Disputes · Debt recovery · England & Wales

Owed money? A letter on a solicitor's letterhead changes the conversation.

Letters before action, statutory demands, settlement negotiation and dispute strategy, the pre-court stages where most disputes are actually won, at fixed fees. Where proceedings become necessary, your case is prepared here and advocacy is briefed to specialist counsel.

Send the debt or dispute for triage See the fee schedule

£295Solicitor's letter before action

Most debts settleBefore proceedings ever issue

£95 triageCredited against any engagement

Fees

The fee schedule.

FOUNDING CLIENT RATES: Western Legal is in the process of SRA firm authorisation. Current fees apply until authorisation completes; founding clients keep priority access afterwards.

Schedule of feesGBP · No VAT

Item	What it covers	Fee
Letter before action	A compliant pre-action letter under the applicable protocol, on solicitor letterhead, with the debt or claim particularised and a deadline set.	from £345
Statutory demand	Drafted and prepared for service against a company or individual debtor, the formal step before insolvency proceedings that concentrates minds.	from £595
Response to a letter of claim	You have received a solicitor's letter: a reasoned, protocol-compliant response protecting your position.	from £750
Negotiated settlement	Correspondence and negotiation through to a binding settlement agreement.	from £995
Dispute strategy triage	Your papers reviewed with a written route map: merits, options, realistic costs. Credited against any engagement within 30 days.	£150
Litigation support (unbundled)	Statements of case, witness statements and strategy prepared for you to conduct proceedings, or with counsel instructed for hearings.	quoted per stage

"From" prices are starting fees for standard scope; your exact fee is fixed in writing before you pay anything and never changes after that. Returning clients keep their original rates for 12 months. No VAT is charged: the price quoted is the price paid. Court, tribunal and official fees are shown separately on your quote before you pay anything.

Bespoke and urgent matters outside the schedule: £650 per hour, capped estimates in advance. Corporate retainers from £995/month.

Common questions

FAQs.

Will a solicitor's letter really make a difference?

Debtors and opponents triage correspondence: an email from you is a negotiation, a protocol-compliant letter from a solicitor is a costs risk. Most straightforward debts resolve at the letter or statutory-demand stage, which is why those stages are priced to be used early.

What if they still don't pay?

The next steps, county court claim, statutory demand follow-through, enforcement, are mapped in the triage with realistic costs so you can make a commercial decision, not an emotional one. Proceedings are prepared here, with hearings briefed to counsel where advocacy is needed.

Can you defend as well as chase?

Yes. Responding to letters of claim, negotiating settlements and preparing defences is the same skill set from the other chair.

Is small-debt recovery worth legal fees?

At £295 for the letter, the break-even is low, and a pattern of unpaid invoices usually reflects contract terms that need fixing, which is a one-time repair on the contracts page.

Get in touch

Confidential review within 24 hours.

Send a brief outline of your matter. You will receive a personal reply from a solicitor, with a fixed-fee quote where the scope is clear. Payment is taken before work begins; every fee is fixed in writing first.

Emailsp@westernlegal.co.uk WhatsApp+44 7915 318 920

How this practice worksEverything starts in writing, and written replies are fastest. Calls are reserved for engaged clients and Counsel-tier matters, and where a matter needs an appointment it is a single scheduled video appointment, included in your fixed fee.

Prefer a paid deep-dive before committing? Book a £150 document triage, credited in full against any engagement within 30 days.

Received. You will hear back within 24 hours, usually much sooner. If the matter is urgent, message us on WhatsApp.