High-Value Debt Recovery Solicitors

When a customer owes your business £100,000 or more, the cost of getting it wrong rises with the debt. Our high-value debt recovery solicitors advise on whether the debt is recoverable, how to press the debtor, and what each step is likely to cost.

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asset purchase agreeement drafted by solicitors at MAR Legal in Manchester

How High-Value Debt Recovery Works Before Court

Large debts reward a plan. Before anything is sent, our high-value debt recovery solicitors in Manchester check three things: whether the debt is disputed, whether the debtor can pay, and whether each next step is proportionate to the sum owed. If the debt is undisputed, we advise on a letter before action and on whether a statutory demand fits. We also look at whether anyone gave a personal guarantee, because that can open a second route to payment. Where the debtor offers terms, we advise on settlement and on the security that should come with it. Commercial debt recovery at this level is pre-litigation advisory work only. Where a matter involves reserved legal activities, we work alongside appropriately regulated professionals, who handle any court proceedings and enforcement.

How Our High-Value Debt Recovery Solicitors Help Businesses

We advise businesses owed large sums on the pre-litigation steps that decide whether a debt is paid, with costs discussed before any work begins.

Recoverability and Merits Review

We draft distribution agreements covering territory, exclusivity, pricing, minimum order quantities and termination, built around your actual sales channel.

Letters Before Action

We advise on whether an exclusive, sole or non-exclusive arrangement suits your business, and the competition law considerations that come with exclusivity.

Statutory Demand Advice

We draft distribution agreements covering cross border and international arrangements, including governing law and how parallel imports are addressed.

Interest and Costs Claims

If you have been sent a distribution agreement to sign, we review it and flag terms that expose you to risk beyond what you expected.

Guarantee and Security Advice

We advise on ending a distribution relationship correctly, including notice periods and what happens to unsold stock.

Negotiation and Settlement Terms

Where a dispute arises over targets, territory or payment, we advise on the options available and the pre-litigation steps to resolve it.

What Recovering a Large Debt with MAR Legal means for you

A clear view of whether the debt is worth pursuing.
Pressure on the debtor through the right formal steps.
Interest and costs claimed where the law allows.
Costs weighed against likely recovery before you commit.
Settlement terms with security, not just a promise.

Contact Us for High-Value Debt Recovery Support

A debt of this size can decide whether a business has a good year or a difficult one, and delay gives the debtor time to move assets or fall into insolvency. We work directly with you to resolve the legal side, so you can stay focused on running your business.

Get in touch today for a consultation and let us help you protect what you are owed.

Interest You Can Claim on a Large Debt

On a business-to-business debt, the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 allows statutory interest at 8% above a reference rate, unless your contract has a substantial remedy for late payment. The reference rate is the Bank of England base rate on the previous 31 December or 30 June, depending on when interest starts. It is simple interest, not compound, and it starts the day after payment is due.

Take a debt of £100,000 where interest starts between 1 January and 30 June 2026. The reference rate is 3.75%, so the statutory rate is 11.75%. That is £11,750 a year, or about £32 a day. The fixed recovery sum for a debt of £10,000 or more is only £100, charged once for each late payment, though you can claim reasonable recovery costs above it.

You cannot claim interest on an invoice paid late because of a genuine dispute, and a claim for interest is limited to six years. A Commercial Payments Bill before Parliament would make statutory interest mandatory, but it is not yet law.

Statutory Demand or Court Claim for Large Debts?

A statutory demand is a formal notice for a debt that is fixed, due and undisputed. The debtor has 21 days to pay or agree terms. If they do not, you can apply to wind up a company that owes £750 or more, or to bankrupt an individual who owes £5,000 or more, within four months of service. Courts treat a demand served with no intention of going further as an abuse of process.

An individual can apply to set a demand aside within 18 days of service. A company cannot, but it can seek an injunction to stop a winding-up petition, which is why a genuine dispute makes a statutory demand the wrong tool.

Where the debt is disputed, a court claim is how liability is decided. Our commercial disputes advice covers the pre-litigation options for a contested debt. Applying for a petition, issuing a claim and enforcing a judgment are all work for appropriately regulated litigation professionals. We advise on which route suits your debt and what it is likely to cost, so you can decide before any step is taken.

When to Seek Advice on a Large Unpaid Debt

A single customer owes your business £100,000 or more.
The debtor disputes the invoice but will not say why.
A director or third party signed a personal guarantee.
The debtor offers instalments, and you need terms in writing.
The company has gone quiet and may be heading for insolvency.

Meet the Founder

Marium brings 22 years of experience advising businesses on commercial disputes, contract enforcement and regulatory matters across the UK and internationally. A Solicitor regulated by the SRA (SRA ID: 277854) and MCiarb, she founded MAR Legal to give businesses direct access to senior legal advice on large unpaid debts without the overhead of a traditional firm. You can find her active professional credentials on the official Law Society Find a Solicitor Index.

Marium Razzaq
Solicitor & Director Mar Legal
MCIArb

Why Choose MAR Legal for High-Value Debt Recovery

Solicitor Led

Your matter is advised on by our solicitors, with clear updates at every stage.

