New Bill of Costs

Stop worrying about the new electronic Bill of Costs

The Law Society Gazette may have called it, “another headache for lawyers to deal with” and it may have been postponed several times but on 6 April 2018 we finally saw the mandatory implementation of the new electronic Bill of Costs.  Since then, on 30 August 2018, New Law Journal featured an article that said, “the electronic bill of costs has caused panic and denial among judges and solicitors.

So, are you ready for Phases, Tasks and Activities?  The new Bill of Costs needs to be presented in an Excel format to allow automatic and immediate recalculation of the Bill.  In order for this to happen, fee earners need to change the way they record time ‘in a significant change of practice’ according to The Law Society.  This means recording time in 1 of 15 different Phases, then allocating work done within the Phases to 1 of 41 different Tasks and finally into 1 of 10 Activities.  This applies to Disbursements too which will also need to be allocated into Phases and Tasks and then further into 1 of 15 Categories.

Sounds scary?  Think you have enough to do already? Well, we’re ready and have been for some time.  We’ve been working closely with our trusted provider, CostsMaster, to ensure that our software systems are in place and our team are all totally up to date with the new rules. So, if you need help readying your team or your systems or you need assistance preparing a new format Bill of Costs or even if you’d just like a quick chat about the changes please give us a call on 01992 917900.

We will also be holding some workshops over the coming months to provide some reassurance and clarity on the changes. Just email vikki.knight@harmanscosts.com to register your interest.