LAWBITES
Happy New Guidelines Solicitors’ guideline rates for summary assessments have gone up by 2.28% from 1 January 2026. This is an inflationary increase by reference to service producer price inflation figures, and so nothing to do with the cost of a retail dover sole, and down from the 3.65% we saw one year ago (see ‘Civil way’, 175 NLJ 8100, p15). Retainers should be revised if this latest increase is to be enjoyed. A grade-A London fee earner feasting on very heavy commercial or corporate work now has an hourly guideline rate of £579. A grade-D trainee solicitor in Merthyr Tydfil (which I gather has not yet been reached by the American firms) is guided at £142.
How low can you go? The last Bank of England base rate drop has led to an inevitable reduction in the Court Funds Office’s special account rate from 4% to 3.75% as from 9 January
