The best outcomes in legal costs disputes derive from strategic thought and pragmatic action. This is central to the way we work as costs draftsmen at Athene Legal.

Costs cases are often won and lost on judgement. The costs budget set accurately. The bill of costs prepared with care. The points of dispute or reply that shape the detailed assessment in one’s favour. The negotiation that reads the other side correctly. Doing these things well is a matter of close attention, technical knowledge and clear thought for a law costs draftsman.

This is exactly why we took our name from the goddess of wisdom and prudent warfare. Think pragmatically, act with purpose, get the right result.

Athene Legal is a firm of costs lawyers and law costs draftsmen in the City of London. As dedicated law costs draftsmen, we act exclusively in legal costs disputes. From drafting bills of costs in complex, multi-jurisdictional litigation to advising on the merits of solicitor and client costs assessments, we deal with every element of costs law.

We specialise in costs budgeting and detailed assessment of costs. Both demand technical knowledge of the rules, strong experience and a reading of how the court is likely to view the matter. These are the areas of costs law we have spent years honing our skills in.

Our clients are law firms, businesses and individuals involved in substantial disputes. We work for receiving parties and paying parties in equal measure, which gives us a sharper view from both sides of the table. The costs draftsman work spans a range of practice areas, including commercial litigation, intellectual property, professional negligence, contentious probate, clinical negligence and property litigation.

Regulated by the Costs Lawyer Standards Board, we operate from Holborn Circus in the City of London, a short walk from the Royal Courts of Justice and Senior Courts Costs Office, although we act for law firms and individuals across England and Wales, and regularly on matters with an international dimension. 

Athene Legal was founded by our director and costs lawyer, Tyler McEwen, in 2020. Six years on, the firm has handled over 500 costs matters, with work ranging from obtaining a £1m costs reduction in an AED 111m claim against Emirati politicians to recovering substantial costs in detailed assessment proceedings in a trade mark dispute between a global retailer of healthcare products and pharmaceutical company.   

At every point, we deliver work of the highest standard, and that is why clients return to us. One London firm has instructed Athene as a costs draftsman on 80 separate matters since 2022. We have worked with a wide range of leading firms from across the UK and worldwide, including Arnold & Porter, Cooley, DLA Piper and TLT.

The firm still runs on the same principle that started it. Understand the work. Execute it meticulously. Think commercially. 

The law costs draftsman firm has grown from one person in 2020 to a small, client-focussed team handling work for some of the most demanding practices in the country. The intention is to keep building it the same way. Carefully, with the right people, taking on work the firm does well rather than work that simply expands the headcount.

If you have a costs matter to discuss, whether a costs budget, substantial detailed assessment proceedings, or advice on a solicitor and client costs dispute, Athene Legal is here to help.

Our philosophy guides every case we take on and every relationship we build.

As dynamic law costs draftsmen, we work as an extension of your legal team rather than an outside supplier. That means learning the matter properly at the outset, understanding your commercial objectives, and shaping the costs strategy around your goals. A good costs draftsman should make your case easier to run, not add another layer to manage.

We always endeavour to offer fixed fees. That way, you don’t have to worry about unexpected costs, and we get to focus on the work rather than the clock. Picking up the phone, sending a query or having a quick conversation about next steps does not generate a bill. Everything is wrapped into the engagement, so you get a costs draftsman team you can actually use, not one you ration.

Responsiveness matters to us. Costs work runs to court deadlines as well as your own commercial timetable, and a delayed reply can hold up a much larger piece of litigation. We answer quickly, provide timescales for completing your work, and keep you informed at every stage.

The result is a working style that suits law firms who want a costs partner they can rely on, not one they have to chase.