Fees
This section gives you more of an understanding of the fees you may be required to pay should you choose to instruct Hodgkinsons Solicitors to assist with a Debt Recovery matter of up to £100,000.00.
We want to provide you with all the necessary information you need to be able to make an informed decision whether to instruct us to recover the debt for you.
Our Dispute Resolution Department Team charge hourly rates for Debt Recovery matters. Fees charged are dependent on the steps that are necessary to recover the debt and in turn the amount of work and time spent on your matter.
Hourly rates for the Dispute Resolution Team are as follows:
| Stephen Hill | Director & Solicitor | Grade A | £290 + vat p/hr |
| Che Shing Li | Director & Solicitor | Grade A | £290 + vat p/hr |
| Ben Neal | Director & Solicitor | Grade A | £290 + vat p/hr |
| Lisa Wilkinson | Associate Litigation Executive | Grade C | £210 + vat p/hr |
| Gemma Middleton | Paralegal | Grade D | £160 + vat p/hr |
| Angela & Louise | Legal Assistants | Grade D | £160 + vat p/hr |
Please see the table below which sets out an approximate estimate of the fees charged for Debt Recovery services:
| Service | Our fee | Court Fee |
| Taking instructions from you, opening a file and sending the Debtor a Letter of Claim also known as a Pre-action letter | £250.00 + VAT (£50.00) | |
| Preparation of a Statutory Demand (for debts in excess of £5,000 for an individual and £750 for a company) requiring a response within 21 days failing which we can apply for Bankruptcy |
£250.00 + VAT (£50.00) + Agents fee for service £160 + vat |
|
| Preparation issue and service of Debt Recovery Proceedings | £500.00 + VAT (£100.00) |
Dependent on value of debt: Debts under £10,000 – up to £455 Debts over £10,000 – 5% of value |
| Applying for Judgment | £150 + vat (£30.00) | |
| Enforcement: Oral Examination of Debtor in Court (to Obtain Financial Information & Order for Payment) |
£250.00 + vat (£50.00) + Agents Fee for personal service £160 + vat |
£59.00 |
| Enforcement: Attachment of Goods | £250.00 + vat (£50.00) | £119.00 |
| Enforcement: Attachment of Earnings | £250.00 + vat (£50.00) | £119.00 |
| Enforcement: Third Party Debt Order (to freeze Debtor’s bank account) | £300.00 + vat (£60.00) | £119.00 |
| Enforcement: Charging Order (register debt on Title of property owned by Debtor) |
£300.00 + vat (£60.00) + £23.00 Land Registry fee |
£119.00 |
The above table demonstrates approximate standard costs; however please note that such are subject to change if the matter is complex and/or additional investigation and work is necessary.
We will keep you informed as to the related costs and provide you with regular cost estimates as it is our policy to be completely transparent with you regarding our charges.
PLEASE NOTE that legal costs for Small Claims Court matters ie: Debts up to £10,000.00 are NOT recoverable from the third party in terms of Court Rules. For Debts in excess of £10,000.00 some costs, which are fixed by the Court, are recoverable from the third party, in addition to the amount of the debt being recovered.
We are happy to discuss a debt recovery matter with you and will endeavour to give you an idea as to timescales on steps to be taken and potential recovery, which can differ on a case by case basis based on the size of the debt and circumstances involved.
Please however bear in mind that timescales to complete the matter and recover the monies owing to you depend on the way in which the Third Party/Debtor responds to the action taken.
The Third Party may of course Defend the action if they do not agree that they owe you the money being claimed. If this were to happen then the Court would put in place a set of Directions (steps each party has to comply with) to progress and prepare the case to get to a Hearing before a Judge for a Judge to decide the case. The costs of dealing with a defended Debt Claim will be charged on our hourly rates – cost estimates will be provided for each bespoke case as the matter progresses.
If you would like more information about the experience and qualifications of our Dispute Resolution Team who will carry out your work, please visit the personal profiles of:
Lisa Wilkinson - Associate Litigation Executive
Gemma Middleton - Paralegal
All work carried out by trainees or other unqualified members of staff will be supervised by qualified Solicitors and senior Members:
Stephen Hill – Solicitor & Senior Director
Che Shing Li – Solicitor & Managing Director
Ben Neal – Solicitor & Director
If you would like more information on the range of matters our Dispute Resolution Team can assist with visit https://www.hodgkinsons.co.uk/dispute-resolution where you can also fill out a contact form to request a member of our Department to contact you about your query. Alternatively, you can call 01754 897150 and a member of the Team will be happy to assist you. At Hodgkinsons we have the ability to advise you on your matter whether you are located in Skegness, Boston, Sleaford, Lincoln, Scunthorpe, Grimsby, rural Lincolnshire or even further afield.