It depends on the contract and the category of dispute. If the contract makes the pre-action procedure mandatory, the court may refuse to accept your claim without it. But a claim letter is useful almost always: some counterparties pay without waiting for court.

The general period is three years. For recovering penalties (fines and late-payment interest) it is one year. In some categories the periods are shorter still. That is exactly why you should not sit on a counterparty debt.

Contractual penalties and fines, 3% per annum, inflation losses, damages, and also the court fee and legal costs. Calculating these properly increases the amount claimed noticeably.

In simplified proceedings: roughly two to three months at first instance. In ordinary proceedings: longer, depending on expert reports and counterclaims. We give a more precise estimate after reviewing the documents.

First we check the assets and the connected persons. Sometimes other tools work: interim relief, insolvency proceedings against the debtor, subsidiary liability of its director. If recovery has no prospects, we will tell you honestly before any work starts.

Yes. We run commercial cases under a power of attorney: we prepare the documents, attend the hearings and report on every stage. You are involved only in the key decisions.