Legal News Wales is delighted to announce a new Community Partnership with KE Costs, renowned for offering specialist legal costs support in litigation.
KE Costs has joined Legal News Wales to drive support to a growing community of like-minded law firms in Wales who are continuing to grow, develop and promote the strength of talented legal individuals the nation has to offer.
KE Costs is a boutique-style Legal Costs firm with a first-class reputation in all areas of legal costs, and prides itself on offering a more personalised and focused costs service to law.
With costs lawyers based in Wales, as well as the North-West of England, KE Costs offers bespoke client services, including cradle-to-grave Legal Costs handling and/or specialist drafting and costs dispute resolution teams.
Emma Waddingham, Editor, said:
“I have known members of the KE Costs team for many years and I’m proud of our shared values and sense of community for the legal sector. I have always been keen for the platform to work with partners that have clear specialisms – as lawyers do – and an acute understanding of the needs and ambitions of firms in Wales.
“KE Costs has a clear vision to grow its team in Wales and we’re delighted to offer a platform for the firm and for our legal community to gain and share the latest costs insight and expertise, and market intelligence. I’m looking forward to welcoming the team to our events and forums, and to share the valuable KE Costs updates each month.”
KE Costs is passionate about its role in developing diversity, social mobility and inclusivity in the legal sector and will continue its progress alongside Legal News Wales and our community of partners, Forums and events. In 2023, KE Costs hosted the costs-industry’s Social Mobility Event, collaborating with the ACL, ACLT, and CLSB.
KE is a leading member of the costs industry’s Costs Apprenticeship Trailblazer Group, seeking to create new and innovative pathways into law.
KE wants to work with like-minded organisations who understand that values such as these, not only create fair equal opportunities but enables the team to work collaboratively and provide high quality services to clients. It will also look for inspiration from wider sections of the legal profession in Wales – from award-winning DEI programmes to those entering the profession through alternative routes.
On announcement of the partnership, Kathryn Huxter, Senior Costs Lawyer at KE Costs (who is based in West Wales) said:
“We are proud to announce our exclusive partnership with Legal News Wales. As a trusted boutique costs drafting company, KE Costs has long supported legal professionals by providing expert costs solutions.
“This partnership marks an important milestone in our mission to deliver tailored, efficient, and compliant cost services to firms across Wales.
Kathryn added that by collaborating with Legal News Wales, ‘we aim to reinforce the established connections that Richie and myself have in Wales along with building new relationships within the Welsh legal sector, ensuring that we continue to support firms in maximising their recoveries and minimising risks through expert, timely, and strategic cost management’.
The firm
KE Costs is an agile, boutique practice which offers clients a more personalised and focused service than that on offer from larger firms. It’s team of almost 20 members includes 5 Costs Lawyers, 1 CLSB accredited trainer, 1 Unregistered Barrister, 1 accredited Mediator, 2 trainee Costs Lawyers, plus several specialist and experienced Costs professionals and a dedicated Business support team.
The firm has been listed and ranked in Chambers & Partners and the Legal 500 directories for over three years as one of the leading Costs practices in England & Wales, with Costs Lawyer Adam Grant individually recognised as an industry-leading costs practitioner.
KE Costs cover a broad range of work, including (but not limited to) the following areas:
- Personal Injury
- Clinical Negligence
- Abuse matters
- Dispute Resolution
- Commercial
The team covers a broad spectrum of work and are capable of drafting any costs pleadings including (but not limited to) Bills of Costs, Points of Disputes, Replies, Schedules, Applications, and other written submissions, negotiation, advocacy, and advice.
KE Costs are predominantly based in Liverpool but have remote workers across the Country, including two senior Costs Lawyers who are based in South and Mid/West Wales, with another senior member having strong connections to North Wales.
Meet the team
Richie Young, Senior Costs Lawyer (Newport, South Wales)
Richie has 13 years of experience and in that time, has gained a deep understanding of the costs field and it’s many complexities. He qualified as a Costs Lawyer in 2017, became Head of Negotiations at a previous role and has since specialised in handling high-value, complex cases, including catastrophic personal injury, clinical negligence, and industrial disease claims.
