The website of the judges, magistrates and tribunal members in England and Wales

23 December 2009
The Master of the Rolls has decided to wait until after publication of Sir Rupert Jackson's report of his review of Civil Litigation Costs before deciding whether to make any changes to the current Guideline Hourly Rates. That report is due to be published on 14 January 2010.

New guideline hourly rate for 2009

New guideline hourly rates came into operation on 1 January 2009.  Guideline hourly rates are used as a starting point for judges carrying out summary assessment of costs.  Summary assessment is the procedure by which the court, when making an order about costs, orders payment of a sum of money instead of fixed costs or ‘detailed assessment'.

• New hourly rates (PDF 8kb)
  
  These interim rates were recommended to the Master of the Rolls by the Advisory Committee on Civil Costs and have been approved for use by him.
• Master of the Rolls letter (PDF 18kb)
  
  They are based on data collected in a survey of solicitors and other interested parties and evidence provided to the Committe
• How the rates were calculated (PDF 86kb)
  
  Explanatory letter from Stephen Nickell, the Warden of Nuffield College, Oxford, to the Master of the Rolls, Sir Anthony Clarke, dated 9 December 2008