Our Debt Litigation Fees
We believe in being transparent about our costs so that you can decide whether a debt claim is worth pursuing or defending. That is why our reviews are overwhelmingly positive, and our reviewers rate us as providing 'Excellent' value for money.
Our fixed fees are based on the amount of debt you are seeking to claim and divided into stages, so that you can decide how far you go in pursuing the debt.
We will do our best to give you an accurate estimate of the costs you may incur, both at the time that you first instruct Spencer Shaw and at appropriate intervals whilst we work for you.
Please feel free to get in touch to discuss whether you have a claim. You will not be charged until you have instructed us to represent you.
Debt Litigation Fees
Read more about the process of recovering a debt or defending against a claim of debt
Letter Before Action
|
Value of the Debt (Including Interest) |
Fixed Fee Excluding VAT |
|---|---|
|
Up to £3,000 |
£75 |
|
£3,001 - £5,000 |
£100 |
|
£5,001 - £10,000 |
£125 |
|
£10,001 - £50,000 |
£150 |
|
Over £50,000 |
Negotiated price |
Work in this fee includes:
taking your instructions
drafting and sending a letter before action
receiving payment and transferring it to you or your agent
Initiating Court Proceedings for Uncontested Claims
|
Value of the Debt (Including Interest) |
Fixed Fee Excluding VAT |
|---|---|
|
Up to £3,000 |
£125 |
|
£3,001 - £5,000 |
£200 |
|
£5,001 - £10,000 |
£300 |
|
£10,000 - £50,000 |
£450 |
|
Over £50,000 |
Negotiated price |
Work included in this fee:
issuing County Court proceedings on your behalf
where no Acknowledgement of Service or Defence is received, applying to the court to enter a Judgment in default
when Judgment in default is received, writing to the other side to request payment within 21 days
receiving payment and transferring it to you or your agent
if payment is not received within a reasonable time, providing you with advice on the next steps and likely costs
The Court will also charge a fee for initiating court proceedings. This fee is additional to our costs. See the Other Costs section below for more information.
Hourly Fees
|
|
Excluding VAT |
|---|---|
|
Principal solicitor |
£250 |
|
Consultant solicitor |
£235 |
|
Associate solicitor |
£235 |
|
Paralegal |
£120 |
|
Investigator |
£60 |
|
Investigator's travelling time |
£30 |
Hourly rates are charged for contested or complex recovery claims and for defending a debt. We will provide you with an estimate of the costs involved and the time we believe the matter will take to conclude.
If an existing claim becomes complicated or contested, we will notify you or your agent.
Fees for Enforcing a Judgment of Debt
Read more about the options for enforcing a debt judgment.
|
Method of Enforcement |
Fee (excluding VAT) |
Work included in this fee |
|---|---|---|
|
Warrant of Execution for County Court Bailiffs |
£175 |
Drafting a letter to Court, including relevant paperwork Telephone follow up with County Court Bailiff: the number of calls required will vary from case to case |
|
High Court Writ (High Court Enforcement Officers) |
£200 |
Drafting a letter to Court, including relevant paperwork Liaising with Sherriff for updates |
|
Order to Attend Court for Questioning |
£250 |
Drafting a letter to Court, including relevant paperwork Instructing a process server to personally serve the order Compiling a list of questions to be put to the debtor, if necessary Drafting a letter and to be served to the debtor |
|
Charging Order if undefended If the application is defended we will discuss fees, as the cost will depend upon the specifics of the matter |
£350 |
Filing an application for an Interim Charging Order Registering orders with the Land registry Representing you at court if the debtor disputes the order |
|
Attachment of Earnings |
£300 |
Drafting a letter to Court, including relevant paperwork Contacting debtor's employer or CAPS (Centralised Attachment of earnings Payment System) Resolving any issues with forwarding payment |
|
Third Party Debt Order |
£400 |
Drafting a letter to Court, including relevant paperwork Representing you in Court We may also instruct a process server to personally serve the order. This involves an additional cost, but is often more effective. We will discuss this option with you |
The Court will also charge a fee for initiating court proceedings. This fee is additional to our costs. See the Other Costs section below for more information.
Other costs
The cost of legal advice and representation often includes more than a charge for work done by a solicitor. Apart from our work there may be costs payable to third parties (often called disbursements) when preparing a client’s case. For example:
The use of an expert witness;
We may recommend the use of a barrister to help with your case; to prepare a claim or defence, to give a legal opinion or to appear as your advocate at a hearing. The charge that a barrister will make depends upon several factors such as their level of expertise and the time which she or he will be involved on the claim. As a guide, the charge that a barrister may make for appearing on a client’s behalf at a hearing will be between £1,200 and £3,600 including VAT for a day’s advocacy.
We will advise you of the likely amount and nature of fees and expenses that you may incur whilst we work for you and we will update that information as your case progresses. If you would like more information about costs, please don’t hesitate to ask.
Court Fees
Court fees are not included in the fixed fee for debt litigation. Don't worry if some of the options seem complicated. We will discuss the best options for your specific matter and help you to make informed decisions.
The court fees for proceedings to pursue a debt are:
|
Value of the claim |
Court issued claim (paper filing) |
Filed electronically via SDT/MCOL |
|---|---|---|
|
Up to £300 |
£35 |
£25 |
|
£301 - £500 |
£50 |
£35 |
|
£501 - £1,000 |
£70 |
£60 |
|
£1,001 - £1,500 |
£80 |
£70 |
|
£1,501 - £3,000 |
£115 |
£105 |
|
£3,001 - £5,000 |
£205 |
£185 |
|
£5,001 - £10,000 |
£455 |
£410 |
|
£10,001 - £200,000 |
5% of the value of the claim |
4.5% of the value of the claim |
|
Over £200,000 |
£10,000 |
Not applicable |
Fees for enforcing a judgment of debt:
|
Method of Enforcement |
Court Fee |
|---|---|
|
Warrant of Execution |
£110 |
|
High court Writ |
£66 |
|
Attachment of Earnings |
£110 |
|
Charging Order |
£110 + land registry fee (£20 if submitted electronically or £40 if submitted by post) |
|
Third Party Debt Order |
£110 |
|
Order to Attend Court for questioning |
£50 if served by an agent £100 if served by the Court Bailiff |
Ways of paying
The way in which the work that we do for you may be funded depends upon the type of case and our agreement with you. The following options are available:
Payment by hourly rate
Payment by agreed fee
by legal expenses insurance
by contingency fee agreement or conditional fee agreement (types of no win, no fee agreement)
Payment on account
In most cases we will ask you to make payments in advance to cover any anticipated fees or disbursements (ie: payments made on your behalf). These advance payments are deposited into our Client Account and are governed by rules set out by the Solicitors Regulation Authority's Accounts Rules. We will pay interest on the average balance that was held for you providing the interest accrued amounts to £20 or more. Interest is calculated at the rate available on an instant access savings account from Barclays Bank.
We are required by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) to deposit monies in instant access accounts only. This means that the interest rate paid on money in our Client Account may not be as high as you can achieve by placing the money in a savings account yourself.
Get in touch
Do you have a legal matter you'd like to discuss with us? Get in touch using the details below or use the form here and a member of our team will be in touch to discuss your enquiry.
Address: Spencer Shaw Solicitors Limited
Vancouver House, 111 Hagley Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B16 8LB
Opening hours:
Monday - Friday 9:00AM - 5:00PM
Saturday, Sunday & Bank Holidays - Closed
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