Small Claims Lawyer Service

Small Claims Lawyer

Our lawyer consultation service offers businesses and individuals the opportunity to have a 1-hour face to face conference via Zoom with a lawyer specialising in consumer law, contracts and construction law problems and disputes for £250 + VAT.

Making and defending a claim in the small claims track of the county court under £10,000 is intended to be navigated, managed, and presented by the ‘litigant in person’.

Free Small Claims Lawyer Consultation

0333 700 7676

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As a result, the special small claims court rules limit almost entirely the amount a successful party can claim from the other for legal and solicitors’ fees.

Although on the one hand this makes the legal system more accessible, it does mean that getting affordable quality legal advice from solicitors and lawyers can be a challenge. This in turn can lead to people issuing claims that have no legal basis and defendant’s submitting a defence which has no realistic prospect of succeeding.

Although we had in the past offered fixed price packages including legal advice and professionally drafted documents and claim form the cost still in some cases proved to be disproportionate, especially for claims below £5000.

Equally, experience has taught us that Citizens Advice is ill-equipped to give legal advice and case specific guidance.

As a result, we have successfully piloted our accessible lawyer consultation service, allowing claimants and defendants to have an online zoom conference with a professional who can go through the case, the documents, papers and files in person.

In the majority of the cases an hour law consultation is enough. but for cases over £5000 and up to £10000 a second conference may be helpful, which in any event is a fraction of what it would cost to instruct a solicitor.

For a case review and advice
Book a 1 hour Commercial Lawyer Consultation

£250 + VAT
Per hour

Conference will be via Zoom. Terms and conditions apply.

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We Deal With

We cover a wide range of matters involving faulty consumer goods and services as well as business related problems including;

Consumer goods and services, bad debts and unpaid invoices, building and construction, cars and vans and company disputes.

We don’t deal with:

Family matters, matrimonial, property, crime, wills and personal injury.

Claims above £10,000

Our lawyer consultation service is also available for claims above £10,000 and across the entire spectrum of claim values. This can be useful to find out whether you have a reasonable chance of success in getting your money back or defending the claim.

We have a range of bespoke services tailored to the client in our specialist practice areas of automotive law and construction law and should you go on to instruct us after your lawyer conference we will deduct the consultation fee from your bill.

Affordable Legal Services

Taking the strain out of making or defending a small claim, a small claims lawyer is experienced in all aspects of breach of contract including debt recovery, late payments and unpaid invoices. You can have direct access to a small claims lawyer offering an efficient, effective legal solution, whether you’re issuing or defending a small claim in the County Court.

Small Claims Lawyer

We are experienced in all manner of business law; civil claims for money and breach of contract legal issues involving faulty goods and substandard or incomplete services. Setting ourselves apart from other consumer and commercial law firms in London, we offer direct access to a claims lawyer and first free legal advice UK on your case and the small claims procedure.

Faulty Goods & Products

Been sold a faulty washing machine or dodgy used car which proved unroadworthy? Had some building work done which doesn’t come up to scratch? Are you struggling to get a refund, replacement or repairs? Get advice in our one hour consultation on how to make a claim or defend a claim in the small claims track of the County Court.

How to Take a Company to Court

If you are taking a company to the Small Claims Court or you need to know how to sue a business because they owe you money or a refund because of problems with goods or services they’ve supplied, call our line for initial free advice on how to start a small claims case.

Complaints About Services

Making or facing a complaint about or need to know what a customer’s legal rights are for home improvements, building work or vehicle repairs? Call a small claims lawyer for Small Claims Court advice and an assessment of the likelihood of claims success in HM Courts and Tribunal Service.

Owed Money?

Thinking about making a money claim for an unpaid business invoice or to getting money back owed by someone or reimbursement for repairs carried out? We can help with all types of civil litigation heard in the Small Claims Court.

For a case review and advice
Book a 1 hour Commercial Lawyer Consultation

£250 + VAT
Per hour

Conference will be via Zoom. Terms and conditions apply.

Call

Small Claims Court FAQ

What is a Small Claim?

Claims and counterclaims which are up to £10000 and personal injury or housing disrepair claims which are up to £1000 are allocated to the small claims track of the County Court. Claims which are over £10000 and up to £25000 or are more complex are still heard in the county court but will be allocated to the Fast Track.

The small claims track is less formal and has special rules. The costs are fixed, which means you can not only budget for what it costs to issue a claim but also what you can claim back from the other side if you win and what you may be liable for if you don’t.

You also don’t need to have a solicitor although you can if you’d like, however, the amount you can claim back is limited. Overall, it’s cheaper and quicker than claims issued in the Fast track and multi-track.

Small claims are still governed by the civil procedure rules which require claimants to send a letter before claim to the other party, setting out the basis of your claim. A defendant should reply setting out the reasons for disagreement and/or the basis for any discussion or negotiation. If no reply is received or no agreement is reached the claim can be filed in court.

Once the claim has been issued the defendant has 14 days to respond. This could be an acknowledgement of service which extends the time to defend the case to 28 days from the date of service or admit the claim or send a defence. If the defendant fails to respond to the claim, judgment in default can be applied for.

If the defendant files a defence, the claimant can file a reply but in any event, the court will send a letter confirming the claim is defended and that the parties have to file a directions questionnaire called an N180 form. This provides information to the court to allow it to decide where and how the case is to be handled.

Despite the case being filed and defended the parties are expected to try and settle the claim without actually going to court. To help with this, free mediation is offered by the small claims mediation service, to try and facilitate a settlement which they will record in a settlement agreement.

Prior to the hearing, the court will send out a notice explaining what information the parties need to submit to the court and each other and when. This will include a witness statement from the claimant and defendant and any other person wanting to attend on their behalf. The documents each party intends to reply on in support of their case will also need to be filed with the court and served on every other party.

In a word, yes. The small claims process is intended to be navigated by the parties and anyone who submits a witness statement is expected to attend the final hearing. If a party does not attend the hearing the court may dismiss their case or try the case in their absence.

The costs are limited by the special rules but you will likely be awarded the cost of filing the claim, the hearing fee, and other reasonable expenses providing they can be proved. If you have a solicitor or advocate attend the hearing their costs will also be reclaimable up to the limits set out in the rules. Statutory interest may also be claimed.

More than likely yes, however, the judge will look at the behaviour of the parties during the pre-action stages and may find that one party has behaved unreasonably which may result in what is called adverse costs being awarded.

Free Initial Small Claims Lawyer Legal Advice

0333 700 7676

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