keywords: costs draftsman, Bill of Costs drafting, legal cost recovery, costs budgeting, Precedent H, Part 36 uplift, fixed recoverable costs, PI costs, housing disrepair costs, NIHL claims, clinical negligence costs, MOD noise-induced hearing loss, CPR 47, costs negotiation, indemnity costs, solicitor profit, outsource costs drafting, hourly-rate recovery.
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1. What does a Costs Draftsman actually do?
A costs draftsman converts fee-earner work into money by:
• Preparing a CPR-compliant Bill of Costs or N260.
• Drafting Precedent H and Precedent R budgets for multi-track files.
• Writing Points of Dispute and Replies; arguing hourly rates, proportionality and indemnity costs.
• Negotiating with defendants, pushing for Part 36 uplifts and interest.
• Running Part 8 costs-only proceedings and attending detailed assessments under CPR 47.
Result: your firm moves from WIP to paid cash without tying up fee-earner time.
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2. Why most profit is lost after the case ends
Fixed recoverable costs, vague disbursement lines, missed Part 36 bonuses and under-recorded pre-issue work slice thousands off annual recovery. A specialist sees—and claims—every lawful penny.
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3. Key benefits of instructing DMD Costs
• Higher recovery: average 80 %–85 % settlement on PI, HDR and NIHL Bills, even after defendant reductions.
• Faster cash-flow: Bills drafted in five working days; signed Bills served within 24 hours.
• Full service: drafting, budgeting, negotiation and, when needed, detailed-assessment advocacy.
• Track expertise: fixed-cost tables, hourly-rate exemptions, legal-aid CCMS or MOD restorations—we navigate them all.
• Risk-free start: first file drafted and negotiated free; judge us on the result.
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4. Outsource vs. in-house costs team
In-house: salary, software, CPD, holiday cover.
Outsource: pay per file, always current on CPR updates, no overhead. Unless you run hundreds of Bills monthly, outsourcing wins on both cost and expertise.
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5. Typical matters we maximise
• Personal Injury & RTA – beat FRC where possible; capture Part 36 uplift.
• Housing Disrepair – recover pre-issue surveyor fees and tenant attendances others miss.
• Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) – separate restoration fees per defendant; argue industrial-disease exemption.
• Clinical Negligence – defend Grade A rates on seven-figure cases; draft robust budgets.
• MOD claims – navigate military disclosure, secure hourly-rate recovery outside FRC.
• Legal-Aid Billing – 98 % first-time CCMS acceptance, cut LAA rejections.
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6. How to start
Email a live file or give us limited access to LEAP/Proclaim. We draft the Bill, negotiate to settlement and invoice only once you receive payment.
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Five FAQs
Q1: Will a costs draftsman really increase recovery in fixed-cost cases?
Yes—Part 36 uplifts, indemnity-basis periods and CPR 45.29J arguments still add value.
Q2: How do you protect data?
Secure encrypted storage on UK servers; access only the files you authorise (GDPR-compliant).
Q3: Can you attend detailed-assessment hearings?
When negotiation stalls, we prepare the bundle and attend or brief counsel—hourly or fixed-fee by prior agreement.
Q4: Do you handle high-value med-neg budgets?
Regularly. We draft Precedent H, liaise with experts and defend Grade A rates at CCMC.
Q5: What’s the catch with the free trial?
None. We draft and negotiate one file at no cost; if you like the outcome, keep sending work.
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Need every recoverable pound? Email info@dmdcosts.co.uk and test DMD Costs on your next Bill—risk-free.