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My issue here is not with proportionality per se, but with the historical padding of files with the knowledge that one's own clients would not be footing the bill. Add to that the plethora of time/cost saving measures such as email, digital dictation and so on.

This is where the removal of success fees is a killer to those cases that do win under a CFA. the success fee no longer pays for the unsuccessful cases so the successful ones have to be padded out to the point where they then get slashed.

Pick up any non PI portal claim and you can strip the claimed costs right back if you provide a good, not gold-plated service. Most clients would rather have cold efficiency at a lower cost.

Those that need a gold-plated service are those truly needy people like children in care, abuse victims and so on. And the solicitors representing them get nowt.

But it's all got me wondering. What if I do lots of wasted work on a claim that settles for £1m but my costs are say £100k (I can dream can't I)? If £50k of that is wasted, do I still get the full whack because it is proportionate? I doubt it...