Paul Hughes

Practice Areas

Paul is a highly experienced costs practitioner with an ever-expanding range of expertise. Whilst he maintains a busy and successful practice advising on the procedural law and the costs of high value clinical negligence and personal injury actions, including group litigation, he has considerable experience of advising on (and mediating) commercial and, recently, planning disputes. He is also an experienced cross-examiner, and is regularly instructed to deal with disputes concerning conduct, misconduct, wasted costs and non-party costs orders.

Since 2013 Paul has been heavily involved in assisting firms with managing the transition to the post-Jackson world, having given business advice and undertaken substantial non-contentious work in this regard. Nine years on, Paul still advises on managing 'broken retainers' and resolving disputes concerning the indemnity principle, from both the paying party's and the receiving party's points of view. As an advocate, Paul has appeared at all levels, from the County Court to Court of Appeal and has substantial experience of advising on, litigating and mediating claims for costs in well excess of £1m. He is keen to expand his practice further and, in that regard, has advised on the costs of an application in a highly-complex commercial claim of in the British Virgin Islands.

Career

St Catherine's College, Oxford, MA Jurisprudence, Year of Call - 2001 (Middle Temple).

Professional Memberships

Fellow of the Association of Costs Lawyers (FACL). Qualified Mediator and Panel Member of CADR

Publications

Paul regularly publishes articles of interest in professional journals and assists with the other members of the team in contributing to the ACL’s costs database.

Paul was a member of the Recruitment Committee in Chambers for 15 years and, together with Kevin Latham, has for the last five years edited the Costs section of the Civil Court Service (“The Brown Book”).