Why Keelys is at the forefront of debt recovery for clients
We have continued to be active in the enforcement industry and this year we attended both the AGM of The High Court Officers Association in Sutton Coldfield in May and the Annual Luncheon in November at the Law Society in Chancery Lane, meeting members of the judiciary and Ministry of Justice alike, the latter being held for the first time since 2019 because of the Covid pandemic.
The pandemic certainly impacted on the enforcement industry generally and a raft of legislation was introduced. The enforcement industry embraced the changes positively, but now we are returning to normal, High Court Enforcement Officers (HCEOs) are focusing on other issues.
At present, any unregulated debt below £600 and all regulated debts must be enforced via the County Court Bailiff system. The High Court and County Court Jurisdiction Order 1991, if changed, would allow HCEOs to enforce these debts in addition to current enforcement powers. In a recent survey
- 97% of court users would like the freedom to choose between a HCEO and County Court bailiff to enforce regulated judgments under £600;
- 93% of court users support a further change allowing HCEOs to collect debts arising from Consumer Credit Act regulated agreements;
- 96% of court users are still concerned about court delays.
Why choose High Court Enforcement/ change the Jurisdiction Order?
Thousands of individuals and businesses who are owed money have a greater statistical chance of reclaiming money owed to them;
A more effective, responsive and flexible service with improvements in communications, payment arrangement handling and reporting, leading to even greater improvements in collection timescales
There is no cost to the taxpayer;
It would help in clearing the huge backlog of cases in the county court;
Individuals and businesses would still have freedom of choice in who to use.
The “Supporting Court Users” survey was open between 22 August 2022 and 24 October 2022 seeing 390 responses from solicitors, debt collection agencies, in-house legal teams, landlords and other court users and you can read more about the campaign at www.hceoa.org.uk/campaigns/supporting-court-users
Here at Keelys, we are the only solicitors practice in Staffordshire to have a High Court Enforcement Officer who is also a qualified solicitor. This matters because we can offer a comprehensive service from start to finish, from the first letter before action to the issue of proceedings, entry of judgment and the final enforcement visit, avoiding the delays which can make that difference in whether you successfully recover your money. See our website with this link www.keelys.co.uk for more details on fixed cost debt recovery or contact Patrick Farrington by phone 01543 420000 or e-mail pfarrington@keelys.co.uk for further information.