How We Work With Firms Outside Greater Manchester
DMD Costs is based in Westhoughton, in the borough of Bolton, and has no office anywhere else. Files, papers and bills are exchanged electronically, so where your firm is based makes no difference to the work. You send a file through the secure client portal; we draw the bill of costs or Precedent S electronic bill, answer Points of Dispute with Replies and negotiate to settlement, with no advocacy. We prepare the costs documentation and support your team through the process. The instructing solicitor retains conduct of the matter.
Our three practice areas are housing disrepair costs, MoD NIHL costs and clinical negligence costs, all on the standard basis. The fee is fixed and agreed before any work begins. First drafts are normally returned within five working days of receiving complete papers. Urgent turnaround can be agreed separately before instruction.
The Cities at a Glance
| City | Guideline rate band (2026) | County Court hearing centre |
|---|---|---|
| Leeds | National 1 / National 2 | Leeds Combined Court Centre |
| Birmingham | National 1 / National 2 | Birmingham Civil and Family Justice Centre |
| Liverpool | National 1 | Liverpool Civil and Family Court |
| Bristol | National 1 | Bristol Civil and Family Justice Centre |
| Sheffield | National 2 | Sheffield Combined Court Centre |
| Newcastle | National 1 / National 2 | Newcastle Civil & Family Courts and Tribunals Centre |
| Nottingham | National 1 / National 2 | Nottingham County Court and Family Court |
| Leicester | National 2 | Leicester County Court and Family Court |
| Manchester | National 1 / National 2 | Manchester Civil Justice Centre (Civil and Family Courts) |
| London | London 1 / 2 / 3 | Senior Courts Costs Office, for assessment hearings (see below) |
Courts: GOV.UK, Find a Court or Tribunal, checked 25 October 2026. Bands: GOV.UK, Solicitors’ guideline hourly rates (from 1 January 2026).
Where the Detailed Assessment Papers Go
Requests in detailed assessment proceedings are filed at the “appropriate office” (CPR 47.4). Outside London, that is the County Court hearing centre or district registry that was dealing with the case when the judgment or order was made or the event giving the right to costs occurred (such as acceptance of a Part 36 offer), or the one it was later transferred to, unless the court directs the Senior Courts Costs Office or, in the County Court, another hearing centre (PD 47 para 4.1(a); CPR 47.4(2), (3)). So a case dealt with at a hearing centre below has its request for a default costs certificate (N254) and its request for a detailed assessment hearing (N258) filed there. The Notice of Commencement (N252) is served on the paying party, not filed.
Our free N252, N254 and N258 builders show where to file for the court you name, and the detailed assessment deadline calculator works out the dates.
Leeds: Hearing Centre, Rate Band and Filing
- Hearing centre: Leeds Combined Court Centre, The Courthouse, 1 Oxford Row, Leeds, LS1 3BG. GOV.UK lists it as handling money claims, housing cases and High Court cases. GOV.UK shows Leeds County Court and Family Court as no longer in service; civil work is at the Combined Court Centre.
- Detailed assessment: for a case dealt with there, the N254 and N258 are filed at Leeds Combined Court Centre, unless the court has directed otherwise.
- Guideline rate band: Leeds (Inner) - within 2km of City Art Gallery: National 1 (Grade A £295); Leeds (Outer): National 2 (Grade A £288).
Birmingham: Hearing Centre, Rate Band and Filing
- Hearing centre: Birmingham Civil and Family Justice Centre, Priory Courts, 33 Bull Street, Birmingham, B4 6DS. GOV.UK lists it as handling money claims, housing cases and High Court cases.
- Detailed assessment: for a case dealt with there, the N254 and N258 are filed at Birmingham Civil and Family Justice Centre, unless the court has directed otherwise.
- Guideline rate band: Birmingham Inner: National 1 (Grade A £295); Birmingham Outer: National 2 (Grade A £288).
Liverpool: Hearing Centre, Rate Band and Filing
- Hearing centre: Liverpool Civil and Family Court, 35 Vernon Street, Liverpool, L2 2BX. GOV.UK lists it as handling money claims, housing cases and High Court cases.
- Detailed assessment: for a case dealt with there, the N254 and N258 are filed at Liverpool Civil and Family Court, unless the court has directed otherwise.
- Guideline rate band: Liverpool: National 1 (Grade A £295).
Bristol: Hearing Centre, Rate Band and Filing
- Hearing centre: Bristol Civil and Family Justice Centre, 2 Redcliff Street, Bristol, BS1 6GR. GOV.UK lists it as handling money claims, housing cases and High Court cases.
- Detailed assessment: for a case dealt with there, the N254 and N258 are filed at Bristol Civil and Family Justice Centre, unless the court has directed otherwise.
- Guideline rate band: Bristol: National 1 (Grade A £295).
Sheffield: Hearing Centre, Rate Band and Filing
- Hearing centre: Sheffield Combined Court Centre, The Law Courts, 50 West Bar, Sheffield, S3 8PH. GOV.UK lists it as handling money claims, housing cases and High Court cases.
- Detailed assessment: for a case dealt with there, the N254 and N258 are filed at Sheffield Combined Court Centre, unless the court has directed otherwise.
- Guideline rate band: Sheffield: National 2 (Grade A £288).
Newcastle: Hearing Centre, Rate Band and Filing
- Hearing centre: Newcastle Civil & Family Courts and Tribunals Centre, Barras Bridge, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 8QF. GOV.UK lists it as handling money claims, housing cases and High Court cases.
- Detailed assessment: for a case dealt with there, the N254 and N258 are filed at Newcastle Civil & Family Courts and Tribunals Centre, unless the court has directed otherwise.
