Guides
Written to be understood, checked against the law.
Commercial & Contract Disputes
About this area →What the court expects you to do before you sue: pre-action conduct explained
The Practice Direction on Pre-Action Conduct, what a letter of claim must contain, why refusing mediation can cost you even if you win, and how the court tracks and fixed costs shape your decision.
Unpaid invoice: what are my options before going to court?
What you can claim on a late commercial invoice, what a letter before action must say, and when the small claims track is the right route.
Is my contract legally binding? Verbal agreements, emails and handshakes explained
The four elements every contract needs, why an exchange of emails is usually enough, when a signature actually matters, and the difference a deed makes to your time limit.
A contractor walked off the job: is that a breach of contract, and what can I claim?
When abandoning work is a repudiatory breach, how damages are measured, your duty to mitigate, and the extra protection consumers have under the Consumer Rights Act 2015.
Professional Negligence
About this area →My surveyor missed a defect. Can I claim, and what is the claim actually worth?
What a RICS survey has to do, why damages are measured by the drop in value rather than the repair bill, what evidence you need, and how the professional negligence pre-action protocol works.
Time limits for professional negligence claims: six years, three years, and the fifteen-year longstop
How the Limitation Act 1980 sets the deadline for claims against surveyors, solicitors, architects and accountants, when the clock starts, what 'date of knowledge' really means, and how a standstill agreement buys time.
The professional negligence pre-action protocol: what happens before a claim is issued
The step-by-step process a claim against a surveyor, solicitor, architect or accountant follows before court — preliminary notice, letter of claim, the three-month response, and why most claims settle inside it.
Conveyancing negligence: my solicitor missed a right of way, restriction or planning problem
The most common conveyancing failures, the difference between a service complaint to the Legal Ombudsman and a negligence claim, and what you need to prove that the mistake caused your loss.