Avoiding court fees

In an article in the Solicitors Journal of 22 June William Gibson advocated mediation as a cheaper and quicker method of resolving costs disputes than court assessments. He set out the recent history of court fees as follows:‘Before April 1999 there was a major incentive for parties to litigation to settle the resulting costs claimed by negotiation or mediation. Referring the matter to court for adjudication attracted a “taxing fee” of 7.5% of the total value of the bill, half of which was paid in advance when the papers were lodged.’