Premium Debt Recovery service

When you use a lawyer, debtors realise you are serious.

When assessing the pros and cons of using a lawyer, consider these 3 points:

  1. A debt collector cannot start a court case.

  2. You usually pay a percentage commission on the debt to the debt collector. This could be more expensive than paying legal fees to a lawyer.

  3. With a lawyer, you negotiate with the debtor from a strong position.

Our fees. We offer a fixed-fee arrangement. You get certainty about your legal costs. Download a sample of our fixed-fee legal costs spreadsheet.
  We provide this document when you first contact us. It varies based on how much the debt is. 
  We limit our hourly rates to the 'scale rate'. To use the legal vocabulary, this is known as the 'applicable costs determination'.  You can download a copy here.  Few other lawyers do this.

Our expertise. Your case will be handled personally by Richard Graham, an expert in Magistrates Court of Western Australia cases.  Richard will be assisted by junior lawyers and law clerks, but will do all Court appearances and pre-trial conferences himself.  Read this article about the costs of inexperience in the debt recovery process.

Letter of demand. If you wish, we can issue a letter of demand to the debtor first, so you can assess how the debtor responds before you commit to a Court case. We charge a standard fee of $150 (plus GST).

When to use us. Our service is most appropriate where any of the 5 following criteria apply:

  1. The debt is for more than $10,000.

  2. Irrespective of the size of the debt, you have a 'zero tolerance' policy to people not paying your bills.

  3. The debt collector is telling you to 'go legal'.  If the debt collector handles the process for you, your contract says you still pay a percentage to the debt collector, plus legal fees to the lawyer. So why not cut out the 'middle-man' and just hire a lawyer yourself.

  4. There are insolvency issues with the debtor. This could mean being able to personally pursue the director(s) if the debtor is a company.

  5. There is a personal guarantee from the director(s) of the debtor company.

Read this example about how you can save money going direct to a lawyer.

What motivates a debtor to pay.  Our expertise working in the Magistrates Court of WA has taught us a lot about what motivates debtors.  

Debtors usually know about the limitations of debt collectors. They do their research. 

Debtors get worried when:

  • You have an experienced and tough lawyer.

  • The court case will be listed on their credit history, affecting their ability to borrow money from banks and lenders.

  • They could face bankruptcy and the bailiff knocking on their door.

  • They are likely to have to pay the debt back - with interest - plus legal fees to you.

Next step.  Call (08) 9200 4842 or email Richard Graham if you would like to use this service. There is no fee for the initial phone call. Read more about what to expect during the first call.

More info about us. Click here to read more about our law firm.