Pre-legal recovery covers everything that happens between the point at which routine credit control stops working and the point at which proceedings are issued. Most commercial debts are resolved in this phase, and the quality of the work done here determines both the speed of recovery and the strength of the position if escalation later becomes necessary.
What pre-legal recovery is
Professional, legally informed engagement with a debtor business on your behalf, supported by documentary review and a clear view of what would happen if the matter were escalated.
When to instruct
When promises to pay have not been kept, when contact has stopped, when the debtor has raised a late or vague objection, or when internal chasing is consuming disproportionate management time.
What we need from you
The invoices, the contract or terms relied on, evidence of delivery or performance, a statement of account, the chase history, and anything the debtor has said in response.
Where it ends
In payment, an acceptable structured settlement, an identified genuine dispute requiring determination, or a reasoned recommendation that further expenditure is not commercially justified.
Common questions
- Is pre-legal recovery the same as sending a letter before action?
- No. Formal pre-action correspondence is one possible step within, or at the end of, the pre-legal phase. It is used when it is appropriate and effective, not as an opening move in every case.
- What if litigation would not be economic?
- We will say so. Recoverability and proportionality are assessed alongside the legal merits, so that you are not funding a process that cannot produce a commercial result.
This page is general information about our services and does not constitute legal advice. Every matter is assessed on its own facts and contractual documentation.