Costs in Tribunals

Tribunals often have the power to award costs (or monies very similar to costs), and when they do, they often assess in a way which takes account of the CPR, but does not rigidly follow it. The costs team has experience in many tribunals, including the Lands Tribunal, the VAT and Duties Tribunals, and the Employment Tribunal. Matthew Smith, in particular, is expert on procedure in the last of these tribunals.

Unexpected time limits often apply in tribunals, and as such, it is usually sensible to instruct counsel early. If the tribunal is particularly obscure (such as the Gender Recognition Panel, or the Adjudicators), then please include the relevant tribunal rules in counsel’s instructions.

The costs team also has experience of dealing with the costs of public enquiries. If you intend instruct counsel to advise on enquiry costs, please state whether the enquiry is a statutory or non-statutory enquiry, and please also ensure that counsel has all orders and awards made by the chairman or on his behalf.

To view a list of our members who specialise in this area, please click on the drop down menu to the left.