Jurisdiction(s):
United Kingdom

Key definition

SCCO definition

What does SCCO mean? SCCO refers in practice to the senior courts costs office, the specialist court office in London where detailed assessment of legal costs for the Senior Courts of England and Wales is carried out. It is the venue used for assessments under CPR Part 47 and related Practice Directions, and its practice is set out in the Senior Courts Costs Office Guide (a procedural guide rather than primary legislation). Costs Judges (Masters of the Senior Courts) and costs officers assess: - costs between the parties in High Court proceedings (and certain County Court matters transferred for assessment); - solicitor–client bills under...

Senior Courts Costs Office detailed assessment: guidance on remote, hybrid and in-person hearings, CE-File electronic bundles, deadlines, provisional assessments and Court of Protection (England and Wales)

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Practice notes

This Practice Note distils the Senior costs Judge’s Practice Notice, ‘Hearings and detailed assessments in the senior courts costs office’, describing how the scco manages hearings and detailed assessments. Owing to the commitment of court staff, together with practitioners’ willingness to adapt, only a very small number of SCCO costs hearings have needed to be adjourned during the current pandemic. The judicial Practice Note provides clear direction on the conduct of hearings and detailed assessments within the SCCO. It also identifies the various issues addressed and signposts helpful underlying guidance.

NOTE: CPR PD 51O has been revoked, but this detailed assessment guidance has not yet been updated to reflect that position. CPR PD 5C (CE-File electronic filing and case management system) came into force on 1 October 2025 and should be referred to for the procedure for use of CE-File.

Detailed assessment hearings

A detailed assessment hearing will now proceed in one of three formats:

a remote...

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Web page updated on 21/05/2026

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