Trio of Costs Lawyers start working together again, while Rebecca and Mark Bidwell focus on legal aid
Two new costs firms have opened for business in recent weeks – Core Costs in Newport and Heathwells Legal Costs in Chesterfield.
Core Costs has been founded by Costs Lawyers Marc Harris, Richie Young and James Sherwood. The trio have known and worked with each other for over 15 years – with Mr Harris and Mr Young in the same ACL qualifying class, and Mr Sherwood qualifying the following year.
They worked together at Paragon Costs Solutions in Bristol before going their separate ways and reaching senior roles at well-known firms – Mr Young at Simpson Miller and then KE Costs Lawyers, Mr Harris at Civil & Commercial Lawyers and then Renvilles, and Mr Sherwood also at Renvilles.
Mr Young said: “In coming together, we wanted to create not only a strong support network, but also an environment where we could grow alongside people with similar mindsets, ambitions, and work ethics.
“We were proud of what we had achieved in our previous roles, but we knew we had something more to offer. On our own terms, running a business the way we want to run it and growing it the way we see fit.”
Core Costs offers a traditional range of costing services across practice areas such as personal injury, clinical negligence, industrial disease and commercial work.
Mr Young said the plan was to grow organically “with the right people who share our values”. He went on: “The focus is not on rapid expansion for its own sake, but on building a practice with a strong, lasting presence in the legal costs industry and a reputation that speaks for itself.”
Mr Sherwood added: “What sets Core Costs apart is not only our experience, but also our shared values. We are united in our commitment to delivering a responsive, high-quality and personal service, building long-term relationships with our clients and maintaining the highest standards.”
Heathwells Legal Costs is the brainchild of Rebecca and Mark Bidwell, who were co-founders of Bidwell Henderson, which they sold in 2021 to Frenkel Topping for an initial £1.5m. Ms Bidwell became director of strategy and implementation at the listed company before leaving in 2025.
Heathwells specialises exclusively in legal aid work, with a particular focus on family and civil matters, including Court of Protection work.
Ms Bidwell said: “Legal aid costs work often requires experienced professionals who can quickly identify issues, troubleshoot challenges and provide practical solutions. When claims for costs are delayed or problems remain unresolved, the impact is felt directly in a firm’s cash flow.
“We established Heathwells to provide the expertise, responsiveness and support that legal aid firms need, acting as an extension of their team and helping them recover their fees as efficiently as possible.”
She said they have deliberately chosen to limit the number of firms they work with so as to maintain service standards.
“Our objective is to give our clients access to experienced team members for every file we draft. We want clients to feel that we are in their corner to support them. By carefully managing our capacity, we can provide the personal attention, responsiveness and turnaround times that busy legal aid practices need.”
Two senior members of staff will be joining next month and Ms Bidwell said she expected to recruit more – but “our approach to growth is very deliberate”.
Heathwells is part of the group Bidwell Investments, alongside Queensbury Financial Advisers – both Bidwells are qualified financial advisers who specialise in working with legal professionals – and the Ladies of Law community.
Ladies of Law, which has more than 50,000 followers across various platforms. brings together and supports the legal sector with free events, resources and a podcast.
Ms Bidwell said: “Whilst each organisation serves a different purpose, they are all built on the same belief: that investing in people, sharing knowledge and supporting professional communities creates stronger businesses, stronger careers and ultimately a stronger profession.”