The New Guideline Hourly Rates have been published and are available at www.judiciary.gov.uk
The Master of the Rolls has followed the recommendation of the Advisory Committee on Civil Costs and increased the rates by 1.7%.
The new rates are:-
| NEW GUIDELINE HOURLY RATES FOR 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Band A | Band B | Band C | Band D | |
| London 1 | 409 | 296 | 226 | 138 |
| London 2 | 317 | 242 | 196 | 126 |
| London 3 | (229-267) | (172-229) | 165 | 121 |
| National 1 | 217 | 192 | 161 | 118 |
| National 2 | 201 | 177 | 146 | 111 |
Please note that unlike previous years the increase is to take effect from 1st April 2010.
As the rates have increased, now would be a good time to update your client care letters and CFAs giving the new rates for 2010 and to write to clients advising them of the increase in hourly rate. If you have any complex cases where you may want to charge a higher rate remember to take this into account when agreeing a retainer and writing to clients to advise them about any increase.
If you would like to have a word about this, or indeed any other costs issues, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
Andrew
A Neat Legal Services
Law Costs Draftsmen and Costs Consultants.