- Guideline rate band: Newcastle - City Centre (within 2km of St Nicholas Cathedral): National 1 (Grade A £295); Newcastle (other than City Centre): National 2 (Grade A £288). GOV.UK’s band list says “within 2m of St Nicholas Cathedral”; its A to Z says “within 2km”.
Nottingham: Hearing Centre, Rate Band and Filing
- Hearing centre: Nottingham County Court and Family Court, County Court at Nottingham, 60 Canal Street, Nottingham, NG1 7EJ. GOV.UK lists it as handling money claims, housing cases and High Court cases. The Family Court sits separately, at Nottingham Justice Centre, Carrington Street.
- Detailed assessment: for a case dealt with there, the N254 and N258 are filed at Nottingham County Court and Family Court, unless the court has directed otherwise.
- Guideline rate band: Nottingham City: National 1 (Grade A £295); Nottinghamshire: National 2 (Grade A £288).
Leicester: Hearing Centre, Rate Band and Filing
- Hearing centre: Leicester County Court and Family Court, 90 Wellington Street, Leicester, LE1 6HG. GOV.UK lists it as handling money claims, housing cases and High Court cases.
- Detailed assessment: for a case dealt with there, the N254 and N258 are filed at Leicester County Court and Family Court, unless the court has directed otherwise.
- Guideline rate band: Leicester: National 2 (Grade A £288).
London: Three Rate Bands and the Senior Courts Costs Office
London firms fall into one of three bands, as GOV.UK describes them:
| Band | What it covers | Grade A | Grade B | Grade C | Grade D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| London 1 | Very heavy commercial and corporate work by centrally based London firms; not tied to a postcode. | £579 | £393 | £305 | £210 |
| London 2 | City and Central London (other work): EC1 to EC4, W1, WC1, WC2 and SW1. | £422 | £327 | £276 | £157 |
| London 3 | Outer London: all other London boroughs, plus Dartford and Gravesend. | £319 | £262 | £209 | £146 |
For a case from one of the London County Court hearing centres listed in PD 47 para 4.2 (Barnet, Brentford, Bromley, Central London, Clerkenwell and Shoreditch, Croydon, Edmonton, Kingston, Mayor's and City of London, Romford, Uxbridge, Wandsworth, Willesden; the paragraph still lists Ilford, whose cases passed to Romford in 2012), the request for an assessment hearing (N258) goes to the Senior Courts Costs Office, Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, London, WC2A 2LL, not to the hearing centre. Represented parties file there on CE-File. A default costs certificate (N254) is still issued, and an application to set it aside heard, by the local hearing centre (PD 47 para 4.2(2)). High Court cases dealt with in London, and Court of Appeal cases, are assessed in the Senior Courts Costs Office too (PD 47 para 4.1). The County Court at Central London is at the same address, in the Thomas More Building, Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, London, WC2A 2LL (GOV.UK court finder). Our Senior Courts Costs Office guide covers the London process in more detail.
Manchester
Greater Manchester is where we are based. The hearing centre is Manchester Civil Justice Centre (Civil and Family Courts), 1 Bridge Street West, Manchester, M60 9DJ, and the bands are Manchester (Central): National 1 (Grade A £295); Manchester (Outer): National 2 (Grade A £288). Our Greater Manchester page has the band for every Greater Manchester town on GOV.UK’s list.
Guideline Hourly Rates 2026 Outside London
| Grade | Fee earner | National 1 | National 2 |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | Solicitors and legal executives with over 8 years’ experience | £295 | £288 |
| B | Solicitors and legal executives with over 4 years’ experience | £247 | £247 |
| C | Other solicitors, legal executives and fee earners of equivalent experience | £201 | £200 |
| D | Trainee solicitors, paralegals and other fee earners | £142 | £142 |
The band follows the office to which the fee earner is attached, or mainly attached, not the court hearing the case (Guide to the Summary Assessment of Costs, para 31). Where a firm has more than one office, or fee earners who work remotely, the bill should say which band it uses. The full table, every place in GOV.UK’s A to Z and how to justify a rate above the guideline are in our 2026 guideline hourly rates guide.
Free Tools and Guides for the Next Steps
- Detailed assessment of costs, step by step
- The bill of costs explained
- Points of Dispute and Replies
- Civil court fees calculator, including the detailed assessment fees
- Every free costs tool and guide
Sources
- GOV.UK, Find a Court or Tribunal: Leeds Combined Court Centre
- GOV.UK, Find a Court or Tribunal: Birmingham Civil and Family Justice Centre
- GOV.UK, Find a Court or Tribunal: Liverpool Civil and Family Court
- GOV.UK, Find a Court or Tribunal: Bristol Civil and Family Justice Centre
- GOV.UK, Find a Court or Tribunal: Sheffield Combined Court Centre
- GOV.UK, Find a Court or Tribunal: Newcastle Civil & Family Courts and Tribunals Centre
- GOV.UK, Find a Court or Tribunal: Nottingham County Court and Family Court
- GOV.UK, Find a Court or Tribunal: Leicester County Court and Family Court
- GOV.UK, Find a Court or Tribunal: Manchester Civil Justice Centre (Civil and Family Courts)
- GOV.UK, Find a Court or Tribunal: Senior Courts Costs Office
- GOV.UK, Find a Court or Tribunal: Central London County Court
- GOV.UK, Solicitors’ guideline hourly rates (rates from 1 January 2026)
- Guide to the Summary Assessment of Costs (2021 edition), para 31 and Appendix 2
- CPR Part 47 (rule 47.4) and Practice Direction 47 (paras 4.1 and 4.2)