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Back in the day, costs were discussed, usually very amicably, between solicitors at the end of a case and very rarely went to what was then 'taxation'. Then came the defendant costs firms, who routinely and cynically offered stupidly low settlements because they were being paid a percentage of any reduction they achieved. This, in turn, caused claimant firms to use their own costs firms to redress the balance.

The end result is firms claiming £x00 per hour and hoping to get £y00 and no one's happy about it.

I agree entirely with GPH's very sensible comments below. I'm also outraged that the innocent solicitor is having to pay a proportion of the SRA's costs. That seems a fundamental breach of natural justice.