Dispute Resolution

We all know that even the best businesses run into problems, whether it be a customer failing to pay an invoice or high-value contractual disputes. At LDJ Solicitors our Dispute Resolution Team can help solve your business problems, offering tailored, straight-talking, practical and commercially minded advice to all our Business clients. Our lawyers have years of experience in dealing with all kinds of court claims ranging from Small Claims proceedings to complex High Court disputes.

We appreciate that ideally, you don’t want to be involved in lengthy, expensive court battles so our lawyers can also advise you fully on all aspects of Alternative Dispute Resolution such as Mediation and Negotiation enabling you to make the right decisions on behalf of your business.

We can act on behalf of both individuals and businesses and can offer you specialist, cost effective advice tailored to your needs. This includes:

Why Instruct Us?

We have an excellent reputation for giving sound and realistic advice. By instructing us, you will benefit from complete peace of mind safe in the knowledge that your case can be resolved before it’s allowed to escalate.

Being able to rely on a legal specialist who is an expert in this field is extremely important. Due to our conveniently located offices, you have the opportunity to meet face-to-face with the expert dealing with your case. We also make use of the latest technology available to us and therefore we can conduct your transaction by telephone and email, making contact easier and more convenient for you.

What Happens Next?

We’ve made it really easy for you to contact us by offering flexible appointments to suit your needs.

At your first meeting with us, we will talk through your options and look at what you want to achieve. We will explain the process and options to you, and how the court might approach the various issues in your case.

How Much Will It Cost?

Our rate varies on the complexity of your case. However, we do offer initial fixed fee consultations to discuss your case.

Depending on the circumstances of your case, further work may be carried out on a fixed fee basis or charged at an hourly rate. We will always make it clear from the outset as to the likely cost of your case and we will keep you fully informed should anything change that may affect this.

Debt Recovery Matters

Debt Recovery matters are dealt with on a privately paying basis in line with the Firm’s Terms of Business. We offer fixed fee appointments of £375.00 inclusive of VAT charged at 20% for one off assistance. Continued assistance is priced at the Firm’s hourly rates, which for both Miss Greenwell and Mrs Chadaway is £280.00 plus VAT charged at 20% per hour ( they are both Solicitors with over 8 years of experience).

It is difficult to provide exact costs for Debt Recovery matters, and much will depend on whether the debt concerns individuals or businesses, whether it is disputed and how easy it is to enforce any Judgment. However, the following is a guide for when the claim is in relation to an unpaid invoice which is not disputed and where 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.

Debt Value	Court Fee	Our Fee (Ex. Vat charged at 20%)	Total (Ex.VAT charged at 20%)
Up to £5,000	£35.00 – £205 .00	£500.00 to £2,000.00	£535.00- £2,205.00
£5,000 – £10,000	£455.00	£500.00 to £3,000.00	£955.00 – £3,455.00
£10,001 – £100,000	5% of the value of claim	£500.0 to £4,000.00	Dependent on the value of the Claim

Anyone wishing to proceed with a claim should note that:

Our fee includes:

Taking your instructions and reviewing documentation
Undertaking appropriate searches
Sending a letter before action
Receiving payment and sending onto you, or if the debt is not paid, drafting and issuing claim
Where no Acknowledgment of Service or Defence is received, applying to the court to enter Judgment in default
When Judgment in default in received, write to the other side to request payment
If payment is not received within 14 days, providing you with advice on next steps and likely costs

The stages set out above are an indication and if some of stages above are not required, the fee will be lower.

You may wish to handle the claim yourself and only have our advice in relation to some of the stages. This can also be arranged based upon your individual needs.

Disbursements

Disbursements are costs related to your matter that are payable to third parties, such as Court fees. We handle the payment of the disbursements on your behalf to ensure a smoother process.

Some of the relevant Court fees are set out above, with the full range being available on the Court Service website.

How Long Will My Debt Recovery Matter Take?

The time that it takes from taking your initial instructions to the final resolution of your matter depends largely on the stage at which your case is resolved.

Matters usually take 1-30 weeks 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 Judgment in default. If enforcement action is needed, the matter may take longer to resolve.

This is just an estimate and we will of course be able to give you a more accurate timescale once we have more information and as the matter progresses