Criminal law – Procedure. The Lord Chief Justice handed down the Practice Direction (Costs in Criminal Proceedings) 2015. This Practice Direction replaces the Practice Direction (Costs in Criminal Proceedings) given on 7 October 2013 ([2013] EWCA Crim 1632; [2013] 1 WLR 3255), as amended. This Practice Direction has effect in magistrates' courts, the Crown Court, the High Court and the Court of Appeal, Criminal Division, where the court, in the exercise of its discretion, considers an award of costs in criminal proceedings or deals with criminal legal aid and recovery of defence costs orders. This Practice Direction comes into force on 5 October 2015.