LEGAL DISPUTES

Legal disputes are a major area of our work and we have the skills and knowledge to help you try and resolve the matter as quickly and as amicably as possible.

We will give you a fixed price quote for the initial interview and advice following that discussion.

There are many ways to solve a dispute ranging from writing a letter to appearing in court. In an attempt to prevent going to court, which can be expensive and stressful, we will explore the alternative options with you where possible.

The types of work we can assist with are as follows:

Debt Collection for matters up to £100,000.

Costs in relation to these matters can range from £500 plus VAT to £50,000 plus VAT plus disbursements which may include a court fee, experts’ fees, and barristers’ fees. If court proceedings need to be issued, the court fee is 5% of the value of the claim.

To give an accurate estimate of costs we need to see you for an initial meeting and the costs of that meeting are set out below. The cost of any particular matter is based upon the time taken and who is carrying out the work. Our charges are calculated by reference to the following hourly rates: -

Work carried out by a Partner £400 per hour plus VAT;
Work carried out by a Solicitor £350 plus VAT;
Work carried out by a Trainee Solicitor £180 plus VAT.

We will consider acting in a debt collection matter under a Contingency Fee Agreement and/or a Conditional Fee Agreement, commonly known as No Win No Fee Agreements; we will also consider acting under a No-Win Lower Fee Agreement where the lower fee is based on a discounted hourly rate or a fixed fee. If successful, you pay us out of any money recovered but that payment is capped at a percentage of the money recovered. The percentage depends on your particular matter, but will never exceed 50% of the money recovered for you.

There is a wide range of funding options for litigation matters and we will discuss and consider those at our initial meeting with you and advise you if we are prepared to act under a Contingency Fee or Conditional Fee basis.

That advice will be given within seven days of that meeting.

Litigation matters vary and it is difficult to estimate the time it will take and the work involved. Your matter may settle after an initial letter and negotiation within four weeks of receiving instructions. However, if your claim is disputed and proceedings are issued at court and the matter continues to a fully contested trial, then it may take up to 18-months to resolve, but that depends on how quickly the court can list your matter.

The services that we would perform for you in relation to such matters include:

  • obtaining your initial instructions;
  • gathering any evidence including Witness Statements;
  • considering the need for expert evidence and arranging for reports to be prepared;
  • complying with the Pre-action Protocol that is relevant to your dispute;
  • corresponding with the other party and their solicitors and the court if required;
  • corresponding with  third parties which may include experts, barristers, witnesses etc;
  • negotiating settlement of your matter by considering and making offers to settle and reviewing and considering any offers received;
  • preparing the case to issue proceedings at court including drafting a Claim Form, Particulars of Claim and details of any losses incurred;
  • preparing Witness Statements;
  • considering all relevant documents in relation to the claim and preparing details of those documents to comply with disclosure;
  • preparing the case for a hearing including trial bundles;
  • representing you at the hearing or arranging for representation through a barrister.

Typically, if we have agreed funding on a time basis, then costs of dealing with all of the above would be between £15,000 and £30,000 plus VAT. In addition, there will be the court fee as specified above, any expert’s fees which may be up to a further £10,000 plus VAT and barristers’ fees which again will be up to an additional £10,000 plus VAT.

Talk with a Lawyer

If you have a legal dispute and would like to find out more before committing then please request a callback by filling in the form here.