Nicholas

Nick Northrop is a costs advocate and senior costs consultant at Carter Burnett. With three decades of experience in legal services, he’s not the typical student on the Costs Lawyer Professional Qualification. But as Nick explains, now was the right time to formalise a career built on deep, practical knowledge and a passion for development.

“I’ve always had a strong interest in training and development,” says Nick, who originally began his professional journey with a Bachelor of Education degree at Leeds Metropolitan University.

“Although the course ultimately changed to a BA, it planted the seed for lifelong learning. My legal career, however, began quite unexpectedly – and at the gym of all places.”

While working part-time at the university’s gym, Nick struck up a conversation with a regular client – the practice manager of Lupton Fawcett Dennison Till’s Leeds office. Their discussions sparked an interest in the legal profession. Soon after graduating, Nick joined the firm as a litigation paralegal in 1995.

“That role was my first real insight into the legal world, but I quickly realised the vast potential the profession offered,” he explains. “I briefly moved to another firm, where I learned just how valuable specialist legal knowledge could be – not just in terms of career development, but also earnings.”

Nick soon settled at Corries Solicitors in York, where he would spend the next 17 years as practice manager. “It was a comprehensive role. I was involved in everything – audit, compliance, client care, and, increasingly, costs. I was largely self-taught in that area and was preparing my own bills even before the Woolf reforms came into play.”

This hands-on exposure to multiple regulatory regimes gave Nick a unique and adaptable perspective on costs law. His experience continued to deepen when he joined Partners in Costs as national costs manager, working with colleagues he’d known throughout his career.

“The world of costs is quite niche – once you’re in it, you find it’s a small, well-connected community. That makes collaboration and progression both natural and rewarding.”

In his next role at Irwin Mitchell – home to the UK’s largest costs team – Nick truly came into his own. As costs team manager and a senior associate, he oversaw the training and development of over 140 team members, in addition to acting as technical lead and supervising all advocacy.

It was during his time at Irwin Mitchell that the idea of a formal qualification began to take root. “I’d built up all this practical experience, but I wanted to back it up with a recognised qualification. When the Association of Costs Lawyers launched its new two-year Costs Lawyer Professional Qualification, the timing was perfect. The course structure really suited my busy work and family life.”

Nick enrolled in the inaugural cohort in September 2023 and will graduate in 2025. “Yes, I’m the oldest on the course – or, as I prefer to say, the most experienced! But I’ve genuinely enjoyed the learning process. Many of the lecturers are familiar faces from the profession, and the discussions with younger students have been mutually enlightening. They bring new perspectives, and I bring the benefit of decades of real-world scenarios – including, occasionally, cases I was personally involved in!”

Nick is now bringing this deep expertise to a new role at Carter Burnett, a fast-growing national costs firm founded in 2018. “I’m thrilled to be part of a firm with such an ambitious vision. As well as building my practice, I will also focus on delivering high-quality costs and advocacy training, helping to shape the next generation of experts at the firm.”

For Nick, the message is clear: “It’s never too late to qualify. The Costs Lawyer course has given structure and validation to everything I’ve done so far. It’s been challenging, yes – but also deeply rewarding. Costs law never stands still, and neither do I.”