Hurst: Civil Costs 7th Edition

Civil Costs deals with all areas of civil costs, from the basic principles of entitlement to the practical details of how costs are actually assessed, written by a leading authority.

The seventh edition provides a thorough and authoritative survey of the current costs regime as it has settled post-Jackson and developed via recent case law and will be an invaluable addition to the library of those involved in civil litigation and costs law.

Key features:

• Deals with all areas of civil costs, from the basic principles of entitlement to the practical details of how costs – both non-contentious and contentious – are actually assessed
• Covers the review of and appeal against the summary assessment of costs
• Examines penalties and sanctions for wasted costs, and the court’s inherent jurisdiction
• Includes chapters on costs in arbitration proceedings, proceedings before the court of protection and before other tribunals
• Looks at the recovery of costs and the charging of interest on the unpaid amount
• Includes coverage of the award and assessment of costs in proceedings before the Supreme Court (and European Court of Justice).
• Examines and provides direction on the problems surrounding Conditional Fee Agreements
• Contains chapters on the general principles of assessment, the Supreme Court, and the European Court of Justice
• Provides commentary on the key costs cases

The seventh edition includes:

• A new chapter dealing with special cases is included as a result of the expansion of Part 46 Costs - Special Cases, particularly with the addition of Section IX (Costs Limits in Aarhus Convention Claims).
• Recent amendments and updates to the Civil Procedure Rules have been taken account of, particularly the changes to Part 25 on Interim Remedies and Security for Costs.
• The judgment of the UK Supreme Court in R. (On the application of PACCAR Inc) v Competition Appeal Tribunal [2023] UKSC 28, was unexpected. It caused the government of the day to promise legislation to regularise the position.
• The decision of Sheldon J. in Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP [2025] EWHC 2341 (KB), caused potentially far reaching difficulties. The subsequent decision of the Court of Appeal restored the status quo: Mazur v Charles Russell Speechlys LLP, [2026] EWCA Civ 369.
• The advent of AI brought with it advantages but also problems; in particular in the area of citing legal authorities. In R. (Ayinde) v London Borough of Haringey [2025] EWHC 1383 (Admin), Dame Victoria Sharp, President of the King’s Bench Division, gave the judgment of the Court.
• On 23 April 2026 the Civil Justice Council opened a consultation on the Reform of the Solicitors Act 1974, Part III, which will continue until 16 July 2026.