John Mistri Email Address

Senior Partner

Elite Law has excellent foundations incorporating HM Law Costs Draftsmen, who were one of the longest-established Law Costs Draftsmen firms in the UK. For over twenty years HM's dedication to providing the highest quality service allowed their (and now our) customers to increase their earnings by as much as 20%, and as a result many of the original clients are still with us today. ith more than two decades of experience we know how to maximise fees. Our goal then, as now, is to provide the best and most comprehensive "one-stop shop" legal costs service possible. It is this commitment to quality, combined with competitive pricing and the willingness to adopt a flexible approach to individual clients' changing needs that has allowed us to grow steadily over the years and expand our services to include non-costs related areas including employment and mediation.

John started his career as a Law Costs Draftsman with Farrer & Co in 1982 before moving to Kingsley Napley where he dealt with Inter Partes Assessments. John moved to McKenna & Co (now Cameron McKenna) and then to Bailey Shaw & Gillett with particular responsibility for Inter Parte claims for costs and preparation of both Contentious and Non-Contentious matters. In 1990 he went into partnership with fellow director Stephen Howey with the establishment of HM Law Costs Draftsmen. For 3 years John was a Council member of the Association of Costs Lawyers with specific responsibilities for education. John regularly provides seminars to clients on the impact of new rules and changes to costs litigation, and was amongst the first group of Costs Draftsmen in England and Wales to obtain the status of Costs Lawyer, with rights of audience and to conduct costs litigation. John is on the panel of advocates for a number of firms and regularly attends detailed assessment hearings; John is responsible for the internal training and development at HM Law Costs Draftsmen. John’s specialities are in relation to Solicitor and Own Client disputes including Non-Contentious disputed under the Solicitors Act 1974. He is responsible for the supervision of all Detailed Assessment Hearings in the Senior Court Costs Office and other Regional and County Courts attending many of those hearings personally. John has been involved in very high value assessments, prepared expert evidence for Security for Costs claims and is involved in numerous high value Group litigation claims, and assisted with the highest valued claim from Public funds in the Isle of Man Most recently, co-founding Partner in Elite Law Solicitors Ltd, one of the few firm of Solicitors who specialise in legal costs, that are authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority.