Obtaining an Order to receive reimbursement for your costs in Family cases is quite rare. There are some key factors which the Family Court will consider when a Costs Order is requested which I shall explore in this short article. What are Costs in Family Matters? Costs include legal fees such as instructing Barristers and other representatives, preparing documents, and seeking advice and guidance about your position, rights and responsibilities, and administrative fees such as obtaining copy documents and making an application or submitting an appeal. The usual rule is that each Party (person in the proceedings) should pay their own costs. However, the Court has discretion to award Costs (choose a different method to cover these expenses). The Court can direct that one Party pays all or part of the other Party’s costs and there are some rules about when a judge can consider this. See more below.