What we cost

All fees quoted exclude VAT & disbursements which will be quoted separately and vary depending on the case.

Mercian Law Limited issue claims using money claim online.

Court fees and our fixed costs are payable in advance.

8 Stages of Debt Recovery

The fees we charge for each stage are quoted below.

If you have any questions or would like more information, please call us on 01827 215679 or email us on enquiries@mercianlaw.com.

Initial Stage

  • Initial telephone interview
FREE
  • Retainer letter & terms of business

Stage 1 - Demand Payment

  • Monitored company report
FREE
  • Pre-action protocol letter
£25
  • Late payment interest notice
£25
  • Respond to letter of claim received
£25
  • Send payment in full or suggest payment proposal
£25

Stage 2 - Commence claim

  • Issue claim under £5000
£150
  • Issue claim under £5000
£250

Stage 3 - Request Judgment in default:

  • Issue claim under £5000

£55

  • Issue claim £5000 - £10,000

£70

Reply to or by Admission:

  • Filing an admission

£55

  • Accepting payment proposal

£55

  • Rejecting payment proposal and court to decide payment terms

£70

Debtor claims already paid:

  • File claimants reply

£70

Stage 4 - Debtor defence to your claim

  • Advice on merits of defence received & evidence required
£100
  • Draft, file & serve a reply to defence with no counterclaim
    • Claim under £5000
£200
    • Claim £5000 - £10000

£300
Draft, file & serve a reply to defence & defence to counterclaim Claim
    • Claim under £5000
£400
    • Claim £5000 - £10000
£600

Defending a claim issued against you

  • Advice on merits of claim & evidence required to defend
£100
  • Filing an acknowledgement of service
£25
  • Making an admission of part and file defence with no counterclaim
£200
  • Making an admission of part and file defence with counterclaim

£300
Draft, file & serve a defence with no counterclaim

    • Claim under £5000
£200
    • Claim Over £5000

£300
Draft, file & serve a defence with a counterclaim
    • Claim under £5000
£400
    • Claim Over £5000
£600

Filing directions questionnaire£100
Allocation hearing£250
Order for further information (allocation)£25
Responding to court request for further documentation or information£100

Stage 5 - Settlement

  • Preparing for and conducting telephone small claim mediation
  • Settlement negotiations
  • Drafting and agreeing settlement order for court sealing
    • Claim under £5000
£250
    • Claim £5000 - £10000
£500
  • Sending or responding to an offer of settlement letter
£25

Stage 6 - Preparation for final hearing

  • List of documents: standard disclosure
  • Request for inspection of disclosure document
  • Preparation of hearing bundle
  • Formatting witness statements for signature (max 2) (once drafted by witness)
  • Instructing expert witness
  • Filing at court and serving upon other side all documentation
  • Pre-trial checklist
    • Claim under £5000
£250
    • Claim £5000 - £10,000
£500
  • Photocopying of disclosure documents & bundle
5p per page

Stage 7 - Final hearing

  • Draft, file and serve case summary
£100
  • Advocate to attend hearing
Small Claim under 2 hours£300
Small Claim under 3 hours£400
1 day Fast Track up to £15,000£1000
1 day fast track over £15,000£1500
1 day Multi Track £1500+
  • Abortive advocate instructions
£100

Stage 8 -Enforcement

  • Warrant of control (county court)
£100
  • Instruct high court enforcement officer
£100
  • Reissuing a warrant of control
£100
  • Charging order application
£400
  • Third-party debt order
£250
  • Order to obtain information
£250
  • Attachment of earnings order
£200
  • Request for re-issue of enforcement
£100
  • Application objecting to suspended attachment of earnings or consolidated order
£200
  • File & serve witness statement in dispute ahead of final third party debt order or final charging order hearing
£100
Advocate to attend an enforcement hearing£200

Applications

£250
  • To apply on notice for judgment to be set aside
  • Application for summary judgment
  • Application to strike out defence
  • To apply to vary a judgment or suspend enforcement
  • To make an application on notice where no other fee is specified. Including, substitution of service, time extension, party substitution
  • To apply for a summons or order for a witness to attend
  • To apply by consent, or without notice, for a judgment or order
  • Application by consent for an adjournment of a hearing if it is received by the court at least 14 days before the date of the hearing.
  • Application to suspend a warrant of control
  • Application for a hardship payment pending a final third-party debt order
  • Application for stay to be lifted
  • Application to move hearing date
Application for permission to issue or enforce a warrant
Advocate to attend an Application hearing£200

Additions

£25
  • Notice of discontinuance or withdrawal of claim
  • Obtaining HM Land Registry office copy entries
  • Insolvency search
  • Instructing a tracing agent
  • Apply for a certificate of satisfaction of a judgment debt
  • Filing a notice of acting
  • Filing a certificate of service
  • Request a search of the attachment of earnings index
  • Request consolidation of debt to existing attachment of earnings order
  • Application to transfer case
  • Registering or removing a charging order at the Land Registry
  • Preparing and filing an affidavit before debtors examination under order to attend court for questioning
  • Objecting to small claim being decided without a hearing

£201 per hour

We will quote and invoice for each stage of your matter in advance and will require payment before work will be undertaken.

For claims and counterclaims over £10,000 and appeals, our fees will be calculated by the time spent on the file. Time is charged in 6-minute units at £20.10 + VAT per unit.

Nuneaton County Court (a National 2 Court) is the nearest county court to Mercian Law Limited being in Tamworth. Verity Grigg, sole director of Mercian Law, qualified as a solicitor in 2002 and has more than 8 years post qualification experience in litigation. Under the guideline rates for Summary Assessment 2010, as published by H M Court as Tribunal Service the rate approved is £201.

Success in a claim or counterclaim over £10,000 enables a Costs Order to be sought. The amount awarded is assessed by the Judge, and therefore the amount awarded may not be the same as the amount paid in legal fees.

The Current EX50 – County Court Fees. details the court fees payable in addition to Mercian Law fees and VAT.

Mercian Law Limited will advise you what Court fees are payable and invoice for them when required.

Service

Mercian Law Fee

Disbursements

Statutory demand

£100

-

Bankruptcy petition

£400

Court fee (creditors petition) £280
Official receivers deposit £990

Winding Up petition

£400

Court fee £280
Official receivers deposit £1600
Advertisement £79.40 + VAT
Process server (estimated) £120
Swear fee £7
Advocate for hearing - £175 + VAT

Advocate£200To attend an Application hearing

Drafting or Reviewing Terms of Business     £500 + VAT

Unlimited telephone Debt Recovery Advice for 1-year    £2000 + VAT

This is for those who have an in-house credit control team that issue proceedings but require advice on matters to assist in next steps decision making.

Accelerated possession proceedings

Mercian Law Fee
  • Check Form 6A
FREE
  • Serve Form 6A by 1st class post
£100
  • Issue accelerated possession proceedings
£250
Advocate to attend possession hearing£200

S8 Rent Arrears Possession Proceedings

  • Serve S8 notice
£100
  • Issue possession proceedings online inc: filing & serving
    witness statements & an advocate to attend hearing
£600
Advocate to attend possession hearing£200

Warrant of Possession

  • To apply for Warrant of Possession
£200
Advocate to attend application to suspend warrant hearing£200

Torts (Interference with Goods) Act 1977

  • To serve a Torts (Interference with Goods) Act 1977 Notice
£100
Advocate to attend hearing£200

If your possession claim becomes defended, any additional work will be charged at £201 per hour.

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