Andrew was amongst the first Costs Lawyers to achieve regulated status in 2007, with over 25 years’ experience in dealing with contentious costs, he has over the years been instructed in all areas of personal injury, clinical negligence and commercial litigation.
Having been trained initially by a well respected Costs Specialist, he worked in a number of firms in and around the City and Holborn areas of London before setting up on his own account in 1994. His current business being one of the largest independent costs practices in the country.
This broad experience has given Andrew a comprehensive level of expert knowledge in all areas of costs law, including disputes between Solicitor and Client, and all aspects of between the parties costs disputes.
Andrew has been involved in many substantial commercial cases, including the claim for costs of a contract dispute in the Cayman Islands (costs claimed c. $40 million), a claim for costs on behalf of a successful Defendant to a multi-million pound action for fraud by an international bank (costs claimed c £5 million) and a further international fraud claim which was described by the Judge on a costs appeal as one of the most substantial pieces of litigation of our time (costs claimed c £4 million).
He has been involved also in a number of significantly high value Conditional Fee claims, the most notable being an employer’s liability claim brought by the families of a group of engineers who were kidnapped and executed in Chechnya; and a claim for personal injury by a Premier League footballer against an opposing player and club in which the Claimant alleged that the Defendant had tackled him with malicious intent and the injury sustained had ended his career. Costs in both cases were in the region of £1 million.
Andrew has appeared at all levels from County Courts across the Country to the House of Lords (now the Supreme Court) and has rights of audience as a Costs Lawyer, and has been instructed as an expert witness on English costs law in both domestic disputes a number of foreign jurisdictions. Andrew is also a CLSB accredited trainer.
Andrew has also advised in many reported and ground breaking cases, in particular;
Kuwait Airways Company v Iraqi Airways Corporation [1995] 1 All ER 790
A case which came before the House of Lords twice in relation to costs, on the first occasion with regard to the time interest on costs should begin running and the second which examined the scope of an order for costs and also dealt with the question of when and whether a bill of costs could be amended
Re Macro (Ipswich) Ltd [1996] 1 All ER 814 Ch D
A case which considered the Costs officer’s power to stay or adjourn a Detailed Assessment
Bourns Inc. v Raychem Corporation [1999] 3 All ER 154 CA
A case which looked at privilege and disclosure of documents on Detailed Assessment
Stubblefield & Others v Kemp & Others [2001] 2 Costs LR 30
A case which re evaluated the long standing principle that a Solicitor acting for himself could recover full costs
Abedi v Penningtons [2000] 2 Costs LR 205
A case which looked at interim statute billing in a dispute between solicitor and former client
Kasir v Darlington and Simpsons Rolling Mills Ltd [2001] 2 Costs LR 228
A case which settled the question of the point at which the time to launch an appeal from the decision of a Costs Officer begins
Arab Monetary Fund v Hashim & Others (LTL 17/7/2000)
A case on which 150% uplift was allowed on base costs due to the complexity and importance of the litigation, and 100 hours of estimated time was allowed.
Solomon vs Cromwell Group [2012] 1 WLR 1048
A case which examined the relationship between Part 36 and Part 45 in costs only proceedings.
