Whilst it is often difficult to tell at the outset what the overall cost of a claim will be, our knowledge and expertise in costs management affords our clients the best possible opportunity of having an accurate estimate of costs from the outset that can be relied upon.
It is important that estimates of costs are accurate, not only because the court is entitled to consider the estimate as a yardstick in determining what is a reasonable level of costs, but also because clients want to be assured that their lawyers are on top of the financial aspects of the case and not simply the legal aspects.
We prepare estimates of costs for multiple purposes, including:
Where an estimate of costs is given but the costs claimed subsequently exceed the estimate, it does not automatically follow that the solicitor is restricted to recovering the estimated sums. It will largely depend on the explanation for the divergence. Generally, the greater the difference between the estimate of costs and the final bill, the greater the explanation required. However, if there were no unexpected developments in the case and no satisfactory explanation for the difference, the costs may be limited to the estimate.
