The County Court (Amendment) Rules (Northern Ireland) 2025 have been laid in the Northern Ireland Assembly and will come into operation on 26 November 2025. These rules introduce a significant change to County Court Scale costs, which apply to claims with a value of under £30,000, and will increase by 23%.
This decision reflects a wider review of costs within the Northern Ireland jurisdiction and will affect all litigation conducted within the County Court limits. For example, a claim for damages of £10,000 previously attracted solicitor costs of £2,463; under the new scale, this rises to £3,020. Counsel’s costs for the same claim increase from £579 to £710.
The issue of rising costs has been the subject of debate in recent months, particularly around the long-established practice in the jurisdiction of reduced scale costs for early resolution.
Some plaintiff firms sought to challenge this convention, but the recent judgment in Paul Dicks v First Central Underwriting Limited trading as 1st Central Underwriting (25/032923) has provided clarity. Judge Duncan confirmed that there is no automatic entitled to full scale costs, judges will retains discretion under Order 21 Rule 2(1) of the County Court Rules (NI) 1981 so that where a defendant lodges a formal pre-Certificate of Readiness (COR) offer with the court (a Notice of Lodgement) and this is not accepted by the plaintiff solicitor, and the figure is not beaten at trial, cost penalties can apply. In this case, three-quarters scale costs were awarded, in line with established convention and the previous decision of Cathcart v McCay.
Crucially, the judgment confirms that the existing practice of limiting costs to three-quarters of scale on lodgement acceptance remains legally sound. This provides important reassurance for insurers and defence solicitors that these established cost-control measures remain valid.
However, going forward, the 23% increase will apply and will result in increased costs in the jurisdiction for volume claims. This makes the incentive to settle pre-Certificate of Readiness more relevant than ever and reinforces the value of strategic early offers to avoid unnecessary litigation and escalating costs.
Undoubtedly, this increase will impact reserves. Tactics such as lodging formal offers will become even more important to minimise cost exposure.
The following table provides an overview of the proposed changes:
Updated Comparative Tables
Solicitors’ Costs – Ordinary Civil Bills
| Amount Claimed | Existing Scale Cost | New Scale Cost (+23%) |
| Does not exceed £500 | £254 | £311 |
| £501 – £1,000 | £554 | £679 |
| £1,001 – £2,500 | £1,170 | £1,435 |
| £2,501 – £5,000 | £1,662 | £2,038 |
| £5,001 – £7,500 | £2,155 | £2,643 |
| £7,501 – £10,000 | £2,463 | £3,020 |
| £10,001 – £12,500 | £2,709 | £3,322 |
| £12,501 – £15,000 | £2,955 | £3,624 |
| £15,001 – £20,000 | £3,992 | £4,895 |
| £20,001 – £25,000 | £4,381 | £5,373 |
| £25,001 – £30,000 | £4,833 | £5,927 |
Counsel’s Costs – Ordinary Civil Bills
| Amount Claimed | Existing Scale Cost | New Scale Cost (+23%) |
| Does not exceed £500 | £102 | £125 |
| £501 – £1,000 | £185 | £227 |
| £1,001 – £2,500 | £271 | £332 |
| £2,501 – £5,000 | £394 | £483 |
| £5,001 – £7,500 | £492 | £603 |
| £7,501 – £10,000 | £579 | £710 |
| £10,001 – £12,500 | £659 | £808 |
| £12,501 – £15,000 | £740 | £910 |
| £15,001 – £20,000 | £867 | £1,063 |
| £20,001 – £25,000 | £982 | £1,204 |
| £25,001 – £30,000 | £1,092 | £1,339 |
