our services & fees
The Work We Do
We work on defended debt claims but not on undefended debt claims.
There is a very important distinction between defended and undefended debts. A defended debt is one that is disputed by the person you are claiming it from, even though you think the debtor does not have a good reason to say that the money is not due.
We act for business clients in defended debt claims that are often complex and of high value. This is a core area of our practice in which we have considerable expertise. It is sometimes referred to as Commercial Litigation or Dispute Resolution.
We will occasionally act for private individuals who wish to recover a defended debt.
We do not represent clients in undefended debt claims but do sometimes help existing clients operate the courts’ services themselves. We recommend that clients use the courts’ online services themselves (without paying lawyers) to collect undefended debt claims.
These links will help you operate those services:
Government Business Debt Guidance
Government Guidance - Making a Court Claim for Money
We will also help clients enforce court orders.
Andrew Shipley leads a team including Rob Hughes and Philip Shelcott who carry out this work. The team have considerable experience of it. Andrew built what was then one of the biggest solicitors’ debt recovery teams in the country.
Our Prices
The nature of the work we do makes it impossible to publish set prices. Every job we do is different and requires a tailored approach.
We will not charge for an initial enquiry over the telephone with one of our solicitors during which we will assess whether we believe we can add anything of value.
If we believe we can add value and you want to take matters further, we will offer you a fixed fee for a first meeting or detailed discussion, a written recommendation and a case plan. We will agree that fee with you during our telephone conversation. That fee can be as little as £250 or as much as £2,500 (in complex cases involving significant issues) but is typically £700. These figures exclude VAT.
After that initial stage and for all other work, whenever possible we will offer you a fixed fee for a defined piece of work.
The nature of disputed cases is that it is sometimes not possible to define precisely a piece of work at the outset and in those cases we will offer you an estimate or a budget. We will also tell you if we are likely to exceed the estimate or budget which may be necessary if, for example, circumstances change or assumptions prove not to be correct.
In recent years we have charged in a range between £500 and several tens of thousands of pounds plus VAT for working on defended debt claims.
In all cases we will cost our work at our hourly rates which are between £150 and £295 per hour plus VAT, depending on the skills and experience of the fee earners concerned and the complexity and value of the claim. Our budgets and work plans will always select a lawyer or an hourly rate appropriate for the task that needs to be completed.
You may also incur other out of pocket expenses such as fees that have to be paid to the courts. The current court fees can be found here. The largest of these additional costs are typically barrister or expert witness fees, which can only be determined when the details of a case are known and which will be included in our budgets or estimates.
Timescales
It usually takes between three and six months to go through the steps required by the court rules before you can begin a court claim.
Once the claim has been started it usually takes between twelve and eighteen months to take a case to trial, though it can be longer in complex cases.
Enforcement proceedings take varying lengths of time according to the method chosen and the information available about the debtor’s assets.
To find out more information, or to speak with us about a defended debt claim, please contact us.