What To Do When You Receive a Legal Notice

A legal notice is not a court order, and receiving one does not mean you have lost anything. How you respond in the first few days, though, shapes everything that follows.

Do this first

1. Note the date of receipt. Reply periods run from it, and they are short.
2. Read it fully. Identify precisely what is alleged and what is demanded.
3. Preserve everything. Contracts, invoices, emails, messages. Do not delete anything, even if you think it unhelpful — deletion is far more damaging than the document itself.

Do not do this

Do not ignore it: silence is often treated as acquiescence and weakens your position later. Do not call the other side to argue informally; anything said can be recorded and used. Do not send a reply drafted in anger, and do not admit anything in writing before you have taken advice.

Then respond properly

A reply should answer each allegation specifically, set out your version with reference to documents, and state your position clearly. A well-drafted reply frequently ends the matter without litigation, because it shows the other side that the claim will be contested on facts.

If you have received a notice, send it to us with the underlying documents and we will advise on the response.