Diellza Nika is the Managing Director of DMD Costs and has more than 15 years' experience in legal costs.
Her career has been built around the preparation, scrutiny and recovery of inter partes legal costs, giving her extensive practical experience of the issues that arise between receiving and paying parties once substantive litigation concludes.
Despite leading DMD Costs as Managing Director, Diellza remains directly involved in the technical work of the practice. She provides senior oversight on Bills of Costs, electronic bills, costs budgets, hourly rates, disbursements, expert and counsel fees, VAT treatment, funding issues, Points of Dispute, Replies, detailed-assessment issues and negotiation strategy.
Her approach is deliberately hands-on. Complex or unusual costs issues remain subject to senior practitioner oversight rather than being treated simply as a production exercise.
Diellza also plays a central role in developing DMD Costs' drafting standards, internal technical guidance and quality-control procedures.
At DMD Costs, her role combines management with day-to-day technical decision-making, ensuring that the firm's work remains focused on accurate drafting, strong presentation and effective recovery.
Experience
- Experience: 15+ years in legal costs
- Role: Managing Director of DMD Costs
- Focus: Extensive experience in inter partes costs
- Approach: Hands-on senior oversight of drafting and costs recovery
- Work: Bills of Costs, electronic bills, costs budgets, Points of Dispute, Replies, detailed assessment and negotiations
Areas of costs expertise
- Bills of Costs
- Precedent S and electronic bills
- Precedent H and costs budgeting
- Precedent T
- Detailed assessment
- Points of Dispute and Replies
- General costs case law
- Hourly rates
- Disbursement issues
- Part 36 costs issues
- Inter partes costs
- Clinical negligence costs
- Housing disrepair costs
- MoD NIHL and industrial disease costs
Selected technical content
Articles Diellza authors or reviews for DMD Costs:
- Clinical Negligence Costs Budgets: Precedent H, the CCMC and the Rules That Decide Recovery
- Clinical Negligence Bills of Costs: Precedent S, the Electronic Bill and the Transition Date
- Court Fee Increases From 13 July 2026: Updated Costs and Detailed Assessment Fees
- JXX v Archibald: Is the Recoverable MRO Mark-Up Now Capped at 25%?
- CPR 46.14 Costs-Only Proceedings: When Should Claimant Solicitors Issue Part 8?
- Guideline Hourly Rates 2026: What Claimant Firms Need to Know
Working with DMD Costs
DMD Costs prepares and negotiates standard-basis costs for claimant solicitor firms. See the full range of costs services, or get in touch about a live file.