Not all costs involved in litigation are how much you pay your solicitor or attorney. There are hidden costs. Most people should know that when they instruct a solicitor, it will cost them money. Solicitors charges are either calculated by way of a fixed fee, a percentage of damages or the estate, or by reference to time spent multiplied by an hourly rate. In addition, clients may be asked to pay for something called disbursements – fees paid to other people, usually experts, or court fees etc.

It is difficult to keep up with the prolifery of legal cases affecting the costs landscape here in the UK. Here is a summary of the main recent cases.