Margaret McDonald (Head of Civil & Costs Team)

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Top Ranked in Legal 500 2016 & 2017:
Margaret McDonald is recommended in the Legal 500 2017, "Stalwart and good on
her feet".

Top Ranked by Chambers & Partners 2014:
Having acquired much costs experience from her time as a solicitor, she particularly focuses her practice on group litigation, catastrophic injury claims and mis-certification.

Expertise:  "She is extremely competent and very impressive".

Top Ranked by Chambers & Partners 2013:
Margaret McDonald is the Head of the Costs & Civil Team at Kenworthy's Chambers and has a busy practice in both Costs and Personal Injury.  Able to draw on her well-regarded personal injury practice, she proves "a really feisty opponent" when it comes to costs work, and is particularly noted for her prowess in fact-heavy cases.  She has considerable experience in cases concerning road traffic accidents.

Chambers & Partners 2012:
Margaret McDonald is Head of Costs & Civil matters at Kenworthy's Chambers in Manchester.  She provides a solid costs offering, particularly in relation to her personal injury practice.  Sources describe her as "a tenacious advocate who doesn't give up easily" and is "highly recommended" for personal injury work.

Appointments:

• Deputy District Judge (Civil)
• Mediator, specialising in Costs Mediations

Margaret is Head of the Civil & Costs Team at Kenworthy's Chambers. 

Prior to being called to the Bar, Margaret gained extensive experience in the areas of personal injury and costs during her time as a solicitor.  She was also a member of the Law Society Panel of Personal Injury Specialists.

Interests Outside the Law:

• Interior Design
• Retail Therapy
• Dry White Wine

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Reported Cases

• Masten v London Britannia Hotel Ltd [2020] EWHC B31 (Costs)
• The linked cases in Ramsey v Instore in relation to exaggerated costs, mis-certification of costs bills and that status of informal costs schedules.
• The linked cases in Bradley v Kone on estimated time and standardised time recording.
• The key cases of Smith v Patel on mis-certification
• Successful challenges to new style Conditional Fee Agreements post-November 2005
• Test case challenges to Collective Conditional Fee Agreements
• Detailed Assessment hearing of bills up to £11M
• Detailed Assessments arising out of catastrophic personal injury claims
• An SCCO 'costs estimates' case where the bill was £5M more than the costs estimate

Professional Memberships & Publications

• Trainer, Advocacy Training Council (ATC)
• National Institute for Trial Advocacy (NITA) approved Advocacy Trainer
• Northern Circuit Advocacy Training Committee
• Bar Council external examiner
• Accredited Mediator (LSM)
• Guideline Costs Rates for Facts & Figures 2012/13
• Professional Programme Director for the Bar Professional Training Course at Manchester Metropolitan University