Strategic legal costs representation with 30+ years' combined experience
Specialists in paying party costs, Points of Dispute, detailed assessment and complex legal costs litigation
SPH Costs - Legal Costs Lawyers & Law Costs Draftsmen
We also advise on legally aided costs (CCMS), Court of Protection matters and high-value multi-track bills.
Points of Dispute for Paying Parties
A specialist points of dispute costs draftsman for paying parties provides the technical and strategic foundation for a successful challenge at detailed assessment. Well-structured Points of Dispute challenge necessity, reasonableness and proportionality, address Guideline Hourly Rates, and identify duplication, delegation and recoverability issues. Our paying party costs lawyers and law costs draftsmen act for defendants, insurers and public bodies to draft compliant, tactical Points of Dispute that reduce exposure and position the paying party for negotiation or assessment.
The Role of Points of Dispute in Paying Party Detailed Assessment
Points of Dispute define the paying party’s case on costs. They identify the specific challenges to the bill, supported by reasoned arguments on hourly rates, grade of fee earner, duplication, delegation, proportionality, and work outside the reasonable scope of the claim. Properly structured Points of Dispute provide the framework for negotiation and any subsequent detailed assessment. These issues are addressed as part of our paying party costs services in detailed assessment disputes.
Strategy Before Drafting Points of Dispute
Effective Points of Dispute follow a structured review of the pleadings, procedural history, budgets, complexity, value and conduct. This allows challenges to be aligned with proportionality and costs recoverability principles before service.
Common Challenges raised by Paying Parties at Detailed Assessment
Reductions frequently arise where rates exceed Guideline Hourly Rates without justification, routine work is undertaken at senior level, or delegation is inadequate. Fee earner status and authorisation issues following Mazur are advanced through evidence-based challenges linked to the actual requirements of the litigation.
Fixed Recoverable Costs and Scope Arguments
Where fixed recoverable costs may apply, Points of Dispute address whether the claim falls within the regime, whether work sits outside permitted stages, and whether exceptional factors are evidenced. These issues are aligned with fixed costs scope disputes and intermediate track complexity.
Supporting Negotiation and Settlement
Clear Points of Dispute improve negotiating position, identify disproportionate phases, and narrow the issues in dispute, frequently resulting in substantial reductions prior to detailed assessment.
Detailed Assessment and Provisional Assessment Strategy for Paying Parties
Where settlement is not achieved, Points of Dispute form the foundation of the paying party’s case at assessment, ensuring challenges to hourly rates, time claimed and proportionality are properly advanced and evidenced in both provisional and oral hearings.
National Paying Party Points of Dispute Work
We act for local authorities, solicitors, insurers and private defendants across England & Wales in drafting Points of Dispute as part of wider paying party costs strategy.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a points of dispute costs draftsman do for a paying party?
A specialist points of dispute costs draftsman for paying parties prepares CPR-compliant objections to a bill of costs, challenging hourly rates, time claimed, proportionality, delegation and recoverability at detailed assessment.
What are Points of Dispute in legal costs?
Points of Dispute are the formal objections made by the paying party to a bill of costs. They challenge the reasonableness, proportionality and recoverability of the sums claimed and form the basis of the paying party’s case at detailed assessment.
How long does a paying party have to serve Points of Dispute?
A paying party normally has 21 days from service of the bill of costs to serve Points of Dispute, unless an extension is agreed.
Can SPH Costs prepare urgent Points of Dispute?
Yes. Urgent instructions are accepted and CPR-compliant Points of Dispute can be drafted quickly where deadlines are approaching.
What is the difference between Points of Dispute and Replies?
Points of Dispute are the paying party’s formal objections to a bill of costs. They identify the items challenged, the grounds of dispute, and the reductions sought on issues such as hourly rates, time claimed, proportionality, delegation and recoverability. Replies are the receiving party’s response to those objections. They seek to justify the bill, address the challenges raised, and provide the evidence or reasoning relied upon to support the sums claimed at detailed assessment.
When should a paying party instruct a Points of Dispute costs draftsman?
Instructions are commonly received in high value bills, Guideline Hourly Rate disputes, fee earner grade and Mazur issues, proportionality challenges, and duplication or over-lawyering concerns. See also: Paying Party Strategy at Detailed Assessment: A Practical Guide to Reducing Costs Exposure.
Specialist support for paying parties in contested costs
For urgent instructions or a same-day quotation for Points of Dispute, contact our paying party costs team or upload your papers for immediate review. An overview of our paying party services is available here.
For urgent matters, you can upload your bill of costs to our portal for review.