The End-to-End legal costs journey: What Your Legal Costs does differently

Chris Lacey, our Operations Manager, and Vicky Davies, our Drafting Team Leader, have taken a moment to share what really goes on behind the scenes in legal costs – and why our role doesn’t stop once the bill is drafted. From fast-track housing disrepair claims to high-value complex multi-track cases, we retain your file from initial instruction to final recovery. That includes meeting tight deadlines – often turning around urgent Costs Budgets in 24 hours – and attending hearings ourselves, rather than instructing Counsel who may not be as passionate about the recoveries as we are! It’s a joined-up approach that keeps cases moving, avoids the usual delays, and delivers stronger outcomes for our clients. 

Too often, the role of the costs draftsman is confined to preparing a bill in isolation. But in today’s litigation environment, where timing and recovery are critical, that limited approach is no longer enough.

At YLC, costs recovery is part of the case strategy. That’s why we support the entire lifecycle of a matter, from the initial instruction right through to recovery. It’s a fully integrated approach that solves the common challenges law firms face – and delivers stronger outcomes. 

Understanding the full lifecycle

From a budgeting hearing to a final payment, the legal costs journey spans multiple technical and strategic stages. YLC’s service is designed around each one: 

• Early instruction and triage – reviewing scope, opening the file in Proclaim, and assigning a named point of contact
• Budgeting and costs management – preparing Precedent Hs, attending CCMCs, and guiding the client on costs strategy
• Drafting – from informal N260s to full Bills of Costs and Replies
• Negotiation and Advocacy – including direct engagement with opponents, interim payments, and in-house representation
• Recovery – invoicing, chasing, and reconciling payment through our Accounts team

The difference with YLC? We don’t just touch these stages – we stay actively involved in each of them. Clients don’t experience a handover or wonder who is dealing with their file. There’s continuity from start to finish. 

Where others drop off, we keep going

In practice, many providers only handle part of the journey – drafting a bill, then leaving negotiation or recovery to the client. Some don’t offer advocacy at all, or outsource it to unfamiliar third parties or Counsel. That’s where things fall down: communication breaks, delays creep in, and accountability gets lost. At YLC, our team stays on the file throughout, keeping momentum, reducing rework, and giving clients a consistent voice across all stages – including when attending court or chasing final payment. 

Solving the pain points: speed, communication, continuity

The biggest frustrations we hear from solicitors are delays, unclear handovers, and poor communication. We solve that by being responsive, available, and proactive. Our typical Service Level Agreements are 7 days for fast-track cases and 14 days for multi-track matters – and when deadlines bite, we’ll often turn around urgent work within 24 hours. By contrast, we regularly see providers taking months to return a file – three, four, even six months.  

Behind the scenes, our case management system (Proclaim) prompts the team to follow up at key stages, escalate where needed, and stay on top of live matters. We tailor communication to each client: weekly case updates and Teams calls are common, and for some clients we run through 10–20 live cases every week, agreeing next steps and chasing actions.  

Fast track vs multi-track: different needs, tailored approach

A quick refresher: fast track is designed for lower-value, often less complex claims (trials typically completed within a day with restricted evidence), while multi-track handles higher-value or more complex cases requiring longer trials, broader disclosure, and more flexible case management. 

Most of our volume work comes from fast-track claims – particularly housing disrepair (HDR) claims – where speed and clarity are key. These matters benefit from short-form statements of costs (N260s), and fast recovery after trial. We’re also increasingly instructed on multi-track cases – such as clinical or professional negligence – where we provide more detailed support: complex budget preparation and updates, attending CCMCs (often alongside or instead of Counsel), and attending detailed assessment hearings. In these matters, continuity and strategic input make a real difference. It’s not just about costs – it’s about outcomes. 

Working seamlessly with your team

Our departments work closely together, drawing on their specialist knowledge and experience across all stages of recovery – from drafting and negotiation through to advocacy – to provide the best advice and maximise cost recovery. Wherever possible, the same fee earner remains with the claim within each department, avoiding duplication, reducing the need to re-explain the case, and fostering strong working relationships. We can also provide a full cradle-to-grave service on request.

Added value: advocacy, recovery, reporting

We don’t just prepare the paperwork – we stand behind it. We always offer to attend budgeting hearings and CCMCs; when we do, outcomes can be significantly better – and often more cost-effective than relying on Counsel who haven’t been involved from the outset. 

Once the matter is resolved, our Accounts team chases recovery at no extra charge – saving clients the time and hassle of chasing payment. We also produce detailed post-assessment reports where appropriate, outlining key outcomes, reductions, and recommendations for future matters. 

Tech-enabled, people-driven

Technology underpins our process. We use Proclaim and Costsmaster to manage, track, and deliver every file – with system-generated reminders, time-recording support, and clear visibility across all stages. We also provide Proclaim training for client teams, particularly where time recording needs tightening. 

We also keep clients ahead of industry changes (from evolving Conditional Fee Agreements to the new fixed fee regime), offering advice – often pro bono – so they can adapt quickly and effectively.  

The bottom line

Most costs providers support part of the journey. We support all of it. That means: fewer delays, stronger outcomes, clearer communication, and less pressure on our clients. We help firms avoid cost leakage, manage change, and respond quickly to deadlines – whether you’re dealing with a sudden trial date, a new fixed fee regime, or an evolving CFA model. 

When to instruct us (a quick checklist)

• Budget due / CCMC listed – instruct us early; if the case changes significantly, loop us back in to update
• Fast-track trial or application hearing coming up – ask us for an N260 statement of costs
• Post-hearing – instruct us for the bill and let our Accounts team chase recovery to completion. 

Want to work differently on your costs?

Please get in touch with the team at Your Legal Costs via management@yourlegalcosts.co.uk. Whether it’s a new instruction, a budgeting hearing, or a post-trial bill – we’re with you from start to finish. 

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