Client information
Debt Collection Costs
Professional charges are shown excluding VAT, with the VAT amount and total at the standard rate where applicable. External charges are separate. Read the service scope and qualifications before relying on a price. Jocelyn Owtram, Solicitor, is Head of Litigation and Wills & Probate. This practice-area leadership role does not replace the matter-handling and supervision assignments set out below.
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The professional charges below exclude VAT. At the standard rate, VAT is 20%; the table shows the VAT amount and gross charge. Court fees and other external costs are separate unless expressly covered in the agreed estimate.
Read the fee basis and scope for your service below. The listed fees exclude external costs. Ask for a written estimate identifying the work covered, additional charges and likely timing before instructing us.
Service and costs
Business debt recovery up to £100,000
Business debt recovery up to £100,000. A disputed claim may need defended proceedings; neither judgment nor recovery is automatic.
| Initial 30-minute consultation | Per 30-minute consultation: £125.00 excluding VAT VAT at 20% where applicable: £25.00. Total at this VAT rate: £150.00. The £125 consultation fee is not deducted from or credited against later fees. |
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| Additional defended-claim or enforcement work | Per hour: £350.00 excluding VAT VAT at 20% where applicable: £70.00. Total at this VAT rate: £420.00. £350 excluding VAT per hour, plus £70 VAT: £420 including VAT at 20%, where applicable. No number of hours or recovery outcome is guaranteed. |
| Letter before action/documents/meeting; debtor pays | Published stage range: £450.00–£700.00 excluding VAT VAT at 20% where applicable: £90.00–£140.00. Total at this VAT rate: £540.00–£840.00. This range relates to the described stage where the debtor pays. The stage charge is cumulative with the consultation charge; it does not mean the debtor must reimburse every professional cost. |
| Issue paperwork; debtor pays after claim | Drafting range: £250.00–£350.00 excluding VAT VAT at 20% where applicable: £50.00–£70.00. Total at this VAT rate: £300.00–£420.00. The published wording does not establish whether any external charges are included. Confirm that point in the written estimate; the court fee is not assumed included. |
| No response: request judgment | Published stage range: £50.00–£100.00 excluding VAT VAT at 20% where applicable: £10.00–£20.00. Total at this VAT rate: £60.00–£120.00. Plus 20% VAT. Judgment depends on procedural eligibility; no automatic outcome is promised. |
| Enforcement | Separate estimate An individual estimate is needed for the method, scope and external charges. Recovery is not guaranteed. |
| Charging basis | Stage charges are cumulative for the stages undertaken. The £125 consultation charge is not credited against subsequent fees. Additional defended-claim or enforcement work is charged at £350 excluding VAT per hour (£420 including 20% VAT), where applicable. |
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| Professional fee or range | The itemised stage ranges below remain payable for the work undertaken. The cumulative examples include the initial consultation and the successive listed stages only; additional hourly work and external costs are separate. |
| VAT treatment and amount | Charges exclude VAT. The figures show 20% VAT where the standard rate applies. The treatment of a particular instruction depends on the client and the service; a different place-of-supply treatment may apply. |
| Gross professional total | Including the £125 consultation: through the pre-action stage, £575–£825 excluding VAT (£115–£165 VAT; £690–£990 including VAT); through claim paperwork, £825–£1,175 excluding VAT (£165–£235 VAT; £990–£1,410 including VAT); through a request for judgment, £875–£1,275 excluding VAT (£175–£255 VAT; £1,050–£1,530 including VAT). These are cumulative illustrations at 20% VAT where each listed stage is undertaken, not automatic charges or an all-inclusive quote. They exclude additional hourly work, court fees and other external costs. Judgment requires procedural eligibility. |
| Complexity assumptions | Debt value, debtor type, documents, disputed issues and the need for hearings or enforcement affect work and cost. Cumulative stage charges apply to work undertaken; defended proceedings and enforcement can involve additional hourly work. |
| Included services | The priced stages describe initial advice, a letter before action and supporting document/meeting work, claim paperwork, and a request for judgment where procedurally available. The schedule does not define a single all-inclusive package. |
| Exclusions and additional work | Do not assume defended proceedings, hearings, enforcement, insolvency work or counsel are included in the pre-action or claim-drafting range. Enforcement requires a separate estimate. No automatic recovery of professional charges from the debtor is promised. |
| Responsible professionals | Russell Leckstein is a dispute resolution lawyer. His published biography describes debt recovery, civil and commercial disputes and property work, and identifies him as a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives. See his profile for the source-published experience; no solicitor title is inferred. |
| Supervision | Work is handled and supervised by Russell Leckstein. |
External costs
These are separate from professional charges. Applicability, supplier charges and VAT must be verified for the instruction.
| Court issue fee | See the official fee guidance below. The amount depends on the application or claim; no universal external-cost total applies. VAT depends on the nature of the charge and supplier. Confirm the applicable treatment in the cost estimate; the professional-fee VAT calculation is not applied automatically to this item. |
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| Hearing fees, where applicable | A current amount or range is not published here. Obtain a quotation for this cost if it applies to your matter. VAT depends on the nature of the charge and supplier. Confirm the applicable treatment in the cost estimate; the professional-fee VAT calculation is not applied automatically to this item. |
| Enforcement fees, depending on method | A current amount or range is not published here. Obtain a quotation for this cost if it applies to your matter. VAT depends on the nature of the charge and supplier. Confirm the applicable treatment in the cost estimate; the professional-fee VAT calculation is not applied automatically to this item. |
| Counsel and expert costs, where needed | A current amount or range is not published here. Obtain a quotation for this cost if it applies to your matter. VAT depends on the nature of the charge and supplier. Confirm the applicable treatment in the cost estimate; the professional-fee VAT calculation is not applied automatically to this item. |
Stages and indicative timing
Pre-action
Assess the debt, evidence and applicable pre-action procedure.
There is no published firm preparation or completion time for this stage. Ask for a matter-specific estimate; documents, complexity and responses from others affect timing.
Claim
Issue and service of a claim where appropriate. A defence can lead to additional work and a different timetable.
There is no published firm preparation or completion time for this stage. Ask for a matter-specific estimate; documents, complexity and responses from others affect timing.
Judgment
Identify the appropriate procedure; a default judgment is subject to procedural conditions.
There is no published firm preparation or completion time for this stage. Ask for a matter-specific estimate; documents, complexity and responses from others affect timing.
Enforcement
Assess a suitable method and separate estimate; recovery is not guaranteed.
There is no published firm preparation or completion time for this stage. Ask for a matter-specific estimate; documents, complexity and responses from others affect timing.
Separate third-party charges
Official fee guidance
Court issue fees for specified money claims
Including interest, claims up to £300 cost £35; £300.01–£500: £50; £500.01–£1,000: £70; £1,000.01–£1,500: £80; £1,500.01–£3,000: £115; £3,000.01–£5,000: £205; £5,000.01–£10,000: £455; £10,000.01–£200,000: 5%; above £200,000: £10,000. Hearing and enforcement fees are separate. These wider statutory bands do not extend the stated business-debt service scope.
Official guidance: Court issue fees for specified money claims · Checked 2026-10-13
Planning your next step
Confirm the scope first.
Agree fees, scope and timing before an instruction begins. Service-specific consultation terms are shown above; no funding arrangement or consultation credit is implied.
- Debt recovery
- Contract disputes
- Dispute resolution
- Russell Leckstein
- Jocelyn Owtram - Head of Litigation and Wills & Probate
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