LITIGATION COSTS · CPR · SENIOR COURTS COSTS OFFICE
Recoverable costs, done properlyCOSTS LAW CONSULTANTS LIMITED
We advise solicitors, insurers, businesses, and litigants on budgets, bills of costs, detailed assessment, and costs management across England and Wales. From pre-action to enforcement, our work is grounded in the Civil Procedure Rules, practice directions, and the Senior Courts Costs Office (SCCO) culture of precision.
COSTS LAW CONSULTANTS LIMITED
COSTS LAW CONSULTANTS LIMITED is an independent consultancy focused on civil litigation costs. We draft and revise Precedent H budgets, prepare Precedent R budget discussion reports, build bills of costs for detailed assessment, and support costs case management conferences (CCMCs) and costs management orders (CMOs).
This website summarises our services and how to engage us. It is not legal advice. Whether any sum is recoverable inter partes, or as between solicitor and client, depends on the retainer, the order for costs, and the facts of each case.
Disciplined, proportionate, evidence-led
Costs disputes turn on narrative as much as arithmetic. We align phase codes, assumptions, and incurred / estimated splits with the underlying file so that opponents—and the court—can see why each phase is reasonable and proportionate.
Early mapping
We identify issues, experts, and disclosure drivers that move the budget needle before the first CCMC.
Consistent assumptions
Budgets, updates, and bills use the same factual spine to avoid credibility gaps at assessment.
Settlement-ready
Where appropriate we model Part 36 and global offers to inform negotiation alongside technical points.
Where we add most value
Commercial & contract: breach, warranty, and supply-chain disputes with heavy disclosure.
Professional negligence: multi-expert timelines and phased budgets.
Insurance & coverage: reserving, monitoring panel firms, and preparing points of dispute.
We work alongside fee-earners and costs counsel where proceedings require specialist advocacy. Our deliverables are structured for electronic bill formats where mandated and for traditional N260-style narratives where still in use.
- Multi-party costs sharing and common costs schedules
- Indemnity basis arguments—framed carefully against the order and conduct
- Fixed costs and streamlined claims where CPR Parts 45/46 apply
Corporate information
COSTS LAW CONSULTANTS LIMITED is a company registered in England and Wales. Commissioned work is governed by written terms of business, conflicts checks, and confidentiality obligations.
| Legal name | COSTS LAW CONSULTANTS LIMITED |
|---|---|
| Registered office / correspondence | 4 Green Lane, Ilminster, TA19 9BY, United Kingdom |
| English address (as supplied) | No. 4, Green Lane, Ilminster, TA19 9BY, United Kingdom |
| Website | combowptlt.com |
Costs budgets & variance
We prepare first budgets, revised budgets after significant developments, and Precedent T applications where the incurred exceeds the last approved budget. We also draft Precedent R reports to narrow issues before CCMCs.
Costs management
We monitor CMO compliance, advise on budget variations, and help you respond to opponents’ challenges—always with an eye on what the Regional Costs Judge or SCCO will tolerate.
Bills of costs
We build itemised bills for summary and detailed assessment, including electronic formats where required. Narratives explain how work maps to phases, why hourly rates are justified on a Grade A–D basis, and how profit costs and disbursements were incurred.
Detailed assessment
We draft points of dispute and replies, assemble bundles, and prepare schedules for provisional assessment or oral hearings. Where counsel is instructed, we provide the technical backbone so advocacy can focus on discretion and proportionality.
Solicitor and own client
We advise on CFA/DBA compliance at a high level, hourly rates, estimates, and billing disputes—without replacing your regulatory or conduct advisers. Where a statutory assessment under the Solicitors Act 1974 is in play, we assist with bill format and points.
Part 36 & offers
We model costs consequences of Part 36 offers and help you document assumptions used in negotiation memos, subject always to the litigation strategy led by your solicitors.
Group & multi-party litigation
Common costs, lead solicitor models, and GLOs require disciplined schedules. We help allocate workstreams to phases and prepare materials suitable for group costs management.
Insurers & corporate clients
We support panel reviews, budget benchmarking, and post-settlement recovery / contribution exercises. Reporting lines can be adapted to your governance (legal, claims, or finance).
