Debt Claims up to £100,000

Our normal method of charging for advising on debt claims is at our standard hourly rates.  A list of rates is set out below:

Standard hourly rate (excluding VAT):

Partner - £425 to £575 (Depending on experience)
‍Associate - £225 to £350 (Depending on experience)
‍Trainee - £175

At the outset of each matter, we will try to give our clients an estimate of the time we expect to spend on any particular claim, either in total or stage-by-stage.  We will also keep our clients up-to-date on costs regularly as the matter progresses.

We do not usually handle claims of under £10,000.

Our fees – simple debt claims

Some firms charge for handling debt claims on a fixed fee basis.  We do not.  However, if the value of the claim is £100,000 or less, we would expect our fees to be in the range of £5,000 to £10,000 plus VAT, unless we otherwise advise you at the outset of your case.  These fees apply to simple debt claims, namely, where the claim is in relation to an unpaid invoice which is not disputed and enforcement action is not needed.

If the other party disputes your claim at any point, we will discuss any further work required and provide you with revised advice about costs if necessary, which will be on the basis of our hourly rates.

Please note that:

  • The VAT element of our fees and expenses cannot be reclaimed from your debtor if you are VAT-registered.
  • The costs quoted above do not include the costs of enforcement action to collect the debt, such as via the High Court Enforcement Officers or County Court Bailiffs.  We can advise on the likely costs of that process if required.
  • The costs quoted above do not include the court issue fee or any other applicable court fees, for which you will be responsible.  For claims over £10,000 the court issue fee is 5% of the value claimed (or 4.5% if the claim is filed via Money Claims Online).

Our fees include:

  • Taking instructions and reviewing documentation relating to the debt.
  • Undertaking appropriate searches on the debtor.
  • Sending a letter before claim, complying with the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims (where applicable) and dealing with any communications from the debtor.
  • Receiving payment and sending onto you, or if the debt is not paid, drafting, issuing and serving a claim on the debtor.
  • Where no Acknowledgment of Service or Defence is received from the debtor, applying to the court to enter default judgment.
  • When default judgment is obtained, writing to the debtor to request payment.
  • If payment is not received within 14 days, providing advice on next steps and likely costs.

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs that are payable to third parties in connection with a matter, such as the court fees mentioned above.  We handle the payment of the disbursements on our clients’ behalf.  Disbursements are charged in addition to our fees.

The main disbursement in relation to debt claims is the court issue fee (outlined above).  We will advise you if any other disbursements are necessary in relation to your claim.

Other charges

In addition to our conveyancing fees and disbursements, we make charges for electronic bank transfers, photocopying, printing and faxes.  

Money transfers on completion of a purchase will be effected by way of priority payment and we impose a minimum charge for each purchase of £35.00 for photocopying, printing and faxes.

  • UK electronic money transfer fee – Priority Payment: £40.00 plus VAT.
  • International or foreign currency electronic money transfer fee: £60.00 plus VAT.
  • Electronic money transfer fee – BACS (three-day transfer): £6.00 plus VAT.
  • Issuing a cheque: £25.00 plus VAT per cheque.
  • Photocopying, printing and scanning: 25p plus VAT per A4 page (black & white), 75p plus VAT per A4 page (colour). Larger format jobs priced on request.
  • Binding: £5.00 plus VAT per document.
  • Anti-money laundering checks (individual): £10.00 plus VAT per individual person.
  • Anti-money laundering checks (corporate): £30.00 plus VAT per entity (including companies, partnerships, LLPs, trusts and other organisations).
  • Administration fee for deeds retrieval: £20.00 plus VAT.
  • Administration fee for file retrieval: £50.00 plus VAT.

Time for payment

We bill on a monthly basis and bills are payable upon presentation.

We also reserve the right to ask for money on account of our fees before starting work.

How long will the process take?

Matters usually take around one to three months from receipt of instructions from you to receipt of payment from the other side, depending on whether or not it is necessary to issue a claim. This is on the basis that the other side pays promptly on receipt of default judgment. If enforcement action is needed, the matter will take longer to resolve.

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