Costs Litigation

With a reputation for providing a high quality corporate service, Keelys was approached in February 2003 to work with a leading insurer to develop an effective legal costs protocol. By May 2003 the protocol was in place, and the Keelys costs service became operational.

Building on the early success of the Lichfield costs service, in the Autumn of 2004, Keelys acquired a specialist costs team in London, and formed Keelys London. Rapidly gaining an impressive reputation, the Keelys Costs Litigation Department then included branches in the Midlands and in London. By the end of 2004 the  the Costs Department was handling in excess of 15,000 legal costs claims per year.

Today Keelys is a major player in this specialist field, employing a qualified Team, with the skills and experience required to effectively manage legal costs claims of behalf of several leading general insurance companies, corporate businesses, and various claims handling organisations. Keelys now focuses it's costs litigation service out of the London Office, where in addition to having the capability and capacity to handle significant volumes of cases, a highly specialist Technical Team are capable with dealing with high-value technical claims. 

The Costs Litigation Department specialises in representing paying parties interests, aiming to limit legal costs liabilities for Clients to proportionate and reasonable amounts, when subjected to costs claims by opposing parties for their legal costs. The range of costs services available includes:

• Costs advice on an individual case basis, together with more strategic advice on the impact of fast changing case law, costs regulations and primary legislation.
• A detailed analysis of claims, linked with a negotiating service aimed at reaching reasonable/proportionate settlements with opposing parties.
• The drafting of formal pleadings, including Part 8 (costs only) originating process, court applications, formal points of dispute, etc.
• An advocacy service representing clients when necessary on applications, directions hearings, detailed assessment hearings and appeals. In addition to the skilled/experienced in-house advocates, Keelys has long standing business arrangements with several experienced costs barristers.
• Drafting bills of costs

With the department structured to handle high volumes of legal costs claims, 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 a delegated authority arrangement, leaving Keelys to manage costs liabilities, and freeing their own resources to focus on their own core business.

For more information about our costs service, please contact: