All court documents have a deadline for response, so act quickly and don’t put it aside. You will need to decide whether you are going to settle the claim or defend it and the form will give you details about the different options and how to inform the court of your intentions. CFA members can obtain free legal advice as a benefit of their membership and this might be available to others through other trade bodies, etc.

The cost of defending a claim isn’t just financial. It takes a lot of time over a long period of time and this should be taken into account. It’s better to settle at a reasonable level early, even if you feel the client has ‘got one over you’, than to doggedly defend a claim on principle and find the financial cost and the stress involved makes the ‘win’ seem hollow.
Richard Renouf, founder