Court & Enforcement
Court action is available as an escalation route, but it is deliberately separated from the ordinary HANDLED service so reserved work stays on the correct side of the line.
1. Before court
HANDLED may help organise the chronology, evidence, amount claimed, counterparty details, complaint trail and settlement history. Where appropriate, the process before proceedings should give the other side enough information to understand the claim, respond, and consider ADR before proceedings are issued.
2. Who issues the claim?
There are two compliant routes:
- Customer issues their own claim: the customer issues and conducts its own claim using the appropriate HMCTS route and remains the litigant in person/business claimant.
- Authorised legal provider: proceedings are issued and conducted by a person/entity entitled to conduct litigation.
HANDLED will not log into an HMCTS account and issue proceedings as an unauthorised third party representative.
3. HANDLED's role around litigation
Subject to legal review for the specific workflow, HANDLED can maintain the factual case file, evidence index, chronology, settlement log, payment/outcome tracking and coordination between the customer and authorised provider. It does not silently assume responsibility for procedural deadlines or reserved tasks.
4. Court fees and costs
Court fees, solicitor/barrister fees, experts, mediators, process servers and enforcement costs are separate from the standard HANDLED fee unless expressly included. Before any paid external step, the customer receives the known cost, who will charge it, and whether it is potentially recoverable. Recovery of costs is never guaranteed.
5. Limitation and deadlines
Until an authorised legal provider expressly accepts responsibility in writing, the customer remains responsible for limitation and court deadlines. For ordinary simple contract claims in England and Wales the general limitation period is commonly six years from accrual, but exceptions and different causes of action exist; advice specific to the case may be needed.
6. Judgment
A judgment does not guarantee payment. HANDLED records the judgment amount, interest, payment deadline, known debtor details, settlement history and enforcement options. The debtor's solvency, assets, location and any insolvency protection materially affect recovery.
7. Warrant or writ of control
| Amount sought to enforce against goods | Current general route |
|---|---|
| Under £600 | County Court only |
| £600 to under £5,000 | County Court or High Court |
| £5,000 or more | High Court |
| Judgment from an agreement regulated by the Consumer Credit Act 1974 | County Court only, regardless of amount |
These thresholds apply to execution against goods and can change. Other enforcement methods may be more appropriate, including attachment of earnings, charging orders, third party debt orders or insolvency routes, depending on the debtor and advice.
8. Enforcement provider
High Court enforcement must be routed through the appropriate authorised High Court enforcement structure; County Court warrants are executed through the court's enforcement process. Any certificated enforcement agent or HCEO work is performed only under the legal authority applicable to that enforcement instruction.
9. Settlement after judgment
Offers, instalment proposals and compromise remain subject to customer approval unless a written mandate gives a specific settlement range. Enforcement may be paused where law, court order, insolvency, breathing space protection or an agreed arrangement requires it.