|
For a printable PDF version of this document, click here.
1. Serving you well
We want to give you the very best debt recovery service.
We are solicitors. This gives you assurance and confidence because of the 6 core duties which the Solicitors Code imposes on us. They are :
- Uphold justice and the rule of law
- Act with integrity
- Be totally independent
- Act in the best interests of each client
- Provide high standards of service
- Retain public confidence
The Directors are committed Christians, so we aim for the very highest standards. We operate a policy of ‘putting people first’. We aim to give all clients an excellent and personal service and our staff the best working conditions. This includes full and on-going training and an environment where stress is minimised.
2. What we do
Our job is:
- to identify your objectives;
- to advise you clearly on the issues involved;
- to advise you on ways of achieving those objectives and on appropriate courses of action;
- to carry out the job as quickly as possible;
- to ensure you are aware of what is happening at all times;
- to do our best to ensure the outcome is in line with your objectives.
3. What you do
Successful litigation is a partnership between client and lawyer. We ask you to provide instructions, information or documents promptly and without the need for us to ‘chase’ you. Our costs estimates will be based on you doing this. If you don’t, your costs will go up and your chances of getting a good result will go down.
If you tell us the outcome of every letter before action or claim through our CaseManager website, you will have a very powerful management reporting tool at your disposal.
We recommend that before you take legal action you make credit and status checks on the debtor.
You should check whether your business has any credit or legal insurance policies that may cover your legal costs. If so, please tell us immediately. If not, please ask us if you require advice on insurance policies (ATE 'after the event') as you may be able to purchase these to cover your costs or your liability for your opponents costs.
If the case is contested, we can discuss with you the cost / benefit in more detail.
4. Service Levels
- We will issue standard LBAs, LPDs and PreLegal letters the same day if we receive your instructions by 12 noon
- We will issue standard Claim forms and Judgments the same day if we receive your instructions by 12 noon
- We will commence standard Enforcements (including Insolvency) the next day, if we receive your instructions by 12 noon
- In Defended work, we shall be working to a court-imposed timetable. Subject to receipt of instructions from you promptly, we will meet the timetable
- We will normally reply to letters, faxes, emails and web messages within two days of your communication
- When the person you require is unavailable to take your telephone call, we will ring you back within 4 working hours.
The issuing of actions and enforcements is subject to the availability of Companies House and the Court Service. All timescales are references to working days.
5. Online Access to Cases
In this age of computers, our services are now delivered via the Lovetts website. Via a secure logon, CaseManager gives you full control over your cases. You can give instructions online and view all case information including costs and documents.
It contains all the reports you need to run an effective credit control system and to measure your collections success.
Your staff will need usernames and passwords to view cases on the site. It is vital that you keep these up-to-date especially when your staff change, otherwise this may be a serious security risk for your business.
6. Recovering Costs/Paying others' costs
You are responsible for paying our bills, regardless of any costs orders made against someone else. If you win, the court will normally award you costs. It is very rare for the costs order to cover more than two-thirds of your actual costs.
If you lose, you may be ordered to pay your opponent's costs as well as our charges and expenses.
7. Complaints
We promise to listen to you carefully and sympathetically if you have a complaint. We will acknowledge your complaint in writing as soon as we receive it and give you an honest reply within fourteen days. If we believe it will take longer, we will agree a timescale with you.
In the first instance please talk to your Account Executive or the person handling the case. If you remain dissatisfied please refer to the Manager responsible for that department.
PreLegal - Trevor Philips
Legal - Marilyn Yetman
Commercial - Jonathan Liggins
If you tell us you are still not satisfied, we will refer your query to our Managing Director, Charles Wilson or another director. Please allow a further fourteen days for this.
Please note that, if the query concerns the advice given, rather than the way we have provided the service, we may need to refer it to our indemnity insurers before replying. This may mean that we cannot deal with it within fourteen days.
8. Our Prices
PreLegal Department.
We charge on a commission basis - please click here to see examples of our commission rates. A specific quotation will be provided once we know more about the debt profiles.
Legal Department.
We charge in accordance with our Price Lists, copies of which are available to Clients when signed in on CaseManager and will be supplied to prospective clients on request to our Marketing Department on 01483 457500.
Commercial Litigation Department:
We charge on a time basis and will give you appropriate estimates of costs. We record time as the work is being done. We are always happy to provide copies of detailed time records, if requested. Please click here to see our hourly rates using the login above.
You may wish to set a limit on the charges and expenses to be incurred. If you do, we may do work up to the limit without referring back to you. If more work is needed, we will let you know.
9. Our Bills to you
We will invoice you at the end of each month for work done in that month. We may invoice you at more frequent intervals. We may ask for payment of disbursements in advance.
All invoices must be paid within 30 days of date of invoice.
If payment is not made on time we may exercise our statutory right to claim interest and compensation under the Late Payment legislation.
10. Your Payment to us
If for any reason an invoice is unpaid at the expiry of the credit period of 30 days we may:
- invoice you for work done or disbursements paid on your behalf but not yet billed.
- immediately claim payment of all invoices despatched including those within the credit period.
- suspend the supply of services to you without notice. If suspension occurs, no further work will be carried out for you until all invoices have been paid and we have sufficient funds from you on account to cover the likely cost of future work.
- be paid our legal costs on an indemnity basis ie. the full costs of legal action against you.
- exercise a lien i.e. a legitimate ‘hold’ over any money, property or goods held by us.
11. Ending our relationship
You may terminate your instructions to us in writing at any time.
We may decide to stop acting for you but only with good reason. Examples of this would be non-payment of one of our invoices within the credit period, failure to comply with our request for a payment on account or failure to give instructions.
You will be responsible for payment of all costs and liabilities we incur.
12. Other legal matters
Handling Money
We operate client trust accounts ensuring that your funds are completely safe. This is underwritten by the Solicitors Compensation Fund.
Cheque clearance (UK)
We pay out cheques received after six working days. Where a cheque is subsequently dishonoured, we have the right to recover this from you.
Money laundering
We may not be able to adhere to these timescales if Money Laundering legislation requires it.
Data Protection
From time to time we will make a search of a credit reference agency for the purpose of assessing your credit standing. The agency will keep a record of that search. We will monitor and record information in a secure IT environment information we receive about you, or your payment performance with us.
| 
