Civil Litigation solicitors

Sometimes, and a good solicitor will tell you when it is not. The honest test is commercial: what you stand to recover, your prospects of success, the other side's ability to pay and the costs of each stage. Many strong cases settle once the evidence is marshalled, because settlement removes the risk both sides carry.

A typical claim runs from the pre-action letter through issue at court, the defence, disclosure of documents, witness statements and then trial, with settlement possible at any point. Straightforward claims resolve in months; heavily disputed ones run to trial over a year or more. Each stage has a costs decision attached.

Claims below ten thousand pounds in England and Wales normally go to the small claims track, a simplified procedure where each side usually bears their own legal costs. It is designed for litigants in person, which makes it economical for straightforward debts and consumer disputes, but the same limit means it rarely suits complex claims.

Usually a substantial portion, not all. The loser generally pays the winner's costs, assessed by the court if not agreed, but the assessment rarely covers every pound spent. Winning is therefore not free, and offers made during the case can shift the costs balance significantly either way.