It has today been published that the Master of the Rolls has accepted the recommendations of the Civil Justice Council Costs Review, which was published in May 2023.
The 2021 Guideline Hourly Rates will be uplifted as of 1 January 2024 in accordance with the Services Producer Price Index (SPPI). The Guideline Hourly Rates will then be uplifted annually in accordance with the SPPI.
The rates from 1 January 2024 will be as follows (the brackets reflecting the present rates):
| Grade | Fee earner | London 1 | London 2 | London 3 | National 1 | National 2 |
| A | Solicitors and legal executives with over 8 years’ experience | £546 (£512) | £398 (£373) | £301 (£282) | £278 (£261) | £272 (£255) |
| B | Solicitors and legal executives with over 4 years’ experience | £371 (£348) | £308 (£289) | £247 (£232) | £233 (£218) | £233 (£218) |
| C | Other solicitors or legal executives and fee earners of equivalent experience | £288 (£270) | £260 (£244) | £197 (£185) | £190 (£178) | £189 (£177) |
| D | Trainee solicitors, paralegals and other fee earners | £198 (£186) | £148 (£139) | £138 (£129) | £134 (£126) | £134 (£126) |
The Master of the Rolls has also stated that he will establish a further working group to examine the methodology underpinning Guideline Hourly Rates.
Further, the Master of the Rolls has also asked the Civil Procedure Rules Committee to take forward the suggestions in the May 2023 Costs Review with regard to costs budgeting and pilot the same.
Ellena Hunter is an Associate in the Civil and Commercial Costs Team at Clarion Solicitors. You can contact the team at civilandcommercialcosts@clarionsolicitors.com
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