Costs

Costs Lawyers Standards Board

From November the CLSB will assume responsibility for regulating costs lawyers. The Legal Ombudsman (LeO) will consider service complaints and the CLSB will consider conduct complaints against costs lawyers. As part of a first-tier complaints procedure, a costs lawyer must notify a client/complainant that in the event a complaint is not resolved to the satisfaction of the complainant or within the designated eight-week period, the complainant may refer the complaint to LeO. LeO will establish if the nature of the complaint is one of service, conduct or both and under whose jurisdiction it falls.