Debt Recovery Solicitors

We recover outstanding debts quickly, efficiently and professionally

Are you having problems with unpaid debts? Whether you need one-off advice or an effective ongoing retainer service, our team of experienced dispute resolution solicitors are here to help.

In a perfect world, everyone would pay their invoices on time (or even a little bit early) and cash flow would continue on its merry way with no interruptions. Unfortunately, few businesses enjoy this luxury. Unpaid invoices from customers, or money owed by distributors, agencies or other third parties, can quickly cause cash flow to stall. It can even bring down the business if you do not take swift action.

Debt recovery does not need to be a frustrating chore. Having the right lawyer on your side can make all the difference.

We have an impressive track record of success in debt recovery and getting people to settle overdue invoices on behalf of businesses and professional individuals across Hertford and the wider Hertfordshire area.

Our fast, proactive team can help you tackle unpaid invoices and third party debts before they can cause problems for your business.

Speak to our debt recovery solicitors in Hertford

To discuss your debt recovery needs with our friendly, expert team, please get in touch.

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“excellent, well-considered responses and advice”

Our approach to business debt recovery

Flexible Fixed Fee and bespoke debt recovery options

We offer two convenient and effective debt recovery methods:

• Fixed Fee Debt Recovery Scheme – a simple, straightforward designed for undisputed invoice debts. We use a tried and tested method encompassing a full range of recovery and enforcement options, from Letters Before Action to fixed fee court claims. Our fixed fees mean that you can proceed with debt recovery action with certainty – no hidden fees.
• Bespoke debt recovery scheme – where your matter is disputed or you want a more personal service, we can work closely with you to get to know your commercial goals and develop a customised recovery strategy. Our in-depth and personal service covers everything from settlement negotiations to court disputes.

We will discuss which course of action is right for you so you can make an informed decision about how to move forwards. The team that handles your case (and the level of expertise you have access to) will be the same whether you choose the Fixed Fee Scheme or a bespoke scheme.

For further information about how our schemes work, visit our Fixed Fee Debt Recovery Scheme page. There you will find detailed information about:

• What kinds of matters can be covered by our Fixed Fee Scheme (and when our bespoke service may be more appropriate).
• Your recovery and enforcement options and how much our services cost.
• Approximate time scales for different types of recovery and enforcement action.

A team of independently accredited legal experts you can trust

We are not a debt collection agency; we are a firm of solicitors with over 200 years’ experience helping individuals and businesses with their legal problems. Our Commercial Litigation team has been independently recognised by leading client guide, the Legal 500 for our expertise. So, you can trust that the standard of advice you receive will be of the highest possible quality.

Save your time and energy for working on your business

Dealing with ongoing unpaid debts can drag valuable resources away from the running of your business and its future growth. By letting us take on the burden of handling your unpaid invoices, you will have more time to work ‘on’ your business rather than simply ‘in’ it.

Stop vital business relationships from going sour

Pursuing unpaid debts is a careful balancing act. On one hand, it is just good business sense to take all possible steps to recover monies owed to you, including legal action; on the other, preserving relationships with customers, suppliers and others can be beneficial in the long run.

As part of our bespoke scheme, our clients can take advantage of our strong negotiation skills. We help our clients weigh up the benefits and costs of their legal options and have a strong track record of achieving substantial recoveries without going anywhere near a courtroom. We take an open but firm approach when liaising with debtors, reaching positive settlements without burning bridges wherever possible.

Of course, sometimes debtors just cannot (or will not) repay. We will always be ready to deploy our fierce litigation skills should legal action be the best course of action.

Avoid future unpaid debt problems from the get-go

Successful credit control works best when we are proactive, not reactive. We work closely with our wider Company Commercial team to help businesses put in place the terms & conditions and credit control policies and procedures they need to successfully manage cash flow and debt.

Get to know Longmores’ Debt Recovery team

We know that trust is hugely important when choosing your debt recovery lawyer. To help you decide whether we are the right choice for you, click on the headings below for an insight into who we are and who we have experience working with.

Or, feel free to skip the introductions and get directly in touch with us – we are happy to answer any questions you may have and provide a quote for the work you need doing.

Who are Longmores’ debt recovery solicitors?

