Costs Litigation
Keelys LLP is a market leader in costs litigation, with departments in London and Lichfield handling in excess of 10,000 claims per year.
Our costs department is staffed by over 30 legal professionals and includes practising solicitors, non-practising barristers, members of the Institute of Legal Executives and Associates and Fellows of the Association of Law Costs Draftsmen.
We specialise in representing paying parties interests; aiming to limit legal costs liabilities for Clients to proportionate and reasonable amounts.
Our London team offers an unparalleled technical service and focuses on multi-track, catastrophic personal injury matters and complex costs claims. Our fee earners regularly deal with high value technical claims of six or seven figures and have been involved with recent test case litigation in the Court of Appeal.
With a decade’s experience in dealing with these matters, we have become the first choice for leading liability insurers seeking specialist advice on this complex area of law.
Our Lichfield department deals with high volumes of costs claims with an emphasis on maximising savings for clients.
We have a team of advocates based in London and Lichfield capable of representing clients at detailed assessment (both at first instance and appellant level) anywhere in England and Wales and with the same level of technical expertise expected of costs counsel but at reduced cost.
Our services include:
- Advising on individual bills of costs or issues surrounding costs
- Negotiation of claims from the presentation of costs through to settlement
- Strategic costs advice and planning
- Strategic costs litigation
- Advocacy at detailed assessments, applications or any hearing, whether in chambers or open court where costs are in issue
- Client training and in house presentations
- The drafting of formal pleadings, including Part 8 (costs only) originating process, court applications, formal points of dispute, etc
Our clients benefit from a highly competitive fee structure, offering a scale of fixed fees subject to volume of business and/or exclusivity of arrangements, or hourly rate charges for ad hoc instructions.
Clients may also take advantage of delegated authority arrangements, leaving Keelys to manage costs liabilities and freeing their own resources to focus on core business and also benefiting from the reduced VAT liability.
Key People
- Simon Murray
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Simon Murray Head of Costs Department
Simon has been in the costs industry for over 15 years. He started his own legal costs consultancy in 1994, which he built in to a substantial operation, specialising in acting for paying parties. In 2004 Simon went in to partnership with Keelys Solicitors, resulting a business dealing with legal costs from cradle to grave. Professionally, he advises and attends detailed assessment hearings in a wide variety of cases of all values, up to high seven figure costs claims, including a number of reported cases. Simon is a monthly contributor to the Association of Law Costs Draftsmen Journal, and has been an Associate of the Association of Law Costs Draftsmen since 1996. He also undertakes training and speaks at conferences for a number of clients and organisations.
Direct Dial: +44 (0) 207 422 8690
e-mail: smurray@keelys.co.uk
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- Stuart Crowhurst
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Stuart Crowhurst Deputy Head of Costs Department
Stuart began working in the costs industry with a City firm of costs draftsmen in 1991 with our Head of Department, Simon Murray. He moved to a further large costs practice before moving to an in-house position for a prominent Central London personal injury practice.
In February 2000 he rejoined Simon at his costs practice and has continued to work with him since that time.
With over 18 years experience Stuart has spent the majority of his time in the industry representing paying parties and attends detailed assessment hearings all over the country. He has extensive experience of dealing with all varieties and values of costs claims, from minor up to seven figures, with a practical, commercial approach. Stuart has also performed a number of large costs audits of panel solicitors for various insurer clients.
Stuart has recently completed his 20th consecutive season of senior football although now, reluctantly, accepts that 21 may well be his last.Direct Dial: +44 (0) 207 422 8680
e-mail: scrowhurst@keelys.co.uk
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- Robin Dunne
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Robin Dunne Technical Manager
Robin was educated at Goldsmiths, University of London and was called to the bar in 2002. He cross qualified as a solicitor in 2008.
Robin’s practice is focused on personal injury and costs litigation. He advises on and litigates a wide range of personal injury actions, with an emphasis on representing defendants on behalf of leading insurers. In addition he acts for companies who have suffered loss of profits as a result of negligent acts. He has a particular interest in indemnity issues.
Robin’s costs litigation practice is focused on complex and very high value (up to high seven figures) claims. He is an accomplished and experienced advocate and regularly appears on detailed assessments at both first instance and appellant level.
In addition to his work at Keelys he undertakes pro bono work for claimants in Employment Tribunal claims.
He has been advocate in or had conduct of the following reported cases:Elstone v Knowles [2007] EWHC 90089 (Costs)
Jones –v- Attrill (The ALP test Cases) [2008] EWCA Civ 1375
C (A patient acting by her litigation friend Jocelyn Fox) –v- W [2008] EWCA Civ 1459
Direct Dial: +44 (0) 207 422 8670
e-mail: rdunne@keelys.co.uk
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