This practice note stresses the importance of solicitors giving information to clients about costs. It summarises the requirements of the Codes of Conduct for solicitors and firms under the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) Standards and Regulations 2019, and other legal requirements, and provides suggestions for how the best information on costs can be provided to a client retaining a solicitor for dispute resolution, at the outset and throughout the retainer.

This note covers the requirements of the codes under the SRA Standards and Regulations 2019 (in force from 25 November 2019). For details of previous codes, see the older versions of this note, Practice notes, Informing the client about costs: at outset of retainer and beyond: 6 October 2011 to 24 November 2019 , Informing the client about costs: at outset of retainer and beyond: July 2007 to 5 October 2011 and Informing the client about costs: at outset of retainer and beyond: pre- July 2007.