Articles
Are You Being Let Down by Your Current Costs Specialist?
Monday 15th June 2026
Sonny Welsh
Most firms do not change their costs provider because everything is going well. New clients usually come to us because something has gone wrong.
Sometimes the problem is poor advice. A recommendation has been made that later proves difficult to defend, leaving the solicitor exposed to an unfavourable result at assessment.
Sometimes the work itself has lacked the necessary detail, judgment or strategic understanding. A bill may have been prepared, but it has not presented the claim properly.
Important issues have been overlooked, vulnerabilities have not been identified, or the solicitor has been given unrealistic expectations about recovery.
More often than not, however, the biggest complaint is delay. One of our new clients recently told us that their previous costs specialist took three weeks simply to begin preparing their detailed bill! Not three weeks to complete it. Three weeks before the work had even started.
For a busy solicitor trying to conclude a matter, recover legal costs and improve cashflow, that kind of delay is not a minor inconvenience. It can have a direct commercial impact.
Delay in costs means delay in recovery
When a claim concludes, the work involved in recovering costs should begin promptly.
Every unnecessary delay in preparing the bill pushes the entire process further back. The bill is served later. The Points of Dispute arrive later. Negotiations begin later. Any detailed assessment takes place later. Most importantly, payment arrives later.
That can leave substantial sums tied up in completed files when those funds could already be supporting the firm’s cashflow, profitability and future workload.
A completed case should be moving towards financial closure. It should not be sitting untouched in a costs provider’s queue.
At Smart Legal Costs Solutions, we are currently turning around standard detailed bills within seven days of receiving full instructions. Naturally, larger or more complex files may require additional time, but our approach remains the same: instructions should be acknowledged, the file should be reviewed promptly, and the work should begin without unnecessary delay.
Speed alone is not enough, however. A bill prepared quickly but poorly may create more problems than it solves. The real value comes from combining a prompt turnaround with experienced costs drafting and sensible advice.
Bad advice can be expensive
Solicitors rely on their costs specialists for more than document preparation. They may need advice about the likely level of recovery, the strength of a particular argument, whether a point should be pursued, whether an offer is reasonable, or how a case should be approached at detailed assessment.
Those recommendations can have significant consequences. Overly optimistic advice may encourage a solicitor to reject a sensible offer and proceed to assessment unnecessarily. Weak analysis may lead to an important issue being conceded. A failure to identify a vulnerability in the bill may leave the receiving party exposed when the paying party raises it later.
The result can be an avoidable reduction, an adverse costs consequence, or a disappointing assessment outcome.
A good costs specialist should not simply tell the solicitor what they want to hear. They should provide an honest and realistic assessment of the position.
That means identifying the strengths of the claim, but also recognising the risks. It means understanding the relevant rules, the approved costs budget, the proportionality position, the available evidence and the likely approach of the paying party.
Good advice should help the solicitor make an informed commercial decision. It should not lead them into an avoidable fight.
A detailed bill is not just an administrative document
There can sometimes be a tendency to treat bill drafting as a routine exercise.
The time ledger is reviewed, entries are placed into the bill, the totals are calculated, and the document is served. But a properly prepared detailed bill should do much more.
It should tell the story of the litigation through costs. It should explain the work undertaken, reflect the procedural history, identify relevant complexities and help demonstrate why the costs claimed were reasonably and proportionately incurred.
A good Law Costs Draftsman should be considering the possible challenges before the bill is served.
Are the narratives clear? Are the phases correct? Do the entries reflect the costs budget and its assumptions? Are the disbursements supported? Is there apparent duplication? Are the hourly rates likely to be challenged? Could the paying party raise proportionality? Is there anything unusual in the file that needs to be explained? These questions require judgment and experience.
Simply producing a bill is not enough if the document leaves the solicitor vulnerable when the costs are challenged.
Communication matters too
Another common frustration is uncertainty. The solicitor sends the file away and then hears very little. There is no clear indication of when the work will begin, when a draft will be available, or whether further information is required.
That makes it difficult for the solicitor to manage their own expectations, update the client or plan for recovery.
A professional costs service should include clear communication. The solicitor should know that the instructions have been received. Any missing information should be identified promptly. Realistic timescales should be provided. Questions should be answered. Progress should not disappear into a black hole.
The costs specialist should feel like an extension of the solicitor’s own team, not another source of delay and uncertainty.
Faster costs drafting can support faster profitability
Law firms invest significant time, expertise and resources in progressing cases.
Once those cases conclude, the recovery of costs is part of converting that work into actual revenue. The faster a properly prepared detailed bill is completed and served, the sooner the recovery process can move forward. That does not mean rushing or sacrificing quality. It means avoiding unnecessary inactivity.
Prompt costs drafting can lead to earlier service, earlier negotiations and, ultimately, earlier payment. For firms carrying substantial work in progress or waiting for significant sums in outstanding legal costs, that matters.
Cashflow is not an abstract concern. It affects staffing, investment, growth and the day-to-day operation of the firm. Your costs provider should understand that.
Is it time to expect more?
A long standing working relationship can sometimes make poor service feel normal.
Bills take weeks to begin. Emails go unanswered. Deadlines slip. Advice is vague. The solicitor accepts it because that is how the relationship has always worked.
But familiarity should not be confused with quality. A costs provider should make the solicitor’s job easier. They should offer reliable turnaround times, clear communication, experienced advice and work that strengthens the position on recovery.
They should not create another problem for the solicitor to manage.
At Smart Legal Costs Solutions, we assist solicitors with detailed bills, costs budgets, Points of Dispute, Replies, negotiations and detailed assessment proceedings.
We understand that quality matters.
We also understand that time matters.
Our current turnaround for standard detailed bills is within seven days of receiving full instructions, helping firms move more quickly from completed litigation to costs recovery and improved cashflow.
If your current costs specialist is delaying your bills, providing questionable advice or failing to give your files the attention they require, it may be time to ask whether the relationship is still working for your firm.
Your costs provider should support your profitability. They should not stand in its way.
Smart Legal Costs Solutions
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