Cost complaints persist post-Belsner

In Belsner v CAM Legal Services Ltd [2022] EWCA Civ 1387, the Court of Appeal said solicitors should ensure their clients have the best possible information about the likely overall cost of their case. However, only 12% of 103 costs lawyers responding to the survey have since experienced a reduction in clients challenging their solicitors’ bills.

Moreover, a mere one in ten costs lawyers agreed solicitors always stuck to their budgets, while more than half said solicitors sometimes, and a quarter said they always, go over budget.

ACL chair Jack Ridgway said: ‘It can be difficult to change behaviours in the legal profession.’