Amy Dunkley, qualified Senior Costs Lawyer at Bolt Burden Kemp

Amy discusses how she became involved in costs law and how her career has developed since.

After completing my law degree I started working as a paralegal at a small law firm in London and was introduced to civil litigation. From a young age I had always been known as the argumentative and opinionated member of the family, so I found I had a real interest in this area of law! Like perhaps many other law graduates starting out, I was unsure where to go and had never heard of costs, until I started to work closely with a Costs Lawyer who suggested the prospect of a career in this area.

I joined Bolt Burdon Kemp in May 2019 as Junior Costs Draftsperson and commenced training to become a Costs Lawyer in January 2020 with the support and encouragement of my firm. I found that the course was instrumental in developing my technical expertise and confidence, and my peers remarked that there had been a noticeable improvement in my work as a result. I qualified as a Costs Lawyer in January 2022, and have since been elected to the ACL Council in October and been promoted to a Senior Costs Lawyer in April 2023.

Although I am a classic example of someone that has perhaps ‘fallen’ into the world of legal costs, I would encourage anyone with an interest in litigation to undertake the qualification to become a Costs Lawyer. I have found it has been invaluable to my personal development and has opened many doors.

Added May 2023