Award aims to raise awareness of the role and excellence of the profession
Andrew McAulay, the head of costs and litigation funding at Leeds firm Clarion, last week won the inaugural Costs Lawyer of the Year award at the Modern Law Awards 2025.
Sara Gould, a partner at Harmans Costs, was highly commended.
The award was instigated and sponsored by the ACL to showcase the excellence of Costs Lawyers.
Mr McAulay, who qualified in 2012, is one of just six in band 1 of the Chambers & Partners rankings for Costs Lawyers and one of nine ‘leading partners’ among Costs Lawyers as ranked by Legal500. Former head of the management board of ACL Training, he now sits as a professional member of the Costs Lawyer Standards Board.
He said: “I’m proud to be recognised as ‘Costs Lawyer of the Year’ at the Modern Law Awards 2025. This award reflects the outstanding work we do at Clarion and our commitment to supporting clients. Working nationally and internationally, we navigate the evolving landscape of costs law and litigation funding.
“Thank you to the Association of Costs Lawyers for sponsoring this inaugural award, helping to raise awareness of the vital role Costs Lawyers play in the legal marketplace.”
Also shortlisted for the award were Christine Middleton, principal of CM Costings in Nottingham; Ian Curtis-Nye, partner at Bristol-based Lyons Davidson, responsible for the civil division and costs team; Steven Green, partner and national head of costs at Irwin Mitchell; and Victoria Morrison-Hughes, managing director of Integral Legal in Manchester.