He takes pride in his ability to support legal teams with practical, clear advice on costs issues. Whether it’s budgeting, negotiations, or detailed assessments, he focuses on delivering strategies that help clients manage risks and avoid surprises down the line. He enjoys digging into the details of each individual case, identifying unique points, pertinent to that matter to find the best approach.
Staying current with costs law is a top priority for Richie. He keeps track of the latest CPR updates and case law developments through his monthly LinkedIn series, ‘Bullet Point Costs Case Law’. It’s his way of sharing key legal insights with others in the profession and likes to keep it short, sharp, and to the point.
Richie believes the key to success in this field is a combination of deep technical knowledge and a practical mindset. He aims to make costs law accessible and manageable for clients, helping them understand their options and make informed decisions. His focus has always been on building strong, collaborative relationships by being approachable, reliable, and being proactive in finding solutions.
Connect with Ritchie on Linkedin
Kathryn Huxter, Senior Costs Lawyer (Llandeilo, South/West Wales)
Kathryn has 13 years’ experience in Costs and qualified as a Costs Lawyer in 2016. She has had a wide exposure to both receiving and paying party work, with previous roles including being the Head of Defendant and Auditing, followed with being the Head for negotiations (predominantly Claimant). She has experience in all types of Personal Injury cases and particularly specialises in Abuse, Clinical Negligence and Dispute Resolution cases.
The wide expanse of both receiving and paying party work that Kathryn has been exposed to allows her the advantage of maintaining an objective approach and enables her to provide sound technical knowledge, particularly in niche areas where cases are often highly sensitive.
Kathryn has been responsible for training many members of staff over the years and is passionate about building relationships with team members and clients to promote a balanced work ethic, effective communication and to maintain a high standard of quality work being delivered.
During Kathryn’s managerial roles, she has been actively involved in developing and growing businesses with a key focus on building internal structures to ensure the smooth running of workloads. She has worked with many clients to build strong relationships, focusing on clients’ specific needs to ensure that the expectations are not only met, but exceeded.
Connect with Kathryn on Linkedin
David Hughes, Unregistered Barrister & Legal Director
David is a qualified Costs Lawyer, Unregistered Barrister and Legal Director at KE Costs Lawyers, having worked in law for almost 20 years, working for a range of organisations including charities and international commercial legal business, across England and Wales, Australia, and Europe. He is also a qualified teacher, accredited trainer, legal tutor and former Training Academy Manager, passionate about training, education, social justice, and championing opportunities within the costs industry.
He typically delivers a combination of technical (legal) and ‘soft’ skills training. He is leading social mobility projects that seek to create access to careers within legal costs, and is involved with the industry trailblazer group designing costs lawyer apprenticeships. David is currently undertaking the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) Level 5 coaching qualification with a view to providing a coaching and mentoring service for others in the business and/or industry following successful completion.
More importantly, David is half-Welsh, with strong roots in North Wales (around the Caernarfon area) and so looking forward to collaborating with Legal News Wales and promoting the excellent work done in and around Wales with fellow colleagues, Kathryn Huxter, and Richie Young.
Connect with David on LinkedIn
Colin Carr, Director of Business Development
Colin is Director of Business Development at KE Costs Lawyers; he has a wealth of business development experience, the diversity of which means he brings first-hand knowledge and understanding of the day-to-day issues and problems which a law practice faces to the clients of KE Costs Lawyers.
He has twenty-seven years’ experience in the legal sector, with ten years’ experience in the world of Legal Costs. This experience allows him to provide advice and assistance in most areas affecting legal practitioners on Legal Costs, funding and ATE insurance.
With an innovative; creative; proactive and successful “can-do” attitude, Colin demonstrates a consistent win-win ethos, whist carefully understanding the needs of our clients and the ever-changing needs of the business.
Colin is a huge music fan, with a varied and vast vinyl collection. He has Green blood in supporting Plymouth Argyle; Colin is a veteran having served for nine years with the Coldstream Guards, and served in Antarctica, as well as periods in Northern Ireland, The Falklands, Hong Kong, Canada and Cyprus.
Connect with Colin on Linkedin
