This year, we are delighted to welcome guest speaker Costs Judge Jason Rowley and celebrate the appointment of Andrew Roy KC (Deputy Costs Judge and Head of 12KBW’s Costs Team) to King’s Counsel.

The seminar will feature instructive and thought-provoking sessions ranging from the latest QOCS developments to detailed assessments and a lively discussion of topical Costs issues, followed by refreshments.

This event promises to be an enjoyable opportunity to share an evening with the 12 King’s Bench Walk Costs Team.

Programme

Time Talk Information
16:30

Registration

17:00

Are detailed assessments becoming otiose (again)?

Costs Judge Rowley

17:20

Brave New World? Practical implications of the new QOCS regime

Andrew Roy KC and Lois Aldred

Question of Costs: A Panel of 12KBW’s Costs experts is joined by Costs Judge Rowley to discuss your questions and recent developments in Costs Litigation.

Costs Judge Rowley, Andrew Lyons, Jeremy Mckeown and Cressida Mawdesly-Thomas

Andrew Roy KC

Andrew specialises in complex, sensitive and high value cases involving personal injury (especially catastrophic claims), costs, industrial disease, clinical negligence, professional negligence, limitation and related areas.

Andrew has a significant appellate practice. He is head of the 12KBW Costs Team.  He sits as a Deputy Costs Judge of the Senior Courts.

Andrew is ranked in both Personal Injury and Costs by both Chambers & Partners and the Legal 500. They note that he has “A razor-sharp intellect coupled with an encyclopaedic knowledge of the case law, who is able to combine both into dazzling and fearless advocacy”, is “incredibly bright and tenacious”, “concise, pays enormous attention to detail and is excellent with clients", and “very thorough, persistent and persuasive in court" with “a great ability to distill the most complex legal arguments”.

The directories also recommend Andrew as being“adept at handling challenging cases of high complexity”,a ferocious advocate in court”, “a great strategist with an eye for the big picture at all times”, “legally savvy a fierce advocate, who is very bright but also practical”, "a great choice of counsel when you know you have a fight on your hands” and "Exceptional - he is straight to the point, technical and an all-round great barrister."

As one of only a handful of barristers ranked by the directories in both personal injury and costs, Andrew brings this in-depth crossover expertise to both his personal injury cases and his costs work. The directories note that in respect to personal injury, he is “a strong negotiator and has the added value of real costs expertise” who is “Valued by instructing solicitors for his considerable knowledge of costs issues”. They likewise note that in respect of costs he “draws strength to his practice through his personal injury expertise.”

Andrew is Head of Pupillage at 12KBW.

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Andrew Lyons

Andrew specialises in cases involving costs, personal injury (all areas including, clinical negligence and disease work), fraudulent claims and employment law.

For the last three years Andrew has been a leading Junior in the Legal 500 and is rated as a leading junior in personal injury, clinical negligence and costs.

Andrew was appointed to the Attorney General’s Panel of Counsel in 2015.

He was appointed to the Education and Training Committee of the Bar Standards Board from 2010 until the end of 2015. From 2014 until the end of 2015 he was appointed to the Bar Standards Board Pupillage Committee.

Away from the Bar, his interests include wine, squash and travelling.

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Lois Aldred

Lois is an experienced Personal Injury and Costs Specialist known for her approachable style, tenacious advocacy and the ability to effectively argue tricky legal points.

Lois combines her practice as a barrister with sitting as Recorder on the Midlands Circuit.

Away from Law Lois has a keen interest in travel, languages, and sustainable gardening when she isn’t marshalling her trio of young sons.

She speaks (now) basic French after her time living and studying in Strasbourg, when a student along with a little Spanish and Japanese.

Before coming to the Bar Lois Taught English Language Oral Communication in Osaka, Japan.

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Jeremy McKeown

Jeremy accepts instructions across all of 12KBW’s core areas. He has particular experience in claims involving employment and discrimination (with expertise in post-termination restrictions), costs, public / occupiers’ / employers’ liability, insurance, credit hire and fundamental dishonesty.