Depend on us to take the right steps to recover as much of your money as possible while:

• Helping you balance costs
• Protecting your business’s reputation
• Preserving valuable relationships

With over 200 years of experience serving our local community behind us, we are proud of the high quality commercial law service we are able to deliver to our clients.

As a firm, we are ranked by leading client guide, the Legal 500 for our litigation skills. This means that we have been independently recognised as one of the leading Commercial Disputes teams in our region.

Our Dispute Resolution team is headed by John Wiblin, a highly skilled lawyer with over 20 years’ experience advising on all types of dispute, from straightforward breaches of contract to high-profile multi-million pound claims. John is ranked by leading client guide, the Legal 500 for his expertise.

Our team also includes Nat Young, who is our resident insolvency expert, specialising in bringing and defending bankruptcy and winding-up claims on behalf of businesses and insolvency practitioners.

We also have Lauren MacKenzie, an experienced litigator who specialises in a wide variety of commercial dispute matters, including debt recovery and contract claims.

Nat has been recognised by the Legal 500 as a Next Generation Partner.

Several of our team, including John and Nat, have Higher Rights of Audience and can litigate at all court levels. This means that we are able to handle a wide array of matters, including complex and highly contested cases, counter-claims and appeals.

Who do we work with?

Perhaps we should have actually named this section ‘who don’t we work with’. Our Debt Recovery team have experience working with a wide variety of businesses and professional individuals, from local sole traders, owner-managed companies and start-ups to large established companies, partnerships and corporate groups.

On the insolvency side, we also have experience working with insolvency practitioners and our team includes insolvency specialist and Legal 500 Next Generation Partner, Nat Young.

For those looking for advice about lease disputes, rent arrears, service charge disputes and other property debt disputes, we also have a dedicated Property Litigation team led by experienced solicitor and Longmores Partner, John Wagstaffe.

How our debt recovery solicitors can help your business

Pre-action

Being owed money can be extremely frustrating, particularly when you have already spent a lot of time and energy within the business trying to find a solution with the debtor.

We can help you take fast, efficient action to recover as much as what you are owed as cost effectively as possible. Our pre-action service includes:

• Issuing Letters Before Action/Letters of Claim demanding repayment of a debt in line with the Pre-Action Protocol for Debt Claims (a requirement before bringing a legal claim)
• Follow up and chaser letters
• Tracing debtors
• Engaging in informal negotiations with debtors, including investigating a debtor’s resources and financial ‘health’
• Providing advice on settlement offers
• Drafting settlement contracts
• Advice about using alternative dispute resolution such as mediation and arbitration to settle debt disputes

To achieve a cost-effective solution and minimise uncertainty for you, we offer fixed fees for simple undefended debt recovery work. Our Fixed Fee Debt Recovery Scheme covers pre-action stages and taking legal action in unchallenged claims in a simpler and more cost-effective way.

Taking legal action

Our Debt Recovery lawyers are fierce litigators with experience handling claims at all court levels. Our expertise includes:

• Issuing County Court money claims – drafting particulars of claims, witness statements, gathering evidence, claiming interest (where possible) and ensuring the Civil Procedure Rules are complied with at all times
• Obtaining judgment against debtors in undefended claims
• Responding to defences and counter claims
• Disclosure and case management advice
• Obtaining orders for debtors to attend court for questioning about their finances
• Representation in court and/or arranging specialist representation
• Insolvency proceedings, including:
  • Serving statutory demands
  • Issuing bankruptcy proceedings against individuals
  • Issuing winding up proceedings against companies

Taking enforcement action

Once a court judgement in your favour has been granted, our dispute resolution lawyers will use any or all of the approaches available to secure recovery of the money you are owed.  Options include:

• Attachment of earnings (where an employer is ordered to deduct from a debtor’s salary and pay you)
• Third party debt orders (diverting money owed to the debtor by third parties such as a bank or creditor to you)
• A Charging Order (securing the debt against the debtor’s property)
• Sale orders (orders to sell the debtor’s property to convert a Charging Order into money)
• Injunctions (including freezing orders that suspend bank accounts or prevent disposal of assets (perhaps by transfer into the name of a third party) to avoid payment.

Speak to our debt recovery solicitors in Hertford

To discuss your debt recovery needs with our friendly, expert team, please get in touch.

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