Nicholas Lee

Paragon Costs

Nick began his career in costs in 2001. He qualified as an Associate of the Association of Law Costs Draftsmen in January 2009 and became a Fellow in January 2011. Following the Association being granted Reserved Legal activities under the Legal Services Act in 2007, he was admitted as a Costs Lawyer in 2011. The Association changed its name to the Association of Costs Lawyers in 2011.

Nick worked in-house from 2001, attaining Associate status, Director of Costs and Fixed Share Partner for a Top 100 Law Firm.

In 2011, Nick created Paragon Costs Solutions which now has offices in London and Bristol. Clients have included many Top 100 Law Firms, Local Authorities, Insurers and International Banks.

Nick joined the Bristol Law Society, as a Council member, in 2013. He subsequently was elected Treasurer in 2015, Junior Vice President in 2016 and Senior Vice President in 2017, paving the way for a Presidential year in 2018/19.

Nick is a frequent public speaker having arranged numerous costs seminars. He has also been invited to speak at litigation conferences for the Bristol Law Society, Junior Lawyer Divisions, CILEX and other membership organisations.

He has written articles for the Personal Injury Law Journal, Personal Injury Brief Update Law Journal, Legal Life, Claims Magazine and the Costs Lawyer publication.

Reported Cases:

Bocacina Ltd v Boca Cafes Ltd [2014] EWHC 26 (IPEC)

Contributed to

1

Challenging funding arrangements—general principles

Practice notes

This Practice Note is concerned with challenges to funding arrangements associated with retainers and considers what is the definition of a funding arrangement (ie a retainer-based funding arrangement or a separate contractual funding agreement between the client and a non-legal representative third party funder (also known as a pure funding arrangement)), and why its parties would want to challenge a funding agreement or a funding arrangement. It also covers how to challenge a retainer-based or pure funding arrangement including establishing the terms of the funding arrangement using disclosure and other means. Finally, it considers common challenges to retainers, and two types of funding agreements: conditional fee agreements (CFAs), damages based agreement (DBAs) as well as pure funding arrangements with professional litigation funders (contract based funding agreements), including challenges based on champerty.

Dispute Resolution