Guideline Hourly Rates Birkenhead (2025)
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The guideline hourly rates (GHR) remain a key benchmark for determining recoverable legal costs across England and Wales. These rates guide courts, solicitors, and costs professionals in assessing whether the time spent and fees claimed are proportionate and reasonable.
Following recent rate increases applied from 1 January 2025, practitioners in Birkenhead and the surrounding Merseyside area should now refer to the updated figures. These figures reflect a 3.65% uplift in line with inflation as measured by the Service Producer Price Index (SPPI).
Birkenhead falls within National 1 for GHR purposes, covering much of the North West outside major cities such as Liverpool and Manchester.
What are the 2025 Guideline Hourly Rates in Birkenhead?
| Grade | Fee Earner Description | 2025 Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|
| A | Solicitors and legal executives with over 8 years’ experience | £288 |
| B | Solicitors and legal executives with over 4 years’ experience | £242 |
| C | Other solicitors, legal executives, or equivalent fee earners | £197 |
| D | Trainees, paralegals, and junior fee earners |
£139
|
These updated figures replace the 2024 rates and are designed to reflect modern practice costs and overheads more accurately. The latest review was overseen by the Civil Justice Council, in consultation with the judiciary and the Head of Civil Justice, ensuring the figures continue to support access to justice and consistency across regions.
The guideline hourly rates are periodically reviewed under the supervision of Sir Geoffrey Vos, Master of the Rolls, reflecting the judiciary’s ongoing commitment to fairness and consistency in costs recovery. The review process, led by the Civil Justice Council, ensures that the figures remain up to date with market conditions and continue to provide reliable guidance for both receiving and paying parties.
Applying the Rates in Practice
Although the guideline figures are not mandatory, they are the starting point for most costs assessments. Courts in Birkenhead will typically expect claims for solicitor rates to align with these benchmarks unless there is a clear justification to depart from them.
As a National 1 area, Birkenhead attracts the highest guidelines attainable outside of London, though the difference with the lower (outer city) band of National 2 is narrowing, with the difference in rates now being fairly marginal. This is due to the changing landscape of how litigation is being conducted, particularly post Covid, whereby location now has very little with regards to how litigation is conducted, and overhead costs thereby narrowing between National 1 and 2 areas. The jump in rates/overheads between London and non-London areas does however, remain significant.
On summary/detailed assessment (more likely on the latter before a specialist Costs Judge) a party may seek higher rates than those set out in the guidelines if a case demonstrates particular complexity, urgency, or specialist expertise not reflected by the standard guidelines. This was an approach endorsed in Harlow District Council v Powerrapid Limited (Rev1) [2023] EWHC 586 (KB) whereby it was stated that the guidelines had not been formulated to cover every type of work, particularly specialist/complex areas of law. However, such claims for enhanced rates must be supported by evidence, such as the seniority of the fee earner, the nature of the work undertaken, or the need for specialist knowledge as per the guidance set out in Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd & Ors v LG Display Co. Ltd & Anor (Costs) [2022] EWCA Civ 466 (06 April 2022).
Ensuring that retainers, costs budgets, and bills of costs reflect the updated 2025 rates as a minimum is essential for maximising cost recovery, as well as compliance with the indemnity principle if the current guidelines are sought on assessment, but are not catered for within your retainer with the client.
How can ARC Costs Assist?
At ARC Costs, we work with solicitors and law firms across Birkenhead and beyond to prepare and negotiate costs claims in line with the latest guideline figures. Our team of Costs Draftsmen and Costs Lawyers provide support in drafting Bills of Costs, Precedent H budgets, and conducting advocacy at detailed assessment hearings.
Understanding the correct regional rate is vital and applying the wrong band or outdated figures could lead to reductions or disputes at assessment. Our specialists ensure your claims are fully evidenced, proportionate, and defensible under the current GHR framework.
Contact ARC Costs today for tailored advice on applying the 2025 Guideline Hourly Rates in Birkenhead and ensuring your costs claims are accurate, recoverable, and fully justified.
For expert advice, contact us on 01204 397302 or email info@arccosts.co.uk. Alternatively, complete our online enquiry form and one of our specialists will be in touch.