About Us

Debt Recovery Fees

Our standard fees for debt recovery matters up to £100,000 are based on the hourly rates of our lawyers. These rates are:

Partners / senior solicitors with more than three years post qualification experience – £290 plus VAT per hour.
Junior solicitors with three years post qualification experience or more – £220 plus VAT per hour.
Junior solicitors with less than three years post qualification experience – £200 plus VAT per hour.
Trainee solicitors, legal assistants, support staff – £170 plus VAT per hour.

Fixed fees and discounted rates will be considered for bulk instructions.

Overall fees will depend upon the nature and complexity of the matter. Fees can be broken down as follows:

Letter of Claim – fees for a typical Letter of Claim range from £200 plus VAT for a straightforward case to £800 plus VAT for a more complex matter that requires detailed investigation.
Court Proceedings – our pricing for bringing and defending claims for debt recovery are as follows up to an including trial:
Simple case listed in Court Small Claims Track: £2,000 – £7,000 (excluding VAT and disbursements)
Medium complexity case: £10,000 – £35,000 (excluding VAT and disbursements)
High complexity case: £15,000 – £45,000+ (excluding VAT and disbursements)

Factors that could make a case more complex:

If it is necessary to make or defend applications to amend claims or to request or provide further information about an existing claim.
Defending claims that are brought by litigants in person.
Making or defending a costs application.
Making or defending a specific disclosure application.
The number of witnesses.
The number of documents.

Timescale

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. If your claim proceeds to Trial, the time will depend upon the value and complexity of the case.

If the case is a simple small claim with a value of under £10,000 it is likely to take 4 – 10 months.

If the matter is of medium complexity with a value between £10,000 and £25,000 it is likely to take 9 – 12 months.

If the matter is of high complexity with a value of over £25,000 to £100,000 it is likely to take 10 – 15 months.

If the matter is for a claim in excess of £100,000 and of high complexity it is likely to take 12-24 months.

These are estimates, we will of course be able to give you a more accurate timescale once we have more information and as the matter progresses.

Disbursements

Disbursements are any costs or expenses paid or to be paid to a third party on behalf of a client or trust (including any VAT element), save for office expenses such as postage and courier fees.

Counsel’s Fees

The most common disbursement for this type of work is Counsel’s fees which are the costs of the barrister for the final hearing. Counsel’s fees for attending trial (including preparation) are estimated between £1,500 and £25,000 plus VAT. This will however, be dependent on the experience of the advocate, the complexity of the matter and the length of trial.

Other disbursements include court fees – For claims worth between from £35 – up to £10,000 the fees on issue range between £35 – £455. For claims worth more than £10,000 the Court fee equates to 5% of the value of the claim. There are also Court fees payable if applications need to be made within proceedings. This is currently £303 or £119 if the application is being made by consent.

These costs estimate include:

Assistance and advice pre-issue, post-issue, and up to and including the final hearing. As stated above we may instruct a barrister to be your advocate at a final hearing, if so, Counsel’s fees will apply.
This estimate applies to all case types mentioned above.

Where applicable VAT will be calculated at the prevailing rate, currently 20%.

Key Stages

The fees set out above cover all of the work in relation to the following key stages of a claim:

Taking your initial instructions, reviewing the papers and advising you on merits of your case.
Pre-action correspondence
Mediation
Preparing the claim or defence
Reviewing and advising on the claim or defence from the other party
Exploring settlement and negotiating settlement throughout the process
Preparing for (and attending) Costs and Case Management Conference
Preparing Disclosure Lists and exchanging documents with the other party
Taking witness statements, drafting statements and agreeing their content with witnesses
Reviewing and advising on the other party’s witness statements
Agreeing and preparing Trial Bundle
Agreeing a list of issues, a chronology and/or case list
Preparation and attendance at Trial, including instructions to Counsel

The stages set out above are an indication. If some of the stages are not required, the fee will be reduced. You may also wish to handle the claim yourself and only have our advice in relation to some elements. This can also be arranged on your individual needs.

For a more detailed quote based on your specific circumstances please contact: Litigation Team; LitigationTeam@howellslegal.com