Practice Areas

We understand how important it is that accountability and redress is obtained for those whose rights have been infringed; therefore, we recognise that civil liberties and human rights cases are among the most important cases before the English courts. Our costs draftsman team deals with all aspects of legal costs in high profile and complex civil liberties and human rights cases in the High Court of Justice, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court. We have expertise in dealing with the legal costs in the full spectrum of civil liberties and human rights cases, including public international law claims; inquests; unlawful detention; actions against the police; failures to investigate crimes; judicial reviews; immigration; actions against local authorities; and actions against NHS organisations.

Our costs lawyers have expertise in all aspects of legal costs in a wide range of complex and substantial clinical negligence cases in the Queen’s Bench Division of the High Court of Justice and the County Courts.  We deliver a comprehensive legal costs service in claims relating to misdiagnosis, delayed diagnosis, incorrect treatment, surgical mistakes, and instances where treatment was provided without consent. Our expertise includes preparing costs budgets, bills of costs and other costs-related court documents in a wide range of clinical negligence disputes, including claims relating to birth injuries; brain injuries; cancer misdiagnosis; cerebral palsy; general practitioner negligence; spinal injury; and surgical injury. 

We are experienced in dealing with the legal costs in large-scale commercial and corporate litigation in the Business and Property Courts of England and Wales and arbitrations. We address and resolve multifaceted challenges in relation to all aspects of legal costs in the full spectrum of commercial and corporation litigation, from commercial contract and shareholder disputes to contentious corporate transactions and relationships. Our costs draftsman team are experienced in preparing substantial bills of costs that are required to be split into many parts and, in highly contentious disputes, subjected to issue or percentage-based costs orders.

We are experienced in both recovering and opposing legal costs in a broad range of family law matters, including divorce, matrimonial finance and cross border children cases. In most family cases, the parties will generally bear their own costs; however, the Family Courts may make a costs order against a party where it considers it appropriate to do so because of the conduct of a party in relation to the proceedings. Our costs draftsman team provides a complete range of legal costs services in family law matters, including the preparation of Statements of Costs for hearings and Bills of Costs for detailed assessment.

With London widely regarded as the global financial centre, the English courts have long provided a hub for large banking and finance disputes. Our costs lawyers are experienced in dealing with the legal costs in banking and finance litigation in the Commercial Court and Chancery Division of the High Court of Justice. We deal with the costs of large banking and financial disputes, where the litigation can be highly contentious, as well as the new and evolving area of cryptocurrency litigation.

We have expertise in costs claims arising from complex group litigation. Our costs lawyers have acted in a number of high profile and international group litigations, including public international law claims of the highest importance. Most recently, Athene Legal was instructed to act as costs lawyers in a large group litigation against a Cypriot property developer involving 280 claimants, as well as a complex professional negligence group litigation.

Our costs lawyers deal with the legal costs in a wide range of property disputes, both commercial and residential. We help to recover or oppose legal costs in claims brought on behalf of landowners, landlords or tenants in a wide range of contentious property issues. We advise on all aspects of legal costs in high value complex property litigation, ranging from commercial and residential landlord and tenant disputes to property issues arising in redevelopment projects. We also handle complex costs issues in property-related professional negligence claims and claims for other breaches, including claims against solicitors, accountants and surveyors for negligent professional advice.

We are experienced in dealing with the legal costs arising from complex and substantial intellectual property disputes in the Patents Court, and the broader Intellectual Property List and Chancery Division. We deliver a comprehensive range of legal costs services in intellectual property claims brought on behalf of SMEs to global businesses, including claims involving both infringements of UK and EU registered trademarks. Our costs lawyers address and resolve multifaceted challenges in relation to all aspects of legal costs in claims arising from trademark infringements, copyright infringements, patent infringements, and design right infringements.

We have a wealth of experience dealing with all aspects of legal costs arising from a wide range of complex and substantial personal injury and industrial disease and illness claims in the Queen’s Bench Division of the High Court of Justice and the County Courts. We are experienced in dealing with the legal costs of claims relating to serious and catastrophic injuries, including traumatic brain and spinal injuries; military claims; road traffic accidents; accidents or illness abroad; accidents in public places; accidents at work; industrial disease, including hearing loss and respiratory problems; and asbestos related diseases, including mesothelioma.

Our team are experienced in dealing with the legal costs in product liability disputes across numerous markets. We deliver a full range of legal costs services in claims against manufacturers, distributors, suppliers and retailers of products brought on behalf of consumers who have purchased or used a product that has turned out to be defective, causing them injury or damage as a result. We also have experience dealing with the legal costs in claims brought under the Consumer Protection Act 1987, Consumer Rights Act 2015 and the common law of negligence where products are not of a satisfactory quality, not fit for purpose and not as described. 

We are experienced in dealing with the legal costs in complex professional negligence claims in the Queen’s Bench Division of the High Court and County Courts. Our costs lawyers provide legal costs services in claims brought on behalf of businesses and individuals against professionals for negligence, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty and misrepresentation. We deal with the legal costs of claims against a variety of professionals, including legal professionals, accountants, construction professionals and financial advisers. We prepare costs budgets that accurately reflect the important interaction between case and costs management in professional negligence claims, including the flexibility that is often required by the parties in the approach to expert evidence.

Our costs lawyers deal with all aspects of legal costs arising from complex and substantial shipping and maritime disputes in the Business and Property Courts of England and Wales and in arbitrations. We provide legal costs services in claims brought on behalf of businesses and individuals involved in industry, including claims relating to accidents or misadventure at sea and ‘dry’ work involving the commercial and contractual side, such as the financing, construction and use of ships.