Not legal advice — but here’s how to prepare. This checklist helps you organise what a solicitor will need. It does not assess your claim and does not stop any limitation period running.

1. Your relationship with the professional

  • The engagement letter, client care letter or terms of business — the document that defines what they agreed to do, and any limits on their liability.
  • Evidence of what you told them you wanted: the email saying you planned to extend, the instruction to check for damp, the brief for the design.
  • Which product or service you paid for — e.g. RICS Home Survey Level 2 or Level 3, a mortgage valuation, full conveyancing, a tax return, a planning application.
  • Invoices and proof of what you paid them.
  • Their regulator: SRA (solicitors), CLC (licensed conveyancers), RICS (surveyors), ARB (architects), ICAEW / ACCA (accountants). Each requires professional indemnity insurance, which is why these claims are usually paid.

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The remaining 6 sections

  • 2. What the professional produced
  • 3. What went wrong, and when you found out
  • 4. Your loss
  • 5. What you have done since
  • 6. The professional's identity and insurer
  • 7. One-page summary for your first meeting
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