On Friday 30 July 2021 the final report from the Civil Justice Council on Guideline Hourly Rates was published. It has been 11 years since there has been any change in the rates. In response to the report, Master of the Rolls, Sir Geoffrey Vos, chair of the Civil Justice Council and Head of Civil Justice stated that he would now consider the recommendations in detail and what action ought to be taken. The report is well worth a read in full and the appendices provide a nice summary of some of the key principles underlying the assessment of costs, which would be a good starting point for beginners in this area.
For those of us more embedded in the world of costs, the key point is that the CJC have recommended that the Guideline Hourly Rates set out in Section E of the report should be implemented in full having been based on a sound methodology for revision. Watch this space but for now those recommended rates are:
| Grade A | Grade B | Grade C | Grade D | |
| London 1114 | £512 (25.2%) | £348 (17.6%) | £270 (19.5%) | £186 (34.8%) |
| London 2115 | £373 (17.8%) | £289 (19.5%) | £244 (25%) | £139 (10.4%) |
| London 3116 | £282 (13.7%) | £232 (15.8%) | £185 (11.9%) | £129 (7%) |
| National 1 | £261 (20.2%) | £218 (13.5%) | £178 (10.7%) | £126 (6.8%) |
| National 2 | £255 (26.78%) | £218 (23.2%) | £177 (21.3%) | £126 (13.5%) |
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.