Costs Schedule (N260): pseudonymise fee-earner and client details before submission – UK GDPR-compliant anonymisation
A Statement of Costs N260 is the prescribed form filed on summary assessment that itemises the solicitor's costs claimed at a hearing; anonym.legal pseudonymises fee-earner names and client identifiers in draft N260s — according to HMCTS Civil Justice Statistics, over 1.4 million County Court claims were filed in 2023, with court fees for claims over £200,000 capped at £10,000 (EX50 fee schedule).
When this applies
Applies when a solicitor is preparing a draft N260 Statement of Costs for internal review before filing, or when sharing costs information with costs counsel. Data shows that summary assessments in multi-track cases above £25,000 can involve N260s listing 5 or more fee earners with hourly rates between £150 and £500 per hour.
How anonym.legal handles it
- Upload the draft N260 Statement of Costs in DOCX, PDF, or spreadsheet format.
- Configure the party-names allow-list to retain the firm name and counsel's name in clear if required.
- anonym.legal pseudonymises fee-earner names, client names, and any third-party-funder references.
- Time entries, rates, disbursements, and totals are preserved in full.
- A reversible mapping is stored with EU data residency.
- Re-identify from the mapping key before filing the N260 with the court.
What you provide
- Draft N260 Statement of Costs (DOCX, PDF, or XLSX)
- Party-names allow-list (if certain names should be retained in clear)
Limitations & cautions
- The N260 filed with the court must contain accurate and complete information — always re-identify before submission.
- anonym.legal does not review the accuracy of the costs claimed, applicable rates, or compliance with the applicable Practice Direction on Costs.
- Fee-earner personal data in costs schedules is subject to UK GDPR; misuse can attract fines of up to £17.5 million or 4% of global annual turnover under DPA 2018 s.157.
FAQ
Does anonym.legal support spreadsheet format N260s for costs assessment?
XLSX and CSV formats are supported alongside DOCX and PDF. Formulae and cell references in spreadsheets are preserved; only personal-identifier text content is pseudonymised. Research shows that costs schedules in commercial cases can span 50 or more time entries.
Can I share the pseudonymised N260 with a costs draftsman for review?
Yes — a pseudonymised N260 is appropriate for sharing with a costs draftsman for review. According to the ICO Code of Practice on Anonymisation (2021), pseudonymised data shared for professional review represents a proportionate approach to data minimisation.
Are disbursement entries such as counsel's fees and expert fees pseudonymised?
Named recipients of disbursements — such as counsel or experts — are pseudonymised unless added to the party-names allow-list. Data shows that disbursement schedules in multi-track cases above £25,000 can include £20,000 or more in counsel's fees.