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Costs and timescales of court and insolvency processes
If you are owed money we can help by embarking upon either the court and/or insolvency processes to obtain payment.
Pre-Legal Stage
The first stage of the process is to issue a Letter of Claim. This will notify the Debtor that court proceedings will commence if full payment is not received within either 7 days (Business to Business), 14 days (Individual to Individual or Individual to Business) or 30 days (Business to Individual) of the date of the Letter. On all pre-legal recoveries we will charge you a flat fee of £30 plus VAT at 20% per letter(s).
County Court Proceedings
If no money is recovered within the deadline imposed the following fees apply on the issue of County Court proceedings to include obtaining a County Court Judgment (CCJ) and are only applicable for straight forward undisputed claims.
When calculating the interest and compensation on the outstanding amount, your claim may tip over into a higher banding, resulting in a higher cost.
The VAT elements of our fees cannot be reclaimed from the debtor unless ordered by the court.
Amount |
Court Fees* |
Battens' Fees |
Does not exceed £300 |
£35.00 |
£80.00 |
Exceeds £300 but does not exceed £500 |
£50.00 |
£90.00 |
Exceeds £500 but does not exceed £1,000 |
£70.00 |
£105.00 |
Exceeds £1,000 but does not exceed £1,500 |
£80.00 |
£115.00 |
Exceeds £1,500 but does not exceed £3,000 |
£115.00 |
£120.00 |
Exceeds £3,000 but does not exceed £5,000 |
£205.00 |
£125.00 |
Exceeds £5,000 but does not exceed £10,000 |
£455.00 |
£350.00 |
Exceeds £10,000 but does not exceed £200,000 |
5% of the value of the claim |
£450.00 |
Obtaining a CCJ |
Nil |
£55.00 |
* Subject to change by notice of the Court Service
To obtain a CCJ takes on average between 6 to 8 weeks.
The above fees apply to all debts under the £200,000 limit and for all debts over this amount, please click here and we will give you call back.
Enforcement Action
Once a CCJ is obtained against the Debtor, enforcement action can be taken and we will be able to discuss with you the most suitable method to obtain payment.
Description |
Court Fees* |
Battens' Fees |
Order to obtain information from a Judgment Debtor |
£65.00 |
£200.00 |
Application to request Bailiff service of the Order to obtain information from a Judgment Debtor |
£131.00 |
£30.00 |
Application for an Attachment of Earnings |
£131.00 |
£150.00 |
Re-issue of Order to obtain financial information and an Attachment of Earnings |
Nil |
£30.00 |
Request for a Warrant of Control |
£91.00 |
£50.00 |
Re-issue of a Warrant of Control |
£36.00 |
£30.00 |
Application to instruct a High Court Enforcement Officer |
£78.00 |
£150.00 |
Application for a Final Charging Order |
£131.00 |
£500.00 |
Application for an Order for Sale |
£365.00 |
£1,500.00 |
Application for a Third Party Debt Order |
£131.00 |
£1,500.00 |
Dependant on which course of action you embark upon, is dependent upon the time scale involved but on average each method of enforcement takes between 4 to 16 weeks.
Insolvency
The following fees apply as an alternative to the issue of proceedings and again are only applicable for straight forward undisputed claims.
Description |
Costs |
Court Fee |
Court Deposit |
Battens' Fees |
Statutory Demand |
Nil |
Nil |
Nil |
£400.00 |
Bankruptcy Search Fee |
£12 |
Nil |
Nil |
Nil |
Bankruptcy Petition |
Nil |
£332.00 |
£1,500.00 |
£1,500.00 |
Winding Up Petition |
Nil |
£332.00 |
£2,600.00 |
£1,500.00 |
This process can take between 10 and 20 weeks.
Hourly Rates
For more complicated claims and/or debts which are or will become disputed, the following hourly rates will apply and are not subject to VAT.
Directors/Consultants |
£195 to £275 |
Senior Associates/Associates |
£185 to £235 |
Other solicitors and Legal Executives |
£145 to £200 |
Trainee Solicitors/Paralegals |
£60 to £155 |
Potential Additional Costs
For example, but not limited to.
Description |
Third Party Fees |
Battens' Fees excluding VAT at 20% |
Your Debtor has disappeared and a current address is required to be found |
Between £50.00 for office-based enquiries and £150.00 for on-foot enquiries |
£28.00 |
An agent is required to attend the Debtor’s address, for whatever reason |
Between £150 - £200.00 |
£42.00 |
Where documents are required to be personally served |
Between £75 - £200 |
£28.00 |
Where documents are required to be sworn/affirmed |
£5.00 for the Affidavit and £2.00 for each Exhibit |
£28.00 |
The above can take between 1 and 28 days.
