solicitors and counsel’s guideline rates – please see the report and consultation cover sheet for further details. The links to both forms are below:

Barristers: CJC Costs Consultation – Barristers’ GHRs – Fill in form (external link)

Solicitors: CJC Costs Consultation – Solicitors  – Fill in form (external link)

If you have any questions about the consultation or submission process, please contact CJC@judiciary.uk

In July 2024, the CJC approved a working group to consider the outstanding recommendations made by the May 2023 Civil Justice Council (CJC) Costs Review.

You can read the Final Report of the 2023 Cost Review online.

Membership List

  1. Mr Justice Robert Miles (Chair).
  2. Master Simon Brown (Costs Judge).
  3. Nicola Critchley (CJC Member).
  4. Alexander Hutton (Barrister with Costs Experience).
  5. Nick Bacon KC (Bar Council Representative).
  6. John McQuater (Law Society Representative).
  7. Neil Rickman (Academic).
  8. Paul Fenn (Academic).

The Working Group are seeking a consumer representative. If you are interested in supporting this work, please contact cjc@judiciary.uk

Terms of Reference

The Working Group will focus on the issue of guidelines relating to Counsel’s fees, and a new top rate for complex commercial work.

As cost guidelines are issued by the Master of the Rolls (MR), the Working Group will produce recommendations to the MR in the form of a report. Once this first phase is complete, it is suggested that there is a review to consider how to progress the outstanding recommendations, including the mechanism to be used when carrying out a detailed review of GHRs. Membership of the Working Group may also be reviewed at this point.