His practice encompasses advisory work, drafting and advocacy in fast track and multi-track claims, both in the High Court and County Courts.

Owing to previous employment at a City law firm, he has a detailed knowledge of civil procedure and experience across a broad range of commercial and arbitration, regulatory and fraud work.

He is a contributor to several blogs and publications in his specialist areas.

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Cressida Mawdesley-Thomas

Cressida specialises in all aspects of Personal Injury law. She has a thorough and collaborative approach and is recognised by The Legal 500 as a Rising Star who “has already amassed an extremely impressive caseload, far beyond that of many barristers much more senior”.

In disease litigation Cressida acts for Claimants suffering from mesothelioma, lung cancer, diffuse pleural thickening and asbestosis. She is also experienced in VWF/ HAVS claims. She regularly appears in the Masters’ corridor and is well versed in limitation arguments and complex issues of causation. As second junior in Mather v MOD she helped obtain a settlement of over £3 million for a former RAF painter & finisher who developed MS following exposure to organic solvents in breach of the COSHH Regulations.

Cressida has particular interest in equine claims brought under The Animals Act 1971.  She is currently junior counsel in a high value, complex CRPS claim following a military riding accident. Cressida is adept at drafting schedules of loss in cases involving the loss of a military career.

In clinical negligence Cressida has experience in a range of different cases, including delayed diagnosis, as well as unnecessary and negligent surgery. This compliments her coronial practice where she is instructed in inquests involving multiple expert jurisdictions. She successfully obtained a regulation 28 prevention of future death report in a case arising out of the police’s treatment of head injuries and questioned experts in pathology, neuropathology, and toxicology.

Cressida is adept at handling complex motor insurance indemnity points. She successfully acted as Junior Counsel for the Second Defendant in Covea Insurance Plc v Greenaway [2021] 3 WLUK 379, considering the meaning of the ‘stolen or unlawfully taken’ exception under s. 151 of the Road Traffic Act 1988Greenaway was the first case to practically consider how the domestic court is to interpret retained EU law under section 6(3) of the EU Withdrawal Act 2018. Unled she successfully acted for the Second Defendant in Kelec v (1) Kotwal (2) Nelson Insurance (HHJ Dight CBE, central London County Court, 18 August 2022). The case concerned the limits of a direct action under The European Communities (Rights against Insurers) Regulations 2002 (‘the 2002 Regulations’).

Cressida acts and advises in costs litigation, including detailed assessment hearings, where she is an effective advocate. She co-edits 12 King’s Bench Walk’s Costs blog with Deputy Costs Judge Andrew Roy.

Prior to coming to the Bar Cressida worked at a top American investment bank. She is highly numerate and drafts living and fatal schedules of loss beyond her year of call.

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Costs Judge Jason Rowley

Jason Rowley has been a Costs Judge at the Senior Courts Costs Office since 2013, having previously been a Deputy Costs Judge since 2006. He has been involved in costs matters since 1993 when he attended a conference chaired by Michael Cook and which left him with a desire to know far more about the world of costs.

At the SCCO, Jason is responsible for the SCCO Guide and the annual training day of the costs judiciary.  He has been co-opted onto working parties such as the Family Procedure Rule Committee and has recently followed Simon’s footsteps in becoming a Judicial College Civil tutor in order to teach costs subjects to the wider judiciary.

Prior to becoming a judge, Jason intervened on behalf of the Forum of Insurance Lawyers in cases such as Callery v Gray before running test cases on behalf of clients involving Claims Direct and The Accident Group. This led to stints on the Law Society’s Civil Litigation Committee, including drafting the 2005 model CFA, as well as participation in the ‘Big Tents’ convened to broker industry agreements on success fees.

Jason started as a solicitor in an insurance practice dealing mainly with personal injury claims. He was a partner for 11 years, the last 5 of which were as Managing Partner. Thereafter he was the CEO of a barristers’ chambers in the Inner Temple and a senior underwriting manager at a legal expenses insurance company.