Fast Turnaround

Speak to our solicitors with no obligation to proceed. We reply within one business day.

Fixed Fee Options

Where the scope is clear, we agree a Fixed Fee before work begins.

Commercial Focus

We act for businesses in Manchester and across the UK.

Trusted by businesses across the UK for practical advice on large unpaid commercial debts.

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How Our High-Value Debt Recovery Process Works

Review the Debt

We check the contract, invoices and any dispute, and whether anyone gave a personal guarantee.

Test Recoverability

We look at the debtor’s solvency and weigh the cost of each step against what you could recover.

Send the Formal Demand

We send a letter before action and advise on a statutory demand where the debt is undisputed.

Negotiate or Decide

We negotiate payment or settlement, and where it fails, we explain the options and who handles any court stage.

What Our Clients Say

    
 
 
         
   KOTA 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. They handled it wonderfully.
  
 
        
   George Alexopoulos 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Umar Razzaq at MAR Legal is sharp, honest and responsive, and excellent on the detail. Great outcome. Highly recommended.
  
 
        
   Olamide Aribigbela 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Really happy with the service from MAR Legal. They were very professional, helpful and efficient throughout the whole process. They handled all my documents quickly and carefully, and made everything simple and stress-free.

Would definitely recommend MAR Legal to anyone looking for a reliable and professional solicitor!
  
 
        
   Mrs Whitbread 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Great service. Very responsive and great at explaining everything I needed. Thanks
  
 
        
   Rachel Marsden 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Very professional and clear advice. Easy to understand and handled with appropriate sensitivity and confidentiality.
  
 
        
   Gillian Fletcher 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Excellent Service, quick and efficient and clear communications throughout. Thank you.
  
 
        
   Faye McCarthy 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. I used MAR Legal for a commercial lease on a property in Stockport. Had my initial consultation at their Spinningfields office, where I dealt directly with Marium, one of the directors. She walked me through the lease terms and the timeline upfront, so I knew what to expect at each stage. Would use them again for commercial property work in the Manchester area.
  
 
        
   Chris Johnson 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. MAR legal helped with ILA which my mortgage lender required. They acted very quickly and at a good price. Great service.
  
 
        
   Arsa Syed 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. Very professional and helpful. I would definitely recommend using them and will be back if I need any legal work done!!
  
 
        
   Amir Abbou 
 
 
 
 Trustindex verifies that the original source of the review is Google. They provided professional, sharp, and responsive counsel.  their contractual analysis was strong, and their advice was genuinely practical and commercially minded.
  
 
  
  
 
 
      Verified by Trustindex  Trustindex verified badge is the Universal Symbol of Trust. Only the greatest companies can get the verified badge who has a review score above 4.5, based on customer reviews over the past 12 months. Read more

High-Value Debt Recovery FAQs

There is no legal definition. Many high-value debt recovery solicitors use £100,000 as the working line, and the label usually signals that cost, solvency and strategy matter more than speed. A debt of this size justifies a recoverability review before any formal step, because the cost of getting it wrong, or of chasing a debtor who cannot pay, rises with the sum.

It depends on the debtor and whether the debt is disputed. A letter before action allows a response period, a statutory demand allows 21 days, and a negotiated settlement can be quick. Any court timetable is outside our control. Since 1 May 2026, enforcement agents must also give 14 clear days’ notice before taking control of goods, which lengthens the enforcement stage.

Not always, and not always in full. For a qualifying business debt, the Late Payment Act allows a fixed sum of £100 for debts of £10,000 or more, plus reasonable costs above it if you can justify them. Beyond that, what a court allows is a separate question. That is why we weigh the likely cost of each step against the likely recovery.

A director is not personally liable for a company’s debt just because they run it. Personal liability usually needs a personal guarantee, or another legal basis on the facts. That is why we look for guarantees and security early. If someone did guarantee the debt, a letter to the guarantor can run alongside the pressure on the company, and the guarantee itself needs to be read closely for its terms and any conditions.

The route changes. Once a company is in administration or liquidation, creditors’ rights are dealt with through that process rather than by ordinary recovery steps. Check The Gazette and Companies House before spending money. If insolvency looks likely, speed and the quality of your evidence matter. We can advise on the position of an unsecured creditor and on whether a claim in the insolvency is worth the effort.

We can advise on the pre-action stage, including the letter before action, the contract terms on jurisdiction and governing law, and negotiation. Court proceedings and enforcement abroad need local lawyers and the rules of that country. We explain what is likely to be involved, including the extra time and cost of acting in another country, so that you can decide whether the sum justifies it.

Most unpaid invoices can only be pursued in court within six years under the Limitation Act 1980, counted from the due date. A debt under a deed may carry 12 years. An action on a judgment must be brought within six years of the date it became enforceable. A written, signed acknowledgement or part payment can restart a running period, so act well before the deadline.

MAR Legal provides pre-litigation advisory and documentation support only. Where a matter involves court proceedings, enforcement or other reserved legal activities, appropriately regulated professionals are engaged.

High-Value Debt Recovery Lawyers

How High-Value Debt Recovery Works Before Court