Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Key definition

Costs definition

What does Costs mean? In litigation, costs are the legal fees, disbursements, court fees and VAT incurred in bringing, defending or appealing a claim, and the sums a court or tribunal may order one party to pay another for those liabilities. The concept is governed by procedural rules and case law rather than a single statutory definition: England and Wales (CPR 44–47), Northern Ireland (RCJ Ord 62), Scotland (where the equivalent term is expenses), and Ireland (Legal Services Regulation Act 2015 and the Legal Costs Adjudicators). The general approach is broadly consistent, subject to local terminology and procedure. Typical features include the discretionary rule...

Pre-6 October 2011 SRA costs information duties for solicitors: retainers, CFAs, estimates and disbursements (England and Wales)

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Practice notes

Archived :

This Practice Note reflects rules that applied up to 5 October 2011 and is retained purely as a historical record.

Why is the position pre 6 October 2011 relevant in my case?

If you agreed retainers, funding arrangements, etc with clients on or after 6 October 2011, the client information you must provide is governed, at least in part, by the solicitors regulation authority (SRA) code of conduct that took effect on 6 October 2011 (the 2011 Code). The 2011 Code does not operate retrospectively. Consequently, where a retainer, fee arrangement, etc was entered into before 6 October 2011, the earlier SRA Code commencing on 1 July 2007 (the 2007 Code) and the Solicitors Information and Client Code 1999 (the 1999 Code) may be pertinent if there is a challenge about what you were required to tell your client under each code during the relevant period. This Practice Note outlines the general requirements for costs information that applied before the 2011 Code.

Solicitors Regulation Authority requirements—1 July 2007 to 5 October 2011

Own client costs information

Where your retainer with...

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Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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