The right of parties to proceedings and their authorised legal representatives to receive copies from the court file is governed by the Part 5A Practice Direction (para 4.2A.)

In summary, permission from a costs judge is not needed to supply copies of the following documents to a party or his authorised legal representative, on payment of the prescribed copying fee:

• Bills of costs
• Breakdowns of costs
• Points of Dispute
• Replies to Points of Dispute
• Default costs certificates
• Interim costs certificates
• Final costs certificates
• Acknowledgements of service (and any documents filed with, attached to or served with them)
• Application notices (but not in relation to (i) applications by solicitors for a declaration that they have ceased to act or (ii) applications for orders that the identity of a party or witness should not be disclosed)
• Certificates of service (but not in relation to (i) applications by solicitors for a declaration that they have ceased to act or (ii) applications for orders that the identity of a party or witness should not be disclosed)
• Certificates of suitability of a litigation friend
• Judgments or orders (unless given or made in private)
• Notices of appeal (Appellant’s or Respondent’s)
• Notices of change of solicitor
• Notices of discontinuance
• Notices of funding
• Statements of case (including claim forms and any documents filed with, attached to or served with the claim form)
• Statements of costs
• Witness statements filed in relation to an application (but not in relation to (a) applications by solicitors for a declaration that they have ceased to act or (b) applications for orders that the identity of a party or witness should not be disclosed).

To obtain a copy of any document not listed in the Part 5A Practice Direction, a party to the proceedings or his authorised legal representative must obtain permission from a Costs Judge (for which he must make an application and pay the appropriate application fee)