Debt recovery

Our pricing structure includes fixed and capped fees which aim to limit our clients’ costs exposure and provide certainty from the outset. For example, we have now extended our fixed fees to contested fast track claims in the County Court.

View our pricing and service information

We are a specialist team which means:

• dedicated teams of junior and senior lawyers with the ability and experience to react quickly to your requirements;
• cost-effective advice, litigation, insolvency and enforcement services
• expert assessment of your debtors to ensure the most appropriate method of enforcing a court judgment is adopted
• expertise in assessing jurisdiction and pursuing foreign debtors

Our pricing structure includes fixed and capped fees which aim to limit our clients’ costs exposure and provide certainty from the outset. For example, we have now extended our fixed fees to contested fast track claims in the County Court.

Our clients come from a variety of industries and include:

• Invoice financiers
• Public bodies
• Information technology and data providers
• Educational institutes
• Haulage companies
• Agricultural supplies
• Financial services
• Professional services
• Leisure and tourism
• Manufacturing and engineering
• Building supplies
• Automotive supplies

• Recovery of a six-figure overpayment arising from a payment to an incorrect bank account. The identity of the account holder was obtained after applying to the court for a Norwich Pharmacal Order. Thereafter, the monies were recovered from the account holder by agreement and without the need for legal proceedings
• Long-term recovery of a debt from an individual that did not have the immediate ability to repay. The prospect of court proceedings to enforce the terms of a personal guarantee allowed us to negotiate a long term repayment plan backed with security in the form of a legal charge over the debtor’s property
• Settlement of a five-figure sum from a company after obtaining an interim third party debt order following a court judgment. The debtor had by a consent order agreed to pay a settlement sum and then sought immediately to enter administration. The administration did not proceed and we obtained a judgment in default followed by an interim third party debt order against its banker. Due to the restrictions placed on the funds in the company’s bank account, a third party payment of more than the settlement/judgment amount was agreed so as to lift the restriction imposed on the company’s bank account by the interim third party debt order
• Taking on a six-figure debtor ledger and successfully pursuing various debtors resulting in a recovery of more than 50% of the ledger without the need for court proceedings
• Recovery of a debt owed by a company in France together with a recovery of interest and costs after the issuing of English court proceedings and service at the registered office in France

Our expertise has been recognised:

• Dispute Resolution Award at the Liverpool Law Society Legal Awards (2015) and (2013)
• Finalist for the Litigation Team of the Year at The Lawyer Awards 2016
• Finalist for the Legal 500 UK 2017 Dispute Resolution, Regional firm of the year.

‘I have worked with Hill Dickinson for approximately 13 years and have always found them to be professional, efficient and knowledgeable and would not hesitate to recommend them.’

Justin Carcavella, formerly senior finance assistant, legal debt administrator, Kingston University

‘The service Hill Dickinson provides meets our requirements in all aspects. We have confidence that they will deal with our instructions promptly, accurately and in a cost effective manner. We have a close relationship with the commercial disputes and debt recovery teams and this enables us to pick up the phone as and when we require, to find the advice and guidance we need.’

Michael Smith, recoveries manager, Bibby Factors Leicester Limited

‘We are delighted by the service provided by Hill Dickinson, who keep in regular contact with us and explain the legal processes in a language we can understand!’

John Wills, managing director, Ravenhill Ltd

We have five members of the team who may work on your matter. Regardless of who works on your matter, they will be supervised by Sharon Williamson, partner and head of banking litigation:

Sharon Williamson | partner

Sharon is the head of our team and has been with Hill Dickinson since 2012. She has over 30 years’ experience working in this field. She acts for banks, asset-based lenders, and commercial clients advising them on strategies to maximise realisations of debts and assets to minimise and where possible extinguish loss.

Sharon has considerable experience acting for Lloyds Bank Plc, Black Horse Limited, Lloyds Bank Commercial Finance Limited, Bank of Ireland (UK) Plc, Hitachi Capital (UK) Plc and several other asset-based lenders on a national basis, in the following areas - recovery of loan and overdraft facilities, enforcement of legal charges, enforcement of guarantees, defending PPI claims, enforcement of Consumer Credit Act agreements and debit back cases.

Sharon qualified as a solicitor in 1990 after completing her law degree at the University of Leeds. She completed her training contract at Davis Blank Furniss and was previously a partner at DWF LLP. She became a partner at Hill Dickinson LLP in 2018.

Sharon is a leader in her field and regularly provides training to the Asset Based Finance Association.

View profile

John Quicler | senior associate

John qualified as a solicitor in 2013. He attended Liverpool John Moore’s University for his law degree and also completed the Legal Practice Course there.

John is an associate in the commercial litigation team based in Manchester, specialising in finance litigation and debt recovery.  He was previously deployed within the insurance fraud department.  Working in the insurance fraud department provided John with many years’ experience detecting and preventing fraud, which has enabled him to secure significant recoveries on behalf of clients.

John acts for leading, receivable and asset-based lenders on a national basis. He advises on strategies to maximise realisation of debts and enforcement of security. In particular, invoice finance agreement claims, guarantee and indemnity claims, resolution of contractual disputes, investigation and litigation in respect of fraudulent transactions.

John’s day-to-day duties include drafting proceedings, applications for summary judgment and/or strike out of defences, drafting statutory demands, bankruptcy petitions, applications for charging orders and winding-up petitions. John has extensive experience of issuing civil proceedings to fully contested hearings, conducting advocacy for interim applications and contested hearings, and pursuing enforcement proceedings.

He was promoted to Senior Associate in 2018. 

View profile

Jon Scally | associate

Jon completed his four-year law degree at the University of Leeds, completing a year exchange programme at Monash University, Melbourne, before graduating with first class honours in 2011. Jon completed his legal practice course (distinction) in 2013 from the University of Law, Manchester.

Jon joined the firm in September 2013 as a trainee and qualified into the commercial litigation team in September 2015. Jon specialises in all aspects of commercial dispute resolution across a wide range of industry sectors. His specialities include - breach of contract disputes, factoring disputes, sale of goods/supply of services disputes, restitution claims for mistaken payments/overpayments, commercial debt recovery, corporate and personal insolvency, charging orders and orders for sale, attachment of earnings/pension orders and third-party debt orders and debt security/voluntary legal charges.

View profile

Georgia Wolfenden | apprentice solicitor

Georgia is an apprentice solicitor in our banking and finance litigation team acting for leading receivable and asset-based lenders and has worked at Hill Dickinson since 2016. She is presently studying part-time for her law degree at BPP University.

She specialises in banking and finance litigation and debt recovery of assigned commercial debts for asset-based lenders. Her work involves issuing letters of demand and dealing with issues arising and drafting and issuing court proceedings for payment of outstanding invoices.

She supports legal director, Sharon Williamson and associate, John Quicler, in more complex matters.

Qasim Khan-Cheema | paralegal

Qasim is training to be a CILEX qualified legal executive and has been working in our commercial litigation team specialising in debt recovery since 2014.

He has significant experience in commercial debt recovery, corporate and personal insolvency, charging orders and orders for sale, attachment of earnings/pension orders, third party debt orders and debt security/voluntary legal charges.