ADR & settlements
We support mediation, arbitration, and joint settlement meetings with costs position papers and “without prejudice save as to costs” summaries. Where a deal is reached, we help capture how costs are to be assessed or paid.
Training & file audits
We audit time-recording conventions, phase coding, and disbursement capture so future bills and budgets are easier to defend. Bespoke training covers Precedent H hygiene, proportionality, and preparing for SCCO directions.
Expert reports & disbursements
We liaise with fee-earners to map expert iterations to budget phases, flag likely variation triggers, and ensure expert fees and courier / data-room spend are evidenced for assessment.
Typical engagement
- Enquiry — Conflict check, scope, and fee estimate.
- Instruction — Terms, data room / file access, and key dates (CCMC, hearing, assessment).
- Draft — Budget, bill, or points; assumptions agreed with fee-earners.
- Review — Internal QA against court guidance and opponent posture.
- Filing / service — Final pack and, where needed, hearing support.
How we look at a file
Select a lens—each influences how we draft assumptions and risk flags.
Phase drivers, expert fields, disclosure assumptions, and contingencies—aligned to the CMO timetable.
Narrative + itemisation, disbursement vouchers, and rate evidence for summary assessment or detailed bills.
Points of dispute/replies, global reductions, and proportionality arguments tied to sums in issue and conduct.
Client-care letters, estimates, hourly rates, and privileged material handled under strict confidentiality.
Data protection & information security
We process personal data only to deliver instructed work and administer our practice, in line with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. We use access controls, encryption in transit where available, and retention policies agreed with clients.
Professional standards
We are costs consultants, not a firm of solicitors. We do not conduct reserved legal activities unless separately authorised. Where your matter requires representation before the High Court or SCCO, we work with your solicitors and, when appropriate, specialist counsel.
What to send when you instruct us
Core file
Key correspondence, pleadings, orders (including any CMO), prior budgets, and any budget discussion report. For bills: complete file or electronic time export, narratives, and disbursement invoices.
Deadlines
CCMC dates, assessment hearing dates, and service windows under CPR Part 47.
Notes from practice (illustrative)
Example: Following a revised costs management order, we assisted with a Precedent T application after expert scope expanded materially—securing a phased uplift before disclosure.
Example: We prepared points of dispute focusing on duplication between counsel and solicitor attendances, leading to a negotiated reduction ahead of provisional assessment.
How we measure our work
Figures vary by case type. Internally we track turnaround against court deadlines, revision cycles after opponent comment, and hearing readiness (bundle completeness).
On-time delivery
Budgets and points filed within agreed windows.
Assumption stability
Fewer last-minute narrative changes once fee-earners sign off.
Assessment posture
Clear uplift/defence story where proportionality is challenged.
Who we work with
Regional and City law firms, in-house legal teams, loss adjusters, and costs counsel. We are comfortable under panel protocols and joint-instruction arrangements where conflicts rules permit.
Fees & payment
We typically work on fixed fees per deliverable, monthly retainers, or time-based arrangements for ongoing costs management. VAT is charged where applicable. Out-of-pocket expenses (travel, filing) are agreed in advance.
Retainers & caps
Portfolio clients may prefer a capped monthly retainer covering budget updates, routine points of dispute, and training. Caps are reviewed quarterly against utilisation.
Careers
We recruit experienced costs draftsmen, paralegals with litigation backgrounds, and consultants who understand electronic billing. Send a CV and anonymised writing sample to our enquiries mailbox.
CPD & in-house workshops
We deliver firm-wide sessions on budgeting pitfalls, electronic bill hygiene, and proportionality case law updates. Content can be accredited where your professional body rules allow.
Media & visits
Interview and speaking requests should be emailed with topics and deadlines. Office visits are by appointment; client confidentiality means walk-in meetings cannot be accommodated.
Frequently asked questions
Contact Ilminster
| Contact | Anna Sarah Davis |
|---|---|
| Telephone | +44 (1460) 543 087 |
| annasarahdavis@combowptlt.com | |
| Address | 4 Green Lane, Ilminster, Somerset TA19 9BY, United Kingdom |
| Map | Google Maps |
For a conflict check and fee estimate, email a short description of the dispute, the court, and any key dates. Do not send bank details by email